Afraid of heights?

What N Sperlo said.

drummerfromdefleopard wrote: as someone with a few priors for trespassing that are basejumping related, I'm still not sure how I'd feel about power equipment and labor on a large tree, that happens to be the structure I'm anchored to.

Base jumping??? This board has a little bit of everything

My great grandfather died falling out of a tree he was trimming when I was a kid. He was in his 80s. Maybe thats where I get it from, because I actually love being up high looking out over the horizon.

Figured out that I'm not afraid of heights. It's the fear of falling that I'm afraid of. I've looked down from the ramp of a Chinook helicopter at 10,000 ft and was fine because I knew I was fastened to the helicopter with a harness.

I will not climb a tree to work on it. I have climbed 500' radio towers to install antennas on them. Guess I just don't trust Mother Nature.

I went to an agricultural college at Umass for my first degree. An A.S. in Arboriculture and Park Maintenance Management. Climbing class was required even for those of us not pursuing that part of the field. First branch of the testing tree for the exam was about 25' off the ground so throw a rope over it and start climbing. Climb to top of tree and set your rope then come down tree and run out to tips of branches to touch marker flags. Get to ground, remove harness and ropes. Think we had to be done in like 10 or 15 minutes.

Although I'm not afraid of heights and like doing those kinds of things (I'm the guy in the rock climbing gym cave on the ceiling) I sold all my climbing equipment after graduating so people wouldn't bother me about trimming their trees and went on to landscape architecture. I still climb trees although at 56 it's probably not the wisest thing without proper equipment so I've been taking down all the big trees in my yard so I won't keep climbing and trimming without any equipment.

Those who mentioned the sudden stop are likely thinking hitting the ground when more likely is injuries from swinging like a pendulum from out on a branch till contacting another branch or trunk. Then dangling there...... Broken spleen is the sudden stop internal injury killer, BMX jumping took care of mine in my late 30's so I no longer have that to worry about. Yah, that sudden stop will get ya.

This is an Avocado I took down a couple weeks ago.

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I've been in a basket four stories up swaying in the wind. I used to not be afraid of heights. I have done the Drop Zone ride at King's Island many, many times. Then one day while there we rode it again and when we got to the top I became petrified. I had never felt a fear so strongly. Since then I really don't like heights. I have no idea what changed but it did.

Appleseed wrote: You guys are weak.

I have all of the poise and balance of a cat that was just given horse tranquilizers with a vodka chaser. I couldn't pass a field sobriety test if I were ten years sober. I don't fear heights, I fear my inability to not flop over like a klutz when said failitude would be the first leg in a trip to the hospital.

Not fear, TERROR.

Nick_Comstock wrote: I've been in a basket four stories up swaying in the wind. I used to not be afraid of heights. I have done the Drop Zone ride at King's Island many, many times. Then one day while there we rode it again and when we got to the top I became petrified. I had never felt a fear so strongly. Since then I really don't like heights. I have no idea what changed but it did.

Same here. I've climbed a few radio towers in the past to change out the beacon lights and only had some mild anxiety. More recently I've been mountain climbing and skydiving and never felt uncomfortable at all. At Kennywood, I rode the Pitt Fall (similar to Drop Zone) many, many times over the years with no issues but the last time I went on it I was scared E36 M3less. No idea what changed it for me but now even being at the top of a 35 foot extension ladder is scary.

I don't have a fear of heights, I have a fear of falling to my death (or watching other people do it). I've jumped on the glass floor in the CN tower on multiple occasions and I'd be happy to try skydiving, but those videos linked earlier make my palms sweaty.