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climbtozero
Dec 1, 2004, 7:15 AM
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Ok I know this has probably been done before, but I want to know what is the scariest thing you crazy people have done.
I will start it off. The first time a person goes skydiving in Colorado, it must be tandem. To get hooked together is a bit uncomfortable, so my instructor and I made small talk. When it was almost our turn to jump my instructor asks me “so what do you do for a living?”
“I am a meat cutter.”
“REALLY, I am a vegan…Its our turn to jump.”
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coldclimb
Dec 1, 2004, 7:23 AM
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Only thing that has ever scared me enough to remember was being sketched while unprotected with huge exposure on unclimbed rock covered in lichen. There's a few things (like my first time highlining) that have weirded me out to the point that I couldn't do them, but I can't call that fear, exactly. More like my mind just froze up and stopped me, though I consciously felt comfortable doing it. I was definitely afraid of falling on that climb though. So strong I could taste it for a long while after I got off. That one leaves a memory I'm not likely to ever forget.
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maculated
Dec 1, 2004, 7:41 AM
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The only thing that has scared me so much i couldn't deal with it at the time was when a guy broke into my house and my bedroom and was going to assault me until my involuntary scream sent him packing. I had no control over what was happening and it was total slow motion. I was shaking for days, and I moved from the town because of it. I still don't take kindly to sneak attacks by friends.
Climbing? That's NOTHING in comparison. That's a situation you get yourself into. I have never felt so vulnerable. It could have ended up a LOT worse.
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mr_muffey
Dec 1, 2004, 8:11 AM
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When I was 18... On the way to climb a peak (Mt Murchison) in Aurthers pass (sth island, NZ) we had to cross the Waimakariri river about 6 times whilst it was in flood. It never got deep (over mid thigh) but it was soo wide and pretty fast. It was one of my first trips and we were stupid to cross it the first time and all 5 after that. The walk in to the first hut normally takes about 3-4 hours, it took us 9 due to the rivers and weather. Needless to say we didnt make the peak. At the time it wasnt so scary, but looking back with a bit more time under my belt I realise we were very lucky to come out of the river crossings OK. Rivers kill alot of outdoorsy people in NZ and im guessig its faily similar all over the world. Thinking of the posible outcomes makes me shudder. It was winter and everyone in the team fell over in the river at least once and got soaked. From a "goals completed" point of view the trip was a disater, however I learnt a hell of a lot. We were a bunch of nieve inexperianced kids with the glory of a good peak clouding our all ready not so sound judgement
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far_east_climber
Dec 1, 2004, 8:12 AM
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I have only encountered a few scary things involuntarly. When I was very young visiting my grandparents in L.A. (maybe when I was 3 or so), there was a man outside my grandparents house, with a gun firing manically into the air. He was being chased by a police helicopter. Was more afraid for my parents because they were out for the night.
Something non-threatening that still scared me was again at my grandparents home, a father next-door was going psycho on his family and I could hear him punching his wife and her screaming and I remember looking at his two girls screaming through the fence in tears in fear. My grandmother called the cops. Don't know what happened to the women-beater. What I found most disturbing and scary were their screams and cries.
Climbing wise, my second ever trad lead was pretty damn scary. It was about 80ft in height. The grade was a 5.8, which I was comfortable with. However, when I got about 20ft up, the crack became really shallow, wavy and flared and was generally very difficult to protect (especially with my limited placement knowledge at the time).. so I was forced to put in 3 marginal placements within 25ft - 2 of which fell out. 20ft from the top there was no more gear placements available so I had to run it out. Definately a mind-game at the time. In a torturous sense, I was loving every moment of the unpredictable situation.
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climbtozero
Dec 1, 2004, 10:06 AM
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Something non-threatening that still scared me was again at my grandparents home, a father next-door was going psycho on his family and I could hear him punching his wife and her screaming and I remember looking at his two girls screaming through the fence in tears in fear. My grandmother called the cops. Don't know what happened to the women-beater. What I found most disturbing and scary were their screams and cries.
