27/12/2021
How to overcome the fear of heights: instructions from a mountain guide
Are you afraid of heights, but you want to go to the mountains so much? Read the article, follow the instructions and go after your dream even tomorrow!
Where does the fear of heights come from in a person's life? Along with the fear of snakes and public speaking, the fear of heights tops the top fears that the majority of the world's population has.
Evolution is to blame for everything. According to various estimates, man has existed from 2,500 to 12,000 years, and only the last 150-200 years are associated with height. Before that, Deities sat on the tops of mountains, and for the word "skyscraper" they could burn at the stake. So a clear and strict rule was formed in the human brain: high is dangerous.
What influences the fear of heights?
The place where you were born and grew up. The more flat the terrain and the lower the height of the houses, the higher the chance to master this fear.
How habits were formed during the child's development. Those who attended clubs and sections where coordination, vestibular apparatus, and reaction speed develop will have less fear. And, conversely, more for those who followed only the route: "home - school - shop - home".
Various traumas and psychotrauma also negatively affect the development of fear of heights, not necessarily with the child himself. Even watching an employee who is mounting the sign of a neighboring store fall down the stairs, a logical chain will form: a fall from a height is possible and pain follows. So, I won't climb to the height.
Fear – what is it?
Let's simulate the situation: you are in the mountains. There is snow, ice and rocks all around. There is a peak in front, climbing partners behind, a cliff rushing down somewhere on the left, and it itches in my head: "Why did they call this place a "co**se collector"?"
Or another example: you are hanging on a rope on a rock, there is emptiness for hundreds of meters below, and the instructor shouts: "Seryoga, everything is fine, you are hanging on the jumar, the guys are insured, you are 100% safe!" Security? Safe is at home under a cozy blanket and next to a meowing cat.
Fear is distrust:
To yourself, to your strength, to your well-being. You have not been in such situations, there is nothing to compare with. Fatigue, dizziness, a state of mild panic - is it a reason to turn around or is it worth going further?
The guide. In the photo, he looks confident, with a beard and an ice pick in his hands. And what is he like in business, in an extreme situation?
People around, other tourists. It is unknown how they will behave under stress.
Situations. What is everyday life for an experienced person, then for a new one – a firework of emotions, feelings and fears.
Equipment. "An ice drill screwed into the ice will definitely withstand my weight? If I break down, will I be able to detain myself with an ice pick? If the partner pulls the rope for the bundle, and I'm standing uncertainly at this moment, then we all fly down together?"
Weather conditions. You won't find such a thing in the city: a hurricane wind, zero visibility, snow breaks off the slope and cuts the skin of the face. Try to stay calm in such a situation.
How to overcome fear?
Getting ready physically: running, swimming, cycling, gym classes are ways to strengthen the body and nervous system. During training, joints get stronger, muscles adapt to heavy loads, and the brain makes sure that it is ready for such a thing.
To be in an extreme situation. Imitating is unlikely to work, but positive analogues exist. It is better to try something very similar to the experience you get in the mountains, for example, regular classes at the climbing wall or trips to the rocks.
Meet the guide. It is to him that you will entrust your life and health in the mountains. It is better to inform him in advance about your fears and ask all questions. Thus, the psychological barrier will disappear and in an extreme situation you will not be shy about emotions, reactions to stimuli, etc.
What to do in the mountains?
We have prepared, now we are going to the mountains! There you should:
Acclimatize properly. If you rush to climb, the fear will increase many times due to accumulated fatigue, stress and the fact that the body has not had time to adapt to the lack of oxygen in the blood.
Don't look down. When we are afraid, the feelings take over the mind so much that the body stops obeying. Turn off your emotions and focus as much as possible on each step, action, then fear will not be able to take over you.
Blindly trust the guide. Some tips and requirements may seem strange, but the task of the guide is to guide along the route and keep safe.
If you are still hooked by fear, then tell us about your feelings as constructively as possible. For example: "I'm afraid that I'm going to fall into the abyss," "I'm afraid that a stone will fly into my head," "There is doubt that the rope will withstand my weight." It is wrong to think that lamentations will help: "Why did I come here", "Unfasten me, I'm going down" or silence, which supposedly will keep calm in the group and will not distract anyone from the process.
If it's not you who's scared, but someone else
What to do when another person from your group freezes in fear?
Ask him how he feels and listen to everything. Do not rush with advice.
If he is silent, ask leading questions: "Are you scared now?", "Are you in pain now?", "Are you holding a grudge against someone?". Your teammate will talk and come to his senses.
If he does not react at all at all, aggressively or inadequately behaves, then take him by the shoulders and shake him sharply. This should bring a person to his senses.
Switch your attention by asking you to do something: "Pour everyone a cup of tea," "Count whether the whole group is assembled," "Find out how the group feels." A person will distract himself from his emotions and engage in intellectual work.
Arrange a snack. Fear can appear due to severe stress, which occurs from fatigue, overwork, mountain sickness. Energy will not hurt your friend.
If a person has a tantrum, then be calm, do not argue and do not succumb to provocations – it is useless and dangerous, you are in the mountains! Leave your companion alone, but make sure that he does not harm himself. Hysteria is a very energy-consuming process, lasts no more than 2-3 minutes. After he has come to his senses, do not remind him of this behavior. Switch the person's attention to something else so that he can rest and tune in to the right mood.
My Guide Methods
Drink tea. This switches attention, gives rest and a sense of security, as well as, if you add a snack to tea, a reserve of energy.
Dancing (in the saddle of Elbrus – classic), jokes, smiles. Tourists at this moment can hate me, get involved only emotionally in the process, but most importantly, they switch their attention from fears to my performance by one actor.
Saying what a person has in his head, what he has already passed, what is to come, what the most negative consequences can be if he continues the action. As a rule, a person himself comes to the conclusion that nothing terrible is happening to him.
Do climbers have fear?
At first, everyone is afraid. But a habit appears: the brain remembers the sequence of actions and knows that there is nothing to be afraid of in this situation. If a person understands that now he or his partner is making a mistake, then he knows how to focus on actions. The climber knows that the count goes by seconds.
If we are talking about a guide or an instructor, then he is constantly in the mountains, so he looks and feels confident. But there is also a minus: there is carelessness, lack of attention to detail, and sometimes disregard for safety.
It is always necessary to keep yourself in a high-altitude "tone", because if you do not practice for a long time, the fear returns. At the same time, gradually fear becomes a friend – it is he who makes you turn back. That is, the climber is not afraid at this moment, because of experience he knows how best to act at one time or another.
And in conclusion - about the tragedy on Elbrus. Communicating with people planning to go to the mountains, especially for the first time, I hear that some refuse because of the fear that has arisen after this accident.
Editor's note: On September 23, 2021, during the ascent of a group of tourists with guides on Elbrus, the weather deteriorated greatly. As a result of the incident, 5 tourists were killed.
Yes, it happens. Even with the most experienced. Is it possible to avoid tragedy by giving up mountains? According to the theory of probability, dangers are expected every minute, even, at first glance, in safe places: a car, an apartment, an elevator, on the street. In 2021, about 20,000 people tried to climb Elbrus, five of them died.
I have been driving in the mountains for 6 years and have not met with a single fatal accident or any serious injury. Moreover, according to statistics, mountaineering is one of the safest sports in terms of injury and mortality.
Understand, it is necessary to achieve your goals and satisfy desires, and not hide and be afraid. Only the one who does nothing is not mistaken. Well, enough words, let's go to the mountains!
