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How to fight fear of heights

TPC

Roller Poster
Just make yourself go on high coasters preferably with friends. Sounds a bit harsh but I know from experience with my old fear of inversions, this tends to work
 

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
Alright, the first thing you should know about any major coaster is that they are perfectly safe. The restraints have