I can tell you what i hope happend to him, but it might be a bit hard for some to stomach.
Force should be used sparingly, AND NEVER IN THE HOME
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nonick
Dec 1, 2004, 10:08 AM
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mountainwise - a hike i did in the monsoon last year. Slippery wet rock all the way, fully exposed. Stupid mistake...nearly died twice in 3 days.
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shock
Dec 1, 2004, 11:01 AM
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climbing wise: havent done anything mad enough yet
Scariest thing that ever happened to me was when some guy tried to mug me. Came up to me in the street and said to give him my phone and wallet. i kept walking and he followed me until i went into the shop where my mate works.
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tradman
Dec 1, 2004, 11:29 AM
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I got caught out last year on Ben Nevis, attempting a free solo of Tower Ridge, a 1000 metre route on the north face. When I started, conditions were okay, then the weather closed in and it rained buckets.
The rocks were literally running with water and I eventually ground to a halt below a chimney which I knew went at about HVS (5.10a). Under normal circumstances I'd have zipped up it in a jiffy, but I had my big boots on and no chalk because it was so wet.
Knowing I couldn't downclimb what was below, I committed to the chimney and somehow managed to claw my way up it, terrified and shaking like a flat-pack wardrobe. Getting to the top I looked up and saw two more pitches the of same, one even harder than this one, before the terrain eased off. I just folded completely, sat down in the downpour, freezing cold and 300m off the deck, and tried to figure out what I was going to do.
Then, from round the other side of face, came - miraculously - a guide, with two clients and a rope! I almost jumped up and down. He kindly let me follow them up the next pitch on his rope then traverse out to an easy exit.
If that guide hadn't turned up I don't know what I would've done. All I know is I don't think I've ever been so scared.
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mischief8
Dec 1, 2004, 12:20 PM
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When I was 18 I went snowboarding in Utah. I had to go by myself because the person I was visiting had to work. In my ignorance I crossed into out of bounds not realizing there was a large drop ahead. I fell off the cliff smashed my shoulder and had to walk all the way back up to the top of the cliff and back to the in bounds area and board down. I faked a fall that looked like I hurt myself in order to get the ski patrol to help me down. I was so exhausted by the climb and fear of an avalanche at any time I would not have made it down very far anyways without falling. The scariest part was being out there alone where no one could hear or see you, wondering if you are going to be able to make it back. I have not gone out of bounds since and I always board with at least one other person.
Daniela
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soulwithoutfear
Dec 1, 2004, 1:26 PM
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I havnt found anthing that i am really afraid of but i can still get spooked. If i didnt react to certain situations by getting my adrenaline pumping then i probably wouldnt be able to "function properly" under these situations. But i'll tell you about a time taht i was really spooked last year. I was up north in good old North Conway, New Hampshire and i was staying in a nice little resot (i forgot what it is named) and i was walking back to our building, i had seen some bears by the dumpster earlier on so i was being cautious to keep away from them. It was really dark on the side walk going to our door so i decided to take out my Zippo and see if i could get some light. The minute i sparked that baby i saw the glowing eyes of a mama black bear about ten feet in front of me staring at me. :shock: Yeah that was probably what i looked like since i cam to realize that her cubs were behind me. :shock: . Well somehow i got out from between her and her cubs and they ran off into the woods. I wasnt afraid of the outcome of the situation but it did surprise the $hit out of me and i almost pi$sed myself. Thats my two cents.
