Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane...

[zoom-zoom]

Perhaps. But a mistake while mountain biking doesn't necessarily guarantee death.

You couldn't pay me to jump out of a plane. Or off a bridge. Or to go up in a hot air balloon unless I was allowed to hide in the basket with my eyes closed.

I agree with SheFly - better you than me!

Heh, I'm scared to death of heights, too...but not chairlifts or rollercoasters, interestingly enough. That glass lookout thingie over the Grand Canyon sounds like a sort of Hell to me, though.

[Koronin]

Heh, I'm scared to death of heights, too...but not chairlifts or rollercoasters, interestingly enough. That glass lookout thingie over the Grand Canyon sounds like a sort of Hell to me, though.

I agree with you. I've been to the one at the Grand Canyon, but there is one at the House on the Rock in (don't remember if it's Minnesota or Wisconsin). I couldn't walk very far out into that room. I'd think the one at the Grand Canyon would be worse.

[aka_kim]

Wow, Veronica! I think I'd need to wear a diaper if I tried skydiving, so probably better for everyone if I don't.

[zoom-zoom]

I agree with you. I've been to the one at the Grand Canyon, but there is one at the House on the Rock in (don't remember if it's Minnesota or Wisconsin). I couldn't walk very far out into that room. I'd think the one at the Grand Canyon would be worse.

And there are pop-out look outs like that on the Sears/Willis tower....oh, hayul no!!!

[Catrin]

Veronica, I think you did great! I am amazed at people who can do this without becoming a basket case - they would need to pry my fingers off of the person I came down with and probably give me drugs to calm me - I won't even climb on a ladder! Chairs are bad enough....Airplanes, oddly enough, don't bother me. Roller coasters, etc, nope. Can't pay me enough to ride one

Zoom-zoom, I agree completely!

[smittykitty]

I was a "bit" nervous when both of my children celebrated my son's 21st birthday by going skydiving.

When I asked him why they wanted to jump out of a perfectly good plane, he replied "the plane wasn't the good" he said he felt much better getting out of it! That was calming!

Never so happy to get a call from my kids when they were done!

[snapdragen]

How cool Veronica! This is something I've always wanted to do.

[colby]

I *might* be persuaded to skydive, but then I'd have to take ativan and that would probably defeat the whole purpose! good for you for literally taking a leap of faith.

I used to be very afraid of heights, but what really helped me was to be on the chairlifts. When I started snowboarding 6 years ago after a 10 year hiatus from skiing, I nearly peed my pants when I first went up the lift. I pretty much had panic attacks whenever they stopped.

But as with anything, going on it over and over and over again almost got me immune to it, now I can look all the way down at the highest point and doesn't faze me. Though having said that, I did have a mini freak-out when the peak-2-peak gondola between Whistler and Blackcomb stopped shortly past the highest drop. I mean, how in the world do they rescue you dangling 300 feet in the air??

When I saw the peak-2-peak gondola, I said NOPE!!! I rode a gondola at a resort once with a liftie that also did gondola rescues, if they can't fix it I am pretty sure they basically have to go along the gondola, pull you out of the cart, and get you to a pole where you can climb down. NOPE NOPE NOPE! It gives me vertigo just thinking about it! After riding the gondola with the gondola guy, I did have to seriously think about riding the gondola again. Sometimes knowledge is not power.

I do snowboard and ride chair lifts and have taken other gondolas/trams. There's one chair lift in a ski area that crosses a big gap and goes along steep slopes that I won't ride, though. It's only a double. Perception of safety is definitely a factor. I ride in airplanes so often that I only feel the vertigo-y feeling when we are close to the ground (which jives with the skydiving thing I read). Quad/six-pack chair lifts don't bother me as much as doubles (but they also tend to serve less steep terrain).

Desensitization by daily snowboarding? Sounds good to me! Maybe I can find a doctor to sign off on that...

[colby]

Heh, I'm scared to death of heights, too...but not chairlifts or rollercoasters, interestingly enough. That glass lookout thingie over the Grand Canyon sounds like a sort of Hell to me, though.

YES, totally! Just imagining that makes me dizzy!

I don't mind rollercoasters, though sometimes I have to close my eyes or grip my neighbor tightly on the climb. Maybe the fear of heights adds to the rush, though.

[yellow]

Why not? Life's short. Glad you enjoyed it, V!

GLC, FWIW, I went on a hot air balloon ride once and the experience was NOT what I expected. You can't even tell you are rising, and then when you look down it's as if you are an ant on the surface of a dog, looking down at the patterns of hair--which are landscape and vegetation--and being totally disconnected with the fact that you are not where your brain thinks you are. Hard to explain. I'd never jump out of a plane, but the hot air balloon ride was amazing.