@_@

[+JuggerNaut+]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqnyrB8Y ... ed#t=1m10s

[PrMink]

"crazy russian kids climbing.... unprotected...."

apart from the parachutes they're wearing of course

[GONNAFISTYA]

Looks like fun.

[SoM]

"crazy russian kids climbing.... unprotected...."

apart from the parachutes they're wearing of course

they're ukrainian, and they're only wearing school bags

[Tsakali]

what's up with ukrane (russia) and it's total lack of respect for human life even when it's their own?

[+JuggerNaut+]

[HM-PuFFNSTuFF]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqnyrB8Ym8M&feature=related#t=1m10s

holy shitballs

[+JuggerNaut+]

Just wait

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k4Xk1mEwmI

[feedback]

what's up with ukrane (russia) and it's total lack of respect for human life even when it's their own?

Remnants of communism maybe.

[mrd]

Fuckin' hell

[Tsakali]

img

I'm totally fine with that, they are harnessed, I would do that with pleasure. I have no fear of heights, under the right circumstances I very much enjoy them. That's why I love roller coaster theme parks. You are under a very controlled environment but still get to enjoy situations that you normally wouldn't.

[andyman]

that tower never ended, neither did my fear

[Ryoki]

jesus... that first vid is madness :S

[Eraser]

img

I'm totally fine with that, they are harnessed, I would do that with pleasure. I have no fear of heights, under the right circumstances I very much enjoy them. That's why I love roller coaster theme parks. You are under a very controlled environment but still get to enjoy situations that you normally wouldn't.

Dude, you are comparing roller coasters to climbing a 1700+ ft tower? rofl

[Eraser]

Also, I have a feeling that we've discussed climbing high places before. Wasn't there someone on Q3W who actually did work like this? I remember having seen that tower climbing video before.

edit:
oh yeah here's the thread: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=44515&p=840269

edit2:
and it was actually YourGrampa who did it: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=42962

[Ryoki]

In Laos i did this three day zipline thing, that was pretty mental also. We slept in a treehut that was 30 meters up and during the day we'd trek around the jungle, attach ourselves to ziplines and whoosh, zip across a gorgeous valley. Then trek some more to find another zipline. I think the longest line was 300 meters and at least 60 meters up, but it didn't really scare me. Excilerating yes and frightening no, i thought, but some folks in our group disagreed.

...fucking leaches though, those were the worst. First thing i did when we reached a treehut was light up a cigarette and on avarage burn five of those little horrors off my feet

Anyway, what Tsakali says, if you're harnassed heights are surprisingly not scary. Freaks me out to see people climbing without any safety though :/

[Tsakali]

Dude, you are comparing roller coasters to climbing a 1700+ ft tower? rofl

did i say that? lol anyway yeah sure, the height doesn't matter after the first few levels. doesn't matter if you're on the 4th floor or the 100th floor at that point. But then again, like I said, I don't have an irrational fear of heights.

[Eraser]

Anyway, what Tsakali says, if you're harnassed heights are surprisingly not scary. Freaks me out to see people climbing without any safety though :/

I disagree. I've done wall climbing a few times and even though that was fully secure, it was still kind of scary. A fear that I could push away and overcome and go for it, but I think it's a bit arrogant to say that heights aren't scary at all if you're secured.

The weirdest thing I've ever done in that sense was climb up a wall where the climbing rope was attached to some kind of pulley at the top of the wall. It would allow the rope to flow freely up and down, but like a seatbelt, if you tugged on it with force, it would tighten it's grip. The idea is that if you fall you just gently glide down back to the floor. The climbing instructor then instructed us to climb to the top and then jump away from the wall, so that we'd glide down like that. It probably was just a 30 meter climb, but letting go of the wall and putting all your faith in that pulley is just something so counter-intuitive, that every fiber in my body was telling me not to do it. I did do it and got a kick out of it, but the mental strength that was needed to actually go and do it was kind of harrowing.

I think I'd be a lousy bungee jumper as well.

[Eraser]

did i say that? lol anyway yeah sure, the height doesn't matter after the first few levels. doesn't matter if you're on the 4th floor or the 100th floor at that point. But then again, like I said, I don't have an irrational fear of heights.

You argue that you enjoy rollercoasters and therefore have no irrational fear of heights. But guess what, 90% of the population enjoys rollercoasters. That doesn't make you special. But only a fraction of that 90% would enjoy climbing a tower like that, secured or not.