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thedesertnomad
Dec 1, 2004, 2:24 PM
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Hiking / moderate non-steep ice climbing (crampons and mountain axe only) geared up for a week, coming down the backside of a frozen mountain in ME. Caught in very minor avalance (enough to topple me off a 30 footer while traversing to a less steep section) bounced a couple of times landed on a very small ledge in a powder filled pocket and assesed the damage. Had quite a bad gash across my calf (from my own damned crampon) goose egg on the noggin, dislocated shoulder, and a sprained wrist. I basically had only 2 choices, climb back up the only truly vertical ice on the mountain (30 feet) with a bum arm, and returning the way I came (only 6 or 7 miles mostly down hill) OR continuing down the other side (probably closer to 15 to 20 miles to any civilization or my vehicle) It was Thanksgiving day, I had been out only two days. And the dumbest part... I told NO ONE where I was going (don't do that anymore)... weather was coming in and in to stay, but I was decked out I could have weathered the storm for weeks, but the feeling of being utterly alone out there was a bit scary. Ended up climbing down, camped for a couple of days nursing my wounds and climbed back out when the storm broke.
Don't be a dumbass... tell people where you go!!!!
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piton
Dec 1, 2004, 2:27 PM
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my ex girlfriend, she's from staten island
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bad_lil_kitty
Dec 1, 2004, 2:43 PM
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as a child, i was in the toy aisle and a man was following me and asked me if i wanted him to buy me something.... i ran to my father and when we returned, the guy was gone. still gives me shivers when i see kids wandering alone.
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usmc_2tothetop
Dec 1, 2004, 2:43 PM
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Hmmm lets see in the early years I got lost when I was little at 6 Flags Darien Lake. And one other time in the Adirondacks when I had to cross the top of a waterfall, The water was thigh deep and running fast and the only rocks to hold on to were right at the edge.
More recent. 5 or 6 years ago before I did any real climbing I used to solo around the gorges close to my home which are all shale. I got my self in a few bad jams there, the falls would have killed me. I soloed a trickling waterfall and the last part of it was too hard. Knowing there was no hospitals around I had to down climb. It was probly a 5.7 climb to begin with. That sucked. But I would have to say the scariest is in retrospect. I climbed down the edge of an over-hanging waterfall, onto a small shale ledge about the size of a chair seat. Every thing was wet and I was about 100 fight up. That was teasing death. I can't beleive I did that and I don't think I would have the guts now. I was young and didn't have the knowledge of importance of the redundant safety measures I use now.
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theothermeat
Dec 1, 2004, 2:47 PM
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Several years ago I was at a party and had to talk down a drunk ex-marine sloppily loading her gun (dropped a few bullets on the ground in the process, she was that drunk) as all the while she stared at me and a friend of mine and threatening us for associating with a guy she thought was after her girlfriend. I was amazingly calm at the time, but once someone came by and got the gun away from her, it hit me that had I made one wrong move, gesture or word, I would have a hole in me.
I'm not really crazy about guns.
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jammer
Dec 1, 2004, 3:23 PM
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Looking in the mirror first thing in the morning, every day of my life. That's scarry!
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livingtheedge
Dec 1, 2004, 3:38 PM
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On my senior class trip in high school we went to six flags. It was an awsome time but on one of the rides the shoulder bars that hold you into position popped and and i almost fell out durring a loop de loop i had to hold on for dear life trying to keep my a$$ in the seat and once it leveled out i was able to pull the restraint back "into the locked position" and finish the ride. Lets just say that i only went on that ride once.
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keith_b00ne
Dec 1, 2004, 4:07 PM
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I got a ton of these kind of stories.
The most scariest was when I was flying ultralight aircraft and was 500 feet in the air in a close formation with a buddy. Heavy thermals and a down draft from a ridge pulled us into a near miss air collision (within 30 feet). We seperated and I had to fight heavy thermals in a 2 axis aircraft in which the termals where trying to dump me over. The ground never felt so good.
Second scariest was when I put my 92 Camaro into a pole at 90 mph, 3 feet in the air, and sideways. (Hill hopping if anyone knows what that is) I came over a hill and someone was getting their mail in my lane. Minor injuries, but everything was VERY slow motion.
Third scariest moment was when I had an appendix rupture and almost died. Emergency surgery and 2 weeks in the hospital. Gave me 2 months away from work which wasn't so bad.
