# Afraid of heights? I dare you to watch this video. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 26, 2016, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995 "2016-08-26T05:32:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/1 "2016-08-26T05:32:39Z")
This makes me queasy. The headline is dumb since it really has nothing to do with science, but it is disturbing if you don’t like heights. > **[The scariest video you have ever watched in the name of science](https://gizmodo.com/the-scariest-video-you-have-ever-watched-in-the-name-of-5639113?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=io9_facebook)** > > This video contains no special effects, and no fancy stunts. But it will scare the crap out of you. That's because you're watching from a head-mounted camera as an engineer scales an antenna tower over 1,700 feet high. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/2 "2016-08-26T05:41:58Z")
:: faints :: ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/3 "2016-08-26T05:48:07Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > :: faints :: I have a truly visceral reaction watching this. It stirs a hardwired primal fear. I don’t understand how anyone can do this, but many people do. This classic photo of steelworkers sitting on a beam causes a similar reaction in me, though not quite as strong. > **[Lunch Atop a Skyscraper Photograph: The Story Behind the Famous Shot](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/lunch-atop-a-skyscraper-photograph-the-story-behind-the-famous-shot-43931148/?no-ist)** > > For 80 years, the 11 ironworkers in the iconic photo have remained unknown, and now, thanks to new research, two of them have been identified ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/4 "2016-08-26T06:06:51Z")
My balls tried to go back inside me. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/5 "2016-08-26T06:30:05Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I have a truly visceral reaction watching this. It stirs a hardwired primal fear. I don’t understand how anyone can do this, but many people do. > > This classic photo of steelworkers sitting on a beam causes a similar reaction in me, though not quite as strong. > > [http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/lunch-atop-a-skyscraper-photograph-the-story-behind-the-famous-shot-43931148/?no-ist](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/lunch-atop-a-skyscraper-photograph-the-story-behind-the-famous-shot-43931148/?no-ist)[/url Anything like that actually paralyses me. Literally. Walking up the steps in a lighthouse (with gaps on the risers) many years ago I froze half way up…not able to go up OR down. That was fun. My son lives 90 minutes away and the road there hugs a coastline with cliff drops…and there is ONE particular bend that brings me out in a cold-friggin-sweat EVERY SINGLE TIME. Coming home is fine because I’m on the land side with cliffs going UP, not down. I’ve tried watching vids of ‘World’s Most Dangerous Roads’…I just can’t. :o ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/6 "2016-08-26T22:37:41Z")
You guys are lightweights. If you want a scare, check out what the cool kids are doing in Russia these days: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kpS7vhvkIQM/maxresdefault.jpg "Mustang Wanted Compilation #2") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpS7vhvkIQM) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/7 "2016-08-26T22:47:28Z")
I don’t have a fear of heights, but I do suffer from intense vertigo. It was the constant motion of the camera that got my head spinning. I also can’t go on any amusement park rides that go upside-down. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/8 "2016-08-26T22:47:59Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Anything like that actually paralyses me. Literally. Walking up the steps in a lighthouse (with gaps on the risers) many years ago I froze half way up…not able to go up OR down. That was fun. Been there. For me it’s the intense nausea and fear of losing my balance. That video is pretty freaky, but the picture of the beam steelworkers scare me more because they aren’t holding onto anything and could just fall over backward. I actually did prolonged exposure therapy for fear of heights many moons ago. It was to prepare me for a series of long flights (I had no experience flying.) It consisted of spending about an hour a day leaning over the railing of the top floor of a parking structure (the closest tall thing we could find.) It helped me to learn to tolerate that nauseated anxious feeling but didn’t kill my fear of heights altogether. The good news is I have really no problem with flying anymore. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/9 "2016-08-26T23:05:23Z")
