Rant Thread

This isnt truly a rant, more of a vent. At work, they tried me out in a new department. In this department, it involves a lot of climbing and hooking things up to shackles. That's the short of it, and I don't know how much I can get into the work (it is possible that we have US government contracts). Anyway, I have a moderate fear of heights, but really wanted to give this a go because it's a challenge to myself. They wanted me to test out climbing to their max height of 45 feet (with a harness of course). I made it about 35 feet before saying I wanted to come down because my legs were shaking a bit. I wanted to make it all the way but I didn't feel comfortable then. I came back down and explained to the 4 guys out there what was up. They said it was fine but they needed me to be able to climb the full 45 feet. I tried it again and made it a little farther but couldn't get up all the way. I came back down and they said it was cool and not to worry about. Also, as an aside, I'm not out of shape or anything. Im 6'2" and 185 lbs. so definitely capable of this work.

I went back to my old supervisor and told him what happened and he sounded really disappointed that I didn't work out. I just want a little time and another shot man.
 
Fear of heights isn't something you can get rid of. Believe me - I've been trying for the better part of 35 years. I can go up a 500m high platform and look in the distance with no problem, but just looking down straight in a two-storey staircase turns my knees to butter. If you have vertigo, you are unfit for a job involving climbing and heights, you just have to accept it.
 
I have a fear of heights and I have been atop a 70 foot ladder doing work. You can master your fear. It's always there, but you can do it if you decide to do so.
 
I really want another go. I've been thinking of visiting a rock climbing gym (there's atleast one near me) to try to train to their max height. I don't know, I feel like I can train to be able to hit 45 feet consistently with a little time. I was frustrated mainly with they're whole idea that if I didn't hit it once I never could. And I work a good bit with ladders and heights at my normal position here, but the crew I was going to be with work with these 11 foot tall pans that they stack on top of each other with a big crane. They have little ladders/footholes on the corners but they still look/feel precarious. They're definitely not standard ladders like I'm use to.
 
Perun said:
Fear of heights isn't something you can get rid of. Believe me - I've been trying for the better part of 35 years. I can go up a 500m high platform and look in the distance with no problem, but just looking down straight in a two-storey staircase turns my knees to butter. If you have vertigo, you are unfit for a job involving climbing and heights, you just have to accept it.
Click to expand...
I have severe vertigo as well. Not ideal for my occupation. But I'm somewhat more comfortable now than a couple of years ago.
 
Perun said:
I can go up a 500m high platform and look in the distance with no problem, but just looking down straight in a two-storey staircase turns my knees to butter.
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I'm the opposite. I can look down no problem, staring in the distance causes problems. I feel an urge to jump, which makes me anxious.
 
10530
Taken in Spain last week.
Thats me in the red. I'm happy enough climbin at height but still get strange waves of fear from time to time but Ive learnt to supress them. When i started climbing I had quite a bit of fear, if I looked down I would get light headed, lose focus amd imagine my crumpled body lying at the bottom but I kind of used peer pressure to force me on and made myself look down and slow my breathing and I soon got used to it. Maybe this could help those with vertigo issues, depending on the severity.
 
Niall Kielt said:
View attachment 10530
Taken in Spain last week.
Thats me in the red. I'm happy enough climbin at height but still get strange waves of fear from time to time but Ive learnt to supress them. When i started climbing I had quite a bit of fear, if I looked down I would get light headed, lose focus amd imagine my crumpled body lying at the bottom but I kind of used peer pressure to force me on and made myself look down and slow my breathing and I soon got used to it. Maybe this could help those with vertigo issues, depending on the severity.
Click to expand...
Wow. Just looking at the photo makes me feel uneasy. Well done Niall indeed.
 
Very cool Niall, indeed. I've got a few buddies that are into rock climbing. Are there people outside the picture securing the ropes? Or is it just 4 of you moving the ropes around as you go?
 
The trains don't work.

The City of Ottawa spent 4+ years and $2.1 billion dollars to build a train line from one side of the city (kinda) to the other side (less kinda). The trains started running 3 weeks ago but at limited capacity. On Monday the old buses to downtown were disabled and everyone had to take the train. And Monday went well. Tuesday, however, was a different beast.

On Tuesday, someone broke a train door. The train sat at a station for 40 minutes before it was cleared off. This backed up the commute of everyone. But OK, things happen.

Today, it happened again, except even worse. When this happens replacement buses are supposed to run, but the replacement buses are not flagged. So nobody knew where to go. What a mess.
 
Zare said:
Very cool Niall, indeed. I've got a few buddies that are into rock climbing. Are there people outside the picture securing the ropes? Or is it just 4 of you moving the ropes around as you go?
Click to expand...
The pic I posted isnt really rock climbing, its Via Feratta, you use in-situ metalwork to ascend, there are no ropes involved. Its good fun and requires zero previous climbing experience. Maybe not as much fun as proper climbing but you get higher faster and with less equipment/hassle. I recommend it!
 
I've done small ferratas here about an hour from Prague, and sometimes even the easier difficutly routes had my heart on 200BPM and my knees mashed potatoes. On one hand I'd love to try something with this kind of view, on the other hand I am afraid I would get stuck somewhere and mentally would not be able to go on :)
 
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