Fourth scariest moment was when my brother decked on the 2nd bolt and and cracked his head at Red rocks. There was so many unknowns about his condition at the time. You always don't think it could happen to you.
Fifth scariest moment when we were lost in the Gourge at 3:00 pm in the dark, no flashlight, carrying packs. We completely lost our bearing and had to slide down several washouts and mild clifts to get back to the creek. We then followed the creek to a road. Wasn't scary at the time, but looking back and where we came from in the light showed that we were very lucky that noone got hurt. Expecially since my buddy fell into a hole that night.
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keith_b00ne
Dec 1, 2004, 4:10 PM
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Thought of one for the 6th moment..... I was on the racers and Kings Island and the lap bar popped up on me also. Mine wouldn't go back down. I was holding on so tight that I bruised my arms up to my elbows. (After that they installed seatbelts and lap belts.)
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chitowngirl
Dec 1, 2004, 4:26 PM
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The scariest thing I ever lived through was when I was a little girl vacationing Barbados. I was taken on a speed boat ride far from the island: the boat did a quick turn, and nobody noticed that this little girl flipped off the back. The boat speed away, and I was too far away to see land. I tried to memorize where the boat had gone, but with all the waves, I ended up getting confused and not knowing where the boat had gone and where land was. The water is so black out there, and I felt so scared and alone. I still have nightmares about being surrounded by nothing but black waves. People on the boat eventually realized they had lost a passenger and came back and found me. I was nine, and I still have a fear of large bodies of water. I couldn't bring myself to go see the movie Open Water - topic hits a little too close to home.
It was a bad time out there, but it makes for a good story now.
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holmeslovesguinness
Dec 1, 2004, 4:47 PM
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Hmmm... went hiking down in Copper Canyon Mexico about 10 years ago. Apparently they grow a lotta weed down there. After a few days of hiking we happened to stumble across a large field (following a small trickle of water off into the brush). One of my buddies (against my advice) snagged a little for the road and as we were leaving noticed a few local types checking us out. An hour or two later we were sitting by a small creek trying to dry out our stash when three rough looking bandito types ride up on horseback - one of them carrying an AK-47 across his saddle. They did not look friendly. I can honestly say I nearly sh*t my britches and for a moment was utterly convinced they were just going to shoot us on the spot. Of course they turned out to be friendly banditos and after checking us out for a while rode off into the woods.
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grayrock
Dec 1, 2004, 5:00 PM
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By far the scariest and the most thrilling thing that I have ever done was to surf 25 foot waves at Waimea Bay when I was 18. I was typically a small wave surfer growing up in Waikiki in the 50s. For me the fun ended on waves over 12 feet then it was a run for your life kind of thing. My friends and I would often make a foray to what we called “the country” which would be either the Makaha side or the North Shore. This particular day we went to the North Shore. Most of the time we would make our first stop at Haleiwa but this day we pasted it up. When we got to Waimea it was breaking about 18 – 20 feet. As I recall, Waimea doesn’t even begin to break until the swells get over 12 -15 feet. Since we didn’t own any big wave boards this looked great to us.
It was tuff getting through the Waimea shore break, but it was either that or try and go off the rocky point.
By the time we got out to where the waves were breaking, the sets started getting larger and larger. We had to keep paddling out as fast as we could to keep from getting caught in front of a breaking wave. As you paddle up up up the shoulder of a cresting 25 – 30 foot wave and look into the jaws of hell it is exciting beyond belief. The forces of water and wind are incredible and to be that close is beyond words to convey the feelings and emotions. This thing is moving and alive. As you top out you get a great view but the only thing you want to see is - is the next wave smaller? But, no! The next one is even bigger. The waves are getting to be around 35 feet. The whole bay is closing out. All you can think is paddle for your life and get over that wave before it eats you for lunch and spits your board out like a kukui.
Finely there is a bit of a reprieve. The waves appear to be getting smaller. We paddle back in to see if we can get the heck out of there. Ah, finely, here comes a nice small 25 footer and remember that in Hawaii anyway, we calculate the wave height from sea level or from the back of the wave. That means the face of the wave is really higher (sandbagged) because of the trough at the bottom. I really don’t know how high they are, I just knew what we called a 25 footer and it’s BIIIG.
In those days, big wave boards or “big guns” were 12 feet long and more. I was surfing a Donald Takayama special of about 8 feet which was big by his standards but definitely not a big wave board. What this translates into is, small boards have to take off in the more critical portion of the wave just what seems milliseconds before it crests over.
I paddled like a dirty dog. It seemed like I was paddling straight down and soon I was at the speed that I knew it had me. I was on my feet and almost in a free fall. It seemed like I was approaching light speed – maybe 35 miles an hour. The wind coming up the face of the wave was horrific. The face of the wave actually had chops on it. It was not smooth like my beloved Waikiki waves. I bottomed out and made my turn and looked up. Now the jaws of hell gaped open its mouth wide after me. I eased up into the steep section to increase my speed and finely came out on the shoulder.
Total, total exhilaration like I had never experienced before. I had morphine once in a hospital situation and this was even better. I was soooo alive, I was so alive.
Well, like a dummy, I paddled back out for more. My next experience was not so successful. On the next big one, as soon as I got to my feet I hit a chop and lost my balance. If you have seen Dosage II and heard Klem Loskot (sp?) explain how long it takes when falling, that is what happened to me. My mind went into high-speed and everything else went into slow motion. I hit one of the top stories of the wave face and fortunately for me I skipped and fell some more and skipped again and then went under. Well, all that water was moving and I am a good 90% water, so I just wen along for the ride; as if I had a choice. What do you say? The knowledge is not transferable. You have to experience it for yourself. I said to myself, “I’m a dead man”. I had a good breath, but that doesn’t mean much. In those turbulent, pressure changing conditions, even the best can’t hold their breath more than 15 to 20 seconds max. Me? If I couldn’t get out in 12 seconds I was in trouble even though from years of practice I could hold my breath under water (calm water) for more than a minute. After a few seconds of incredible violence of being thrown around like a rag doll, when I finely got to where I could control my body movements and with eyes wide open, I went for the bottom. Counter intuitive, but it is the safest, fastest way to get out. Most of the swirling is forcing you down anyway, but it only goes down so far. Once I got beneath it, I could see the swirls blurry though it was.
The closest I can explain it to those who have not played in waves is the next time you have a really good storm in your area, look up at the clouds and you will see billowy formations under the clouds. Where 2 billowy formations are juxtapose, the apposing forces somewhat cancel each other out; at least they do in ocean waves. That is what you look for.
I got down out of the turbulence being (I guess) about 30 feet in depth and on the sandy bottom of Waimea Bay and I could see one of these calm spots. I have been in this situation hundreds of times, but not of this magnitude. I had to move fast because things are moving in and changing all the time. I pushed off and made it to the surface and eventually made it in.
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sarcat
Dec 1, 2004, 5:23 PM
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We had just moved to Utah from flat Ohio and very eager to climb the 'hills'. We had no idea what we were doing. Someone told us of some fun hikes around Stuart falls up past Sundance Ski resort so one nice summer day off we went. I was 17 and I took my two little brothers 10 and 7. We made it to Stewart falls without a problem. We wanted to get up OVER the falls so started up what looked like a trail.
We ended up on some shale like stuff that was very slippery and seemed steep. Below the shale was about a 40ft. vertical drop. I made ledges of rock to try and keep us from sliding and it worked so that I could get my little brothers into a gully that didn't have the shale or the drop.
The only injury was a 2" gash on one brothers forehead from a rock I send rolling.
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fixednut
Dec 1, 2004, 5:27 PM
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Every time I climb at Stone Mountain. :shock: :)
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