Gage and DeSoto would have a hell of a time getting those guys down. Some years back, I saw an IMAX film about flight and the part that kicked me in the gut was the camera riding inside the basket that takes the Shuttle astronauts from the nose of the vehicle to the ground–a half mile away (?)–in about 15 seconds in emergencies. The last few seconds feels strangely like dreaming you’re falling from a great height and waking up just before you hit–when you, IRL, hit the mattress. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/10 "2016-08-26T23:12:29Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Some years back, I saw an IMAX film about flight and the part that kicked me in the gut was the camera riding inside the basket that takes the Shuttle astronauts from the nose of the vehicle to the ground–a half mile away (?)–in about 15 seconds in emergencies. The last few seconds feels strangely like dreaming you’re falling from a great height and waking up just before you hit–when you, IRL, hit the mattress. \*And wow! Hey! What’s this thing suddenly coming towards me very fast? Very very fast. So big and flat and round, it needs a big wide sounding name like … ow … ound … round … ground! That’s it! That’s a good name – ground! I wonder if it will be friends with me?\* ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/11 "2016-08-26T23:16:06Z")
I found [a YouTube clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGMWdtQYkbc); it’s very similar to what was on that IMAX film. Try to imagine it on a monster movie screen. [Baby Sinclair: Again, again!](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101081/?ref_=nv_sr_3) ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/12 "2016-08-26T23:22:04Z")
First off: No freaking way would I do that! But why were they up there? And why would they have to climb up there on a daily basis? ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/13 "2016-08-26T23:24:03Z")
I’m afraid enough not to dare clicking on any of these links! ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/14 "2016-08-26T23:24:24Z")
[quote=“thirdname, post:6, topic:763995”] You guys are lightweights. If you want a scare, check out what the cool kids are doing in Russia these days: [/QUOTE] That’s just sheer stupidity. At least the workers have reason to do what they’re doing. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/15 "2016-08-26T23:27:53Z")
That was cool. I have to assume astronauts have to practice riding in those. I do remember at Kennedy Space Center in… er. 2006… they had an IMAX film directed by Tom Hanks about the space station, showing the astronauts walking around outside the station… I always assumed at that height (in orbit) it would be too high up to feel like you were high up. I was wrong. Trippy as balls. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/16 "2016-08-26T23:46:59Z")
Free-climbing a tower is stupid, no matter what they say about how much longer it takes with proper tethering. Short cuts make for short lives. No matter how confident you are, shit happens, and if you’re not attached, you fall. Back when I did tower work, I used a lineman’s belt, and it was always attached. If I had to transfer it around something, I had a secondary line I hooked on. Also, the super-long line on that tool bag looks like a hazard in itself. It could tangle in something, but even if it just starts swinging too much, it could be a problem. I only climbed towers of 100 feet or less, but for those of you struck by the vertiginous video: 100-foot TV towers are much less stable than the one depicted. At the top, you can look up and see the clouds apparently circling above you as the tip of the tower sways. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/17 "2016-08-26T23:47:08Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > \*And wow! Hey! What’s this thing suddenly coming towards me very fast? Very very fast. So big and flat and round, it needs a big wide sounding name like … ow … ound … round … ground! That’s it! That’s a good name – ground! > > I wonder if it will be friends with me?\* Good reference, but I’m ashamed to say I had to Google it–I haven’t read or seen _ **HGttG** _. I’ll turn in my de-coder ring and quit the premises. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/18 "2016-08-26T23:50:56Z")
[quote=“thirdname, post:6, topic:763995”] You guys are lightweights. If you want a scare, check out what the cool kids are doing in Russia these days: [/QUOTE] I was physically ill watching that, legit felt like vomiting. Same with this young lady’s exploits: > **[Login • Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/angela_nikolau/?hl=en)** > > Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world. I am staying right here on the ground, thankyouverymuch. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2016, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/19 "2016-08-27T00:02:12Z")
Is it impossible to leave tools at or near the top? Wouldn’t that be safer, or is that somehow impractical given whatever authorities are involved? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2016, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995/20 "2016-08-27T00:30:20Z")
All this stuff climbing towers is tame compared to Alex Honnold free-soloing Moonlight Buttress & Half Dome. This video literally makes my palms sweat. Alex “no big deal” Honnold’s brain is just wired differently from normal people. > **[First Ascent: Alone On The Wall](https://www.documentarystorm.com/alone-on-the-wall/)** > > Twenty-three year old Alex Honnold is taking the high-stakes sport of free solo climbing to new heights. Climbing truly massive walls without a rope, and zero chance of survival if he falls, Alex is calm and fearless. But attempting the 2,000-foot... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/afraid-of-heights-i-dare-you-to-watch-this-video/763995.md?page=2)