Vertigo

Trencher wrote:I really suffer from the need for control. My worst nightmare is big fair rides.

Snap! Love to ski steep slopes and rarely bothered by lifts (although don't enjoy it when they stop and sway in the wind!), but wild horses wouldn't get me on a big roller coaster.

Once took my (3-year-old) son on a "baby" roller coaster painted up like a caterpillar - I was bloody terrified as it plunged, oh, maybe two whole metres before slowing down! :lol:

But back to the original post... does sound like a confidence / comfort zone challenge rather than vertigo so go with the earlier advice; take it easy, build up technique on gentle enclosed (by trees, whatever) runs and let your wife decide when to gradually push the boundaries of her comfort zone.

Careful choice of resort may help - you may have to go on a lone recce mission / weekend break first (damn I hate it when that happens) to check out suitable locations... but don't give up!

On my first ski trip a few years ago, the lifts and gond's terrified me, infact, they still do. I mentally count up the weight allowance and will not get in full gondala's. when they or any lift stops, i feel that i am going to breakdown and my heart is in my mouth.

However, i have got a bit better only because i love skiing soo much and i really cant be walking up the alpes!

I was also very fearfull being on the higher mountains due to the thought that i would fall right to the bottom. Once i became confident on ski's, this issue was very quickly sorted out.

Take her on lower pistes which have edges rather than drops. there are still plenty of reds and blacks to improve and for you all to enjoy until she feels in control enough to go higher.

Do carry on, be patient but some people need to be forced/heavily pursuaded to leave their comfort zone-but only when you are sure she is capable!

When we started my wife was terrified on lifts and gondolas. She adopted the tactic of pulling her hat down over her face and not looking until we got to the end. The good news is that over time, she overcame this fear, I think mainly through familiarity (she still cannot go on carnival rides - tends to get quite nauseous!).

One thought is that if you can find a resort with a couple of drag lifts for beginners, you might be able to build her confidence and when it comes time to get on a lift, she may be better prepared.

Godd Luck

Thanks to everyone for their comments

Bit of good news. My wife went to Xscape at Milton Keynes this week and........loved it!!! She also felt a bit of control by the end too so hopefully a successful week is on the cards

I'll let everyone know how we got on

Now you just need to find a mountain with four walls and a roof )

Have fun and good luck!

GOOD LUCK WITH THE TRIP AND HOPE FAMILIARITY WILL PROVIDE CONFIDENCE, EVENTUALLY.

IF NOT, CHECK THE EYESIGHT AND EXPLAIN THE PROBLEM TO THE OPTICIAN.

THAT WAS MY PROBLEM YEARS AGO. NOW I SKI-MOUNTAINEER.

YOUR WIFE DID THE ANAPURNA BASE-TRECK???

I'M GOING GREEN LIKE SHE DOES OVER VERTIGO.

BUT MINE'S ENVY !

i think Ise may have hit the nail on the head with the acrophobia business. My wife started skiing 3 years ago and whilst she has grasped the technique well she struggles with her nerves and won't go fast at all, making her turns harder etc etc. The past 2 years she has always been in the ski school and had an okay time but never really progressed due to skiing 'safe' slopes well within her comfort zone at a low altitude. This year we went to Finkenberg and skied all week on the Penken mostly above 2000m and she nearly had a heart attack when she saw the ropes, something along the lines of, how's that supposed to stop me? shoudn;t they have a fence there? Halfway through the week she declared that she had had enough and hated skiing, wouldn't come again but might try strapping one of them ironing boards to her feet!! The solution was to find a very wide and long blue run and get her to ski down it over and over again behind someone going slow until she got used to it. By the end of the week she'd even skied a couple of reds, mind you we didn't tell her until afterwards that they were red!!! :wink:

My recommendation would be to try something similar, it may work :roll: