Facing My Fear Of Heights

It was a beautiful day in Interlaken.

The sun was beating down on the snow capped mountains as the minibus we were travelling in hurtled towards Grindelwald, where I would face my fear of heights by throwing myself from a platform attached to an 85m rope.

For most people, cruising through the Alps on such a beautiful day would provoke a feeling of relaxation, but as we approached our destination, a strong feeling of anxiety surrounded me like an emotional cloak.

I’ve never been a great fan of heights.  It’s one of those irrational fears where logically I know that unless something drastically goes wrong, I’ll be okay.  But logic isn’t enough to stop my heart rate from rising, my chest tightening and my limbs to refusing to work.

Going through all of the pre-jump safety measures seemed to take an age.  I remember finding it hard to concentrate on anything other than the huge drop I was about to throw myself into.

As I was being clipped onto the rope that would inevitably save me from a certain death, my heart was beating through my chest so much that I swear I was about to reenact the famous scene from Alien!

Standing on the platform with the green light to jump, I felt about ready for an anxiety attack. My heart rate was through the roof and my legs had all but given up on me.

It’s at this point in any situation that provokes a fear response where you’re presented with 2 options; fight or flight, the easy option always being the latter.

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally took the leap of faith.

Standing at the bottom of the canyon looking back up at what I had just done, I experienced a feeling of elation; I had taken on my fear and survived!

Have I conquered my fear of heights? Probably not. But I have learned to act in spite of fear, which ultimately is the key to experiencing amazing things in life!

Below is the video I shot of the experience with a wrist mounted GoPro camera. **Parental Advisory – strong language and intense scenes of a grown man screaming**