Excellent analysis and explanation. In my case I do not look down that often. I stay focused on the route ahead and look for the next anchor point and step. I reserve the "sight-seeing" for when I arrive at a safe rest point. I don't have a great fear of heights but when the height is combined with the fear of falling then I am in mental trouble. For me looking down too often will only serve to distract my concentration.
You just read my mind and explained my Via Ferrata behaviour. I do identically. Amazing. I'm so happy to find out I'm not the only one behaving like this.
@@ViaFerrataCH Agree 100%. I should have qualified my comment further. I don't think it matters how many videos you see or route descriptions you read regarding any particular VF route; for me experiencing the route is completely different. I may come to a point in the route that I remember seeing/reading about but it looks completely different than I imagined it. That's why I concentrate on the route and the scenery/views are secondary. Any subsequent visits to the routes I have already done well include a better appreciation of the landscape and views. In fact I am returning to my 1st ever VF in a couple of weeks with my partner and we are planning on spending the day enjoying the esthetics of the route to a greater degree than our initial trip.
@@JetSetYourself "An Unguarded Moment Has An Accident In It" read a sign in a factory I worked in long ago and that message has always remained with me. I also take exception to the word "accident." There are no accidents in life or nature. Injuries and death happen for a reason, not by accident. An "Unguarded Moment" is not an accident.
I realized, trekking, that my fear of falling reduced considerably, since I went on the same routes and felt more secure doing the same thing. Also, when I do one Via Ferrata few times, the fear is reduced. So Im totally agree with you how you explain it. The fear to fall is always there but you can train yourself to be more confortable doing "risky" things.
I'm planning to hike Mt Kinabalu next month and am totally freaked out about doing the Via Ferrata there. Thanks for the encouragement to push through that fear of heights and experience that sensation.
But what comes next after a fall? Tell us please. Assuming you are totally fine but you are scared stiff and your gear is not in the condition to work a second time. Going down is even more difficult than going up but going up after a fall and with s faulty gear now... so what is the next step?
It really depends on the situation. I will tell you what I will most probably do. If I meet the conditions you specify and am familiar with the Via Ferrata, if I know I risk too much I will call for help. If not, I will continue. Of course, in real life I always start equipped with a backup Via Ferrata Set in the backpack and the Ferrata.Bloc connected to the belay loop. If I fall I will have a replacement, to avoid falling I will aid myself with the Ferrata.Bloc. But this is my case. I did not answered one part of the question. What one should do if you are now frozen scared. You have to overcome this. Otherwise call for help. If you can no longer overcome your fear and the brain takes control over your motion, then you have to call for help. I many times end on sections or in situations where I realise it is a bit too much. I do get scared and have a tendency to freeze. I send command to the brain. I consciously chose to do it, now I have to continue. Sometimes it is so hard, you cannot imagine. And the gear doesn't help. This happened to me after pneumonia. I was under no shape to climb. But I wanted to speed up the recovery. I almost fell five times on Schlossberg. That weak I was after suffering for two long months. I started to see that I'm not equipped with the strength to complete the route. I got scared. But, I talked to the demons and asked them to take a break.
In Switzerland we have about 1 death every month on average on VF routes compared to one/week for hiking and the cause - as you say - is almost always human error
Is there a way to find a report on the cause of death? Unfortunately these news are never properly documented so that we can form an educated conclusion on what leads to the event.
@@JetSetYourself No usually, all you get is the initial report of the death with a note that the route and equipment appeared to be fine, then "investigations are continuing" I assume they just close the case as accident due to user error
Excellent analysis and explanation. In my case I do not look down that often. I stay focused on the route ahead and look for the next anchor point and step. I reserve the "sight-seeing" for when I arrive at a safe rest point. I don't have a great fear of heights but when the height is combined with the fear of falling then I am in mental trouble. For me looking down too often will only serve to distract my concentration.
