Top advice from Trail’s experts
A fear of heights or of falling is a normal, rational response to being in a risky situation. But if you find it’s holding you back or preventing you from tackling more exposed walks or scrambles you long for, there are ways to loosen its grip.
1
Don’t beat yourself up. It’s easy to feel disappointed in yourself when overwhelmed with a fear of heights. Instead try to speak to yourself in the same way you’d speak to someone else in the same situation, being supportive and encouraging.
2
Build your tolerance. Become familiar with exposure gradually, starting with relatively easy objectives and moving up from there, increasing the challenge slightly every time.
3
Go one step at a time. Try to focus on precisely where you are, putting one foot securely in front of the other and locating secure holds on a scramble. Move at your own pace.
4
Breathe. If you start to get freaked out, pause, take a deep breath in and long breath out. Do that a few times while you wait for any feelings of panic or dizziness to pass. Don’t rush, but wait until you feel more relaxed before moving again.
5
Shake out some of the tension in your hands and shoulders, rub your face and relax your jaw before you get going again. Try to really bring your focus right back into your body.
6
Focus on the rock under your hands and feet – its temperature, texture and shape, the colour of the lichen, your breath as you move. Keep your attention tight in on your immediate surroundings and...
7
...don’t look down.
If you need to check a foot placement when downclimbing a scramble for example – then look at the rock and then slowly down towards your feet. Try to be controlled and disciplined about where you look.
8
Learn to climb. Climbing or bouldering sessions at a climbing wall, with the safety of a rope or thick mats, can help you build confidence, improve your technique and increase balance and core strength.