Vertigo

Hi

I'd like to hear from anyone who has experienced something to my wife or anyone with any advice on the following

I took my family skiing for the first time last year but my wife could not for the life of her get the hang of it

We are going again in 2weeks and she is not looking forward to it at all
She didn't get the hang of skiing at all last year but is determined to try once more. She is fit and healthy but perhaps not the most co-ordinated, but she is working hard on this

Her biggest fear appears to be vertigo. When going up on the gondola on our last day and even walking around the bar at the top she felt as if she and our kids were going to fall all the way down the mountain

For the life of me I cannot understand why as she has actually trekked the Annapurna trail in Nepal going up Everest!!

She says she will never ski up the top of a mountain as she is scared of the roped off areas ( in case she smashes through the barriers) and doesn't even like walking up there

Obviously the lack of control she feels explains it to a degree, but even if she clicks on the training slopes she is sure she will not ski up a "proper" mountain

Has anyone else out there experienced anything like this and if so what ,if anything, did you do to overcome it?...is there anyone with any suggestions on what to do

Thanks

Rob

Makes me feel anxious just reading that - although am I'm fine on the mountain. It's funny, I'm the opposite. At home I'm quite scared of heights and I remember absolutely hating going up on the London Eye but chair lifts and gondollas are no problem at all.

My girlfriend, and her sisters, have quite a fear of walking down steep hills yet she is more than happy to ski down them.

Not sure what to suggest. I would imagine the location probably makes a difference. In Austria for example, as the mountains are usually lower they are generally more tree lined. It may be that the trees make the piste feel more enclosed and safer.

Difficult one.

I think its a simple one,to be fair. She obviously isnt ever going to enjoy skiing, so for future reference you need to leave her at home and go with the lads.

If you are really nice, you might want to let her go away for a long weekend with the girls in return.

8)

On a serious note, there is a massive difference between vertigo and a fear of heights. Vertigo is an illness, and makes people feel sick and dizzy, and is connected to the inner ear. A fear of heights is a state of mind, which can be overcome with a littel will power.

If we are all honest, some of the Gondolas and cable cars we go on can be a little scary when you start to think about how far it is to fall, or whether the screws holding the thing together are tight enough. But then I guess you would think twice about getting on a plane of that was the case, something I couldnt do for a long time thanks to my phobia of flying (not the same as a fear of heights), which I overcame by telling myself to stop being such a stupid ****.

Anyway, I would get her to a doctor to find out if she actually suffers with vertigo, or if she is just using it as excuse to stay in the bar whilst its minus 15 outside )

Good luck.

robandliza wrote:
Her biggest fear appears to be vertigo. When going up on the gondola on our last day and even walking around the bar at the top she felt as if she and our kids were going to fall all the way down the mountain


Has anyone else out there experienced anything like this and if so what ,if anything, did you do to overcome it?...is there anyone with any suggestions on what to do

That's not actually vertigo, vertigo is an inner ear balance problem and a very specific form of dizziness.

What you're describing is acrophobia which is a phobia and not necessarily a problem, quite a few climbers and skiers suffer from forms of it, in fact I do to an extent as it happens. The root of the phobia is a concern about loss of control for most of us, so I can traverse an knife edge alpine ridge at 4000m with long drops either side as I'm in control but I'm not happy going up a ladder at all. The thinking is we all have this, it's just the point it kicks in. Research varies, another explanation is that it's linked to past trauma.

Just getting confidence on the skis on non-threatening slopes could be all that's required although lifts are going to be an issue.

Also, as another thought, how high was this lift? Some of the symptoms of mild altitude sickness might present like acrophobia or vertigo.

Balance and co-ordination are skills that have to be learned and practiced. So assuming virtigo is not an issue, try to find other activities that require some balance and co-ordination. It would be unusual for anyone to have an easy time skiing if they did not have some other sports background.

A little late for this ski trip, but some tame mountain biking, inline skating, canoeing, etc would help. On a general health note, maintaning balance skills is very important as we grow older. No one falls as hard as most old people do.

Trencher

:Dhi,in fact a friend of mine suffered in the same way,but only after he had broken his leg on a trip to St.Anton(he was not actually skiing but stepped out of the cable car station and slipped very awkwardly and that was that).
As Ise says it then comes from a feeling of not being in control(or the feeling that you will not be able to stop yourself) due to the gradient of the slope and the pull of gravity pulling you down it,he felt that if he fell over instead of just falling the distance from a standing ski position to the ground,he was actually going to end up in the bottom of the valley many thousands of feet below(which we know is impossible when skiing on piste or most other places) but in his mind that was how far he was going to go.
To help my friend get over this he had to go back to basics and learn to control a gentle traverse across a shallow slope and then to perform controlled stops,also while doing this if someone gently threw a glove or hat to him to catch while traversing this also took his mind off his problem of thinking he was going to end up in the valley below and concentrated his mind on the actual skiing and control aspect.After afew days of this he started to ski more testing runs and is now fine after two or three weeks skiing over the last few years,you may find that the height of chairlifts will not be problem once the other fobia is sorted out aswell. :D
Sorry if i have rambled,but i am sure that this is only a minor set back and your wife will gain the confidance needed to progress.
many regards
jonG.

Hi

I am glad other people feel the same, I live on the edge of a mountain for 4 month per year with a fear of heights.

I am more than happy on slopes I have skiied and even going upto 2700m along a narrow balck path as I know the area well.

I think the best thing to get over the fear is like the other members have said ski on the lower slopes and get control, then get used to skiing the same slopes for a while to gain confidence and ski in your confort zone. Then challenge youself gradually, it has worked for me. Don't give up as it is worth the effort to ski with your family and to see the amazing views from the top of the mountain. I would also recommend a crash helmet.

Ok, if we are confessing our weaknesses.
I really suffer from the need for control. My worst nightmare is big fair rides. I'd sooner mow the lawn than go on a big roller coaster.

Trencher