You just read my mind and explained my Via Ferrata behaviour. I do identically. Amazing. I'm so happy to find out I'm not the only one behaving like this.
For me I might do that the first time on a route but it's nice to come back another day and just enjoy the route
@@ViaFerrataCH Agree 100%. I should have qualified my comment further. I don't think it matters how many videos you see or route descriptions you read regarding any particular VF route; for me experiencing the route is completely different. I may come to a point in the route that I remember seeing/reading about but it looks completely different than I imagined it. That's why I concentrate on the route and the scenery/views are secondary. Any subsequent visits to the routes I have already done well include a better appreciation of the landscape and views. In fact I am returning to my 1st ever VF in a couple of weeks with my partner and we are planning on spending the day enjoying the esthetics of the route to a greater degree than our initial trip.
@@JetSetYourself "An Unguarded Moment Has An Accident In It" read a sign in a factory I worked in long ago and that message has always remained with me. I also take exception to the word "accident." There are no accidents in life or nature. Injuries and death happen for a reason, not by accident. An "Unguarded Moment" is not an accident.
I realized, trekking, that my fear of falling reduced considerably, since I went on the same routes and felt more secure doing the same thing. Also, when I do one Via Ferrata few times, the fear is reduced. So Im totally agree with you how you explain it. The fear to fall is always there but you can train yourself to be more confortable doing "risky" things.
❤️
I ljust ove the quiet morbidity of this guy! "and you know what is the outcome..."
I'm planning to hike Mt Kinabalu next month and am totally freaked out about doing the Via Ferrata there. Thanks for the encouragement to push through that fear of heights and experience that sensation.
But what comes next after a fall? Tell us please. Assuming you are totally fine but you are scared stiff and your gear is not in the condition to work a second time. Going down is even more difficult than going up but going up after a fall and with s faulty gear now... so what is the next step?
It really depends on the situation. I will tell you what I will most probably do.
If I meet the conditions you specify and am familiar with the Via Ferrata, if I know I risk too much I will call for help. If not, I will continue. Of course, in real life I always start equipped with a backup Via Ferrata Set in the backpack and the Ferrata.Bloc connected to the belay loop. If I fall I will have a replacement, to avoid falling I will aid myself with the Ferrata.Bloc. But this is my case.
I did not answered one part of the question. What one should do if you are now frozen scared. You have to overcome this. Otherwise call for help. If you can no longer overcome your fear and the brain takes control over your motion, then you have to call for help. I many times end on sections or in situations where I realise it is a bit too much. I do get scared and have a tendency to freeze. I send command to the brain. I consciously chose to do it, now I have to continue. Sometimes it is so hard, you cannot imagine. And the gear doesn't help. This happened to me after pneumonia. I was under no shape to climb. But I wanted to speed up the recovery. I almost fell five times on Schlossberg. That weak I was after suffering for two long months. I started to see that I'm not equipped with the strength to complete the route. I got scared. But, I talked to the demons and asked them to take a break.
In Switzerland we have about 1 death every month on average on VF routes compared to one/week for hiking and the cause - as you say - is almost always human error
Is there a way to find a report on the cause of death? Unfortunately these news are never properly documented so that we can form an educated conclusion on what leads to the event.
@@JetSetYourself No usually, all you get is the initial report of the death with a note that the route and equipment appeared to be fine, then "investigations are continuing" I assume they just close the case as accident due to user error
@@ViaFerrataCHoh so you’re assuming it’s human error….hmmmmm……
@@6Haunted-Days Yes I assume so because no failure of the equipment was found so what else could it be?
Maybe one day there will be a certification system or a license for difficult VF routes?
What do you mean? If you can climb it to get a certification or how?
@@JetSetYourself I think we need some way of testing VF climbers so they can be certain of climbing difficult routes
Well, let's start chatting about it. Maybe we can get many more other people involved and we can come with a draft. What do you think?
@@JetSetYourself Sounds like a plan...