I'm just saying there's quite a difference between passively sitting in a rollercoaster cart where you're tightly secured by seatbelts, and actively climbing up a tiny ladder with only a loose rope attached to your body.

[Tsakali]

so you have a morbid fear of planes? if you can't trust a straight forward thing like a rope, I'd hate to see you in a flight.

The point is, death under any of these circumstances would be out of the norm, hence fear is irrational.

[Tsakali]

You argue that you enjoy rollercoasters and therefore have no irrational fear of heights. But guess what, 90% of the population enjoys rollercoasters. That doesn't make you special. But only a fraction of that 90% would enjoy climbing a tower like that, secured or not.

I'm just saying there's quite a difference between passively sitting in a rollercoaster cart where you're tightly secured by seatbelts, and actively climbing up a tiny ladder with only a loose rope attached to your body.

the seatbelt is no more secure than a rope.

[Eraser]

so you have a morbid fear of planes? if you can't trust a straight forward thing like a rope, I'd hate to see you in a flight.

The point is, death under any of these circumstances would be out of the norm, hence fear is irrational.

I find it really hard to judge if you're playing the tough guy here, really are out of touch with reality or just have no freaking clue.

First of all, fear is never a rational thing. You never think "ok, this is seriously dangerous, let's be afraid". So let's get the idea of "rational fear" out of the way. That just doesn't exist.

Also, fear of heights and fear of flying are two completely different things. Maybe we shouldn't talk about fear of heights at all, but about fear of falling. Being tightly strapped into the seat of a rollercoaster cart gives the mental sense that you are safe. There's nowhere for your body to go, even if the rollercoaster cart is upside-down. Sure, chances of the straps snapping are similar to chances of a climbing rope snapping, but the feeling of safety it gives allows people to actually enjoy it. Maybe it isn't completely rational, but it is how the human mind works.

When you're climbing a tower like that, chances of you getting hurt are possibly just as small as when you're sitting in the rollercoaster or in the plane. However, on that tower the chances of you falling are much greater than in the rollercoaster or the plane. Even if that fall is only a meter or so, and you'll be caught by the rope, you can still fall and completely lose control. Sure, you have no control over the rollercoaster cart either, but that cart behaves in a way that is predictable and even expected. For the unexperienced climber, dangling down from a rope at 1500ft is a situation that is completely unpredictable (especially because the moment of falling always comes as a surprise).

What's also significant here is that on the tower, you have to keep a grip on the steps yourself. If you don't do that, you'll fall. In the rollercoaster you just sit and let it happen, on a tower, not so much.

I've probably wasted enough words on it now. But if you really feel that climbing a tower or wall is no more scary than riding a rollercoaster, then that's great for you, but it's not how the minds of most people work. You'd have my respect for that, but let's cut the bullcrap about it being the same as sitting in a plane having alcohol free cocktails and sausages.

[Tsakali]

I'm not playing the tough guy, Everything I said makes sense as soon as you let go your irrational skepticism on the issue. There IS such a thing as rational fear, those morons on that bridge crane for instance should exude a fairly high level of fear because they could lose their grip or trip at any moment ...it's only rational
Irrational would be not to trust the rope or the roller coaster.

Also, you are now introducing new elements to the conversation...controlling the rope etc. I am just pointing out that sitting there secure on a rope should be no big issue, as those gentlemen where doing in that picture.

And honestly , if you think planes are safer than a rope then you are exuding a seriously false understanding of the circumstances... an instrument with 100's of things that can go wrong, compared to a rope.

[Tsakali]

Just to add, I've bungee jumped before. It's 20 times more "scary" than a roller coaster but the reason I did it and completely enjoyed it is the fact that I was pretty sure the rope wouldn't brake, just like i was pretty sure, the roller coster tracks wouldn't slip off, or my seatbelt wouldn't come undone. or the other 100's of parts wouldn't fail.

[Eraser]

No, what I'm trying to explain is that fear for something isn't born out of a rational consideration. Sure, you can eventually overcome a fear by rational consideration, but it's not always that easy to do. A person isn't at fault or beyond rational reason for being afraid of climbing a tower while not being afraid of riding a rollercoaster or flying in a plane.

All I'm trying to say that implying that someone shouldn't be afraid of tower climbing if you aren't afraid of rollercoasters either is a grave misunderstanding.