There’s no shame in admitting that you find the prospect of certain extreme activities scary.
Ziplining, though completely safe, is understandably nerve-wracking for a lot of people.
Whether you have a fear of heights or just of adrenaline rush situations in general, it’s easy to be hesitant about ziplining—but is it really scary?
Ziplining is not the scariest thing, but it’s certainly not for the faint of heart, either. It will raise your heart rate, it’s very fast paced, and you’re very high up. Trusting in your harness is a big part of it. But for most people, once they’ve done it once or twice, a lot of the fear is gone.
So, the only answer to this question is that it really depends on you as a person.
While most people do not find ziplining to be all that scary, you still very well might do—and there’s nothing wrong with that.
But you can really only know when you try!
Let’s find out more.
Should I be scared of ziplining?
In a rational sense, no, you shouldn’t!
There’s nothing to be scared of, and all ziplining companies take every possible safety precaution to make sure there’s nothing to be afraid of.
You aren’t going to injure yourself or fall, and so you’ve got no real danger to be afraid of.
That said, we can’t help our fears and phobias.
If there is some part of ziplining that you find inherently frightening, then there’s not always a great deal to be done for that.
It might just not be for you, and that’s perfectly okay.
Not everyone needs to have hobbies like ziplining!
If you are afraid of heights, then the jumping off the platform will probably be the hardest bit.
Once you’re in the air, you realize you are no longer in control.
If you can find it in you to trust in the strength of the zipline, you may even find a way to overcome your fear.
But, again, it’s perfectly okay if you just can’t.
Some fears can certainly be overcome in this way, so it may even be worth trying just for that reason.
Facing your fear is a very real way to overcome it in many cases.
So, no, you shouldn’t be scared—but if you are, and you can’t help it, then there’s nothing wrong with that.
So, what does it actually feel like?
Does ziplining feel like a rollercoaster?
Not really, no.
While there are a few sensations we might associate with rollercoasters, there is also one primary one—that drop in your stomach which you get at the peaks of the rollercoaster when it drops.
This is something we are all familiar with to some degree.
You don’t get this with zip lines, really, except for perhaps to a very small degree after the initial drop off the platform.
You also won’t be moving anywhere near as fast as you would on most rollercoasters.
You certainly can pick up some speed, but it won’t be the same as a rollercoaster.
If you’re scared of ziplining because you are also scared of rollercoasters, you can use a lot of the same techniques to help master your fear.
Look at the horizon rather than down or find some distant scenery to focus on.
Again, ziplining is hardly for the faint of heart.
But it’s also nowhere near as gut-wrenching as rollercoasters, and not nearly as fast.
You might assume if you were scared of one you’d be scared of the other, but this isn’t necessarily the case.
Try it, you never know.
How do I stop being scared of ziplining?
So, you want to zipline, but you’re just too scared.
Again, this is really common, and nothing to be worried about.
Overcoming fears like this isn’t easy in most cases, but there certainly are things you can do to make it easier on yourself.
Ziplines come in all shapes and sizes, so your best bet is to start small with manageable ones.
This will introduce you to the sensation without the same level of fear that you might get in a taller, faster zipline.
Remember not to look down, and concentrate on breathing.
This will do wonders for your nerves.
Like with anything, it will start to become much more pedestrian the more you do it.
You’ll eventually overcome the fear.
Does ziplining hurt?
No, it doesn’t hurt.
The harness can be quite tight for some people, and can chafe a bit, but beyond that, there’s nothing about the experience that will hurt you.
Obviously, injuries do happen, but they’re extremely rare. As long as the proper safety precautions are taken, there’s very little chance of you hurting yourself in an injury.
Companies obviously want to operate their services for as long as they can, and that means adhering to strict safety rules.
So, the worst you can expect is a bit of chafing from the harness and straps.
The only way you can know for sure if you’re too scared of ziplining is to try it.
The thing to remember is that no matter how scared you are, it is always safe.
You’re never in any actual danger.
While that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be scared—you won’t have much control over that—it does mean you should definitely try it.
Worst case scenario is you try it and are too scared to do it again—but at least you tried!
