Do You Know Anyone That Skis and is Afraid of Heights?

[dburdenbates]

Well, if you didn't before, you do now. :o

Am I completely alone in this area? Are there other crazies out there that took up skiing despite this phobia? I'm pretty proud of the fact that I've come as far as I have skiing with this handicap, but I can really be paralyzed by fear on some of the really steep stuff.

BTW, I love rollercoasters too. I have my husband completely baffled. :p

 

[SnowHot]

I have my husband baffled but for other reasons

 

[dburdenbates]

I have my husband baffled but for other reasons

LOL! It's best to keep 'em guessing. ;)

 

[ski diva]

I'm generally not afraid of heights, but once in a while I get spooked on a really, really high lift. I just keep telling myself that I don't fall off when they aren't high, so this shouldn't be any different. I'd hate to have to be rescued from a stalled one, though. Saw that going on at Stratton once, and it didn't look like fun.

By the way, Dawn, congratulations on mastering your phobia. That takes guts.

 

[Marigee]

I am not afraid of heights - but it used to scare me silly when watching my kids ( really just my twins) on the lift in front of me. When they were young I used to fear that they would fall off - and rode the lift with them forever. Even now I still have more fear for them than me. They tell me I'm silly, that they won't fall off - they are just fine.

It is truly amazing that you have conquered your fear of heights enough to ride the lifts and ski Dawn.

 

[ISki]

On a shared chairlift, it always seems like I'm the only person who wants to bring down the safety bar. For safety, I'll always bring it down. Most seem to not care. I don't get it. It's too scary to ride without it.

 

[dburdenbates]

On a shared chairlift, it always seems like I'm the only person who wants to bring down the safety bar. For safety, I'll always bring it down. Most seem to not care. I don't get it. It's too scary to ride without it.

Just tell them you need to rest your feet. That's what I do. :D

I thought I would have more problem on the lifts, but they weren't as tough as skiing steeps. The lifts have me looking up the mountain, so I don't get the vertigo I do when looking down.

And I wouldn't necessarily say I've conquered my phobia. If I hesitate too long at the beginning of a really steep run, I can freeze up. Then all bets are off and I end up snow plowing to the bottom. Luckily, I think it only happened once last season. And the worst runs are the open glacier runs where I feel like I could go off the mountain on any side. I feel safer with trees to either side. :o

Let me know if you are ever bored and I can tell you about some of my other neurotic tendencies. :D

 

[dburdenbates]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I will not under any circumstances get on a ferris wheel. :o

 

[Lilgeorg]

I have this strange feeling as we drive up to a Mt. I look at it and think, oh that's too steep to ski. But of course, it's not. But it does seem irrational to hurl yourself down a Mt on 2 flat boards!

 

[Jilly]

Basically heights don't bother me, but sometimes the chair goes over a area/dip and is then higher in the air - I just keeping looking ahead. Years ago I was on the peak chair at Whistler with a friends husband. Boy was HE scared. The chair just went into a pile of rocks at the top. We were even above the avalanche wires for the bombs. I had to keep talking to him (not a problem) and telling him to keep looking at me. The other bad spot I remember was getting off the tram in Courchevel. It's on a grided platform. You can look through the grid to what looks like 100 ft but is probably only 20. As for the bar on chairs, in Ontario and Quebec its seems to mandatory. The liftees get really pissed if the bars don't go down. Legal stuff maybe? Plus if you're skiing with a backpack you need to lean forward, so you need the bar.

 

[teachski]

I am afraid of heights! I thought I was alone too! For some reason, ski lifts are ok...maybe it's what is at the end of them. Bridges sometimes freak me out! I also have some trouble on ferris wheels, some rollercoasters and high buildings. I could not go near the window of my college dorm room because it was in a high rise. I think that over the years I have gotten better when it comes to heights though. I am confronting my fears and not letting them run my life.