Now a fear of flying is a completely different thing. People with that problem often dont have a fear of heights, and vice versa.
Mayrhofen
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Quite right, it is all about control or being in control, I'm not a good passenger in a car as I perfer to be in control and for me it is the same with flying... 8)
FIL has no probs with flying at all and is happy going up the mast on his yacht. But, I've been in a gondola with him and the fear is intense. I think a lot of the problem is worrying about the lift getting stuck and having to be rescued. If the lift stops he really gets worried and the fear becomes overwhelming. Even getting the train for the first time from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg was a huge challenge. Familiarity does help though. We went to Grindelwald for the second time in January and because he'd been on the gondola / train before he was fine. He even went on the gondola from Mannlichen down to Wengen which has a huge sheer drop. And then when he went on a small 4 person bubble barely 40ft off the ground he was in pieces.
It's a really difficult situation for him as he loves the snow, skiing, walking etc.
So would he be fine after just one trip in the gondola or would it take a week to get used to it? I can't imagine having the kind of fear everyone is talking about, I have absolutely no problem with heights/flying and can't comprehend being scared on a chairlift, but it's clearly a big problem for him. Have you discussed the Mayrhofen lifts with him?
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Started by Getjim in Austria 19-Jul-2009 - 27 Replies
Ian Wickham
reply to 'Mayrhofen' posted Jul-2009
Tony_H wrote:Now a fear of flying is a completely different thing. People with that problem often dont have a fear of heights, and vice versa.
Quite right, it is all about control or being in control, I'm not a good passenger in a car as I perfer to be in control and for me it is the same with flying... 8)
Lynn_D
reply to 'Mayrhofen' posted Jul-2009
I'm the opposite in the fact that I love flying but am terrified of heights ('though fortunately am OK on chairlifts.) Not sure how I'd cope on the Mayrhofen gondola, but as the skiing looks fabulous I think I could shut my eyes and manage somehow, particularly as this is a place high up on my 'to ski' list :D
RoseR
reply to 'Mayrhofen' posted Jul-2009
I would say I am not afraid of heights but can never look over the edge. I am happy at the top of a mountain looking down on villages etc but can not walk over to the edge and look down. Same as on a plane I never have a window seat I cant look down. I can walk along high bridges even swinging ones but if the bridge has gaps in it cant do it.
I'm a laydee
Getjim
reply to 'Mayrhofen' posted Jul-2009
Dave Mac wrote:
Is the FIL happy to fly at 30,000 ft, but unhappy to sit on a chairlift at 30 ft?
FIL has no probs with flying at all and is happy going up the mast on his yacht. But, I've been in a gondola with him and the fear is intense. I think a lot of the problem is worrying about the lift getting stuck and having to be rescued. If the lift stops he really gets worried and the fear becomes overwhelming. Even getting the train for the first time from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg was a huge challenge. Familiarity does help though. We went to Grindelwald for the second time in January and because he'd been on the gondola / train before he was fine. He even went on the gondola from Mannlichen down to Wengen which has a huge sheer drop. And then when he went on a small 4 person bubble barely 40ft off the ground he was in pieces.
It's a really difficult situation for him as he loves the snow, skiing, walking etc.
Caron-a
reply to 'Mayrhofen' posted Jul-2009
my boys came down the black into Val D'Isere and I came down on the solaise express chair lift. It's incredibly steep so I had to look at the sky the whole time, if I'd have looked down I would've been in all sorts of trouble :shock:
NellyPS
reply to 'Mayrhofen' posted Jul-2009
getjim wrote:Dave Mac wrote:
Is the FIL happy to fly at 30,000 ft, but unhappy to sit on a chairlift at 30 ft?
FIL has no probs with flying at all and is happy going up the mast on his yacht. But, I've been in a gondola with him and the fear is intense. I think a lot of the problem is worrying about the lift getting stuck and having to be rescued. If the lift stops he really gets worried and the fear becomes overwhelming. Even getting the train for the first time from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg was a huge challenge. Familiarity does help though. We went to Grindelwald for the second time in January and because he'd been on the gondola / train before he was fine. He even went on the gondola from Mannlichen down to Wengen which has a huge sheer drop. And then when he went on a small 4 person bubble barely 40ft off the ground he was in pieces.
It's a really difficult situation for him as he loves the snow, skiing, walking etc.
So would he be fine after just one trip in the gondola or would it take a week to get used to it? I can't imagine having the kind of fear everyone is talking about, I have absolutely no problem with heights/flying and can't comprehend being scared on a chairlift, but it's clearly a big problem for him. Have you discussed the Mayrhofen lifts with him?
Bandit
reply to 'Mayrhofen' posted Jul-2009
I used to be scared on lifts of all sorts, but I eventually got hardened to it. My OH surprised me by getting Vertigo in Switzerland last month. We'd stopped for lunch, and there was not much between us and a rather large drop, which he said he felt really drawn to :shock:
Topic last updated on 08-August-2009 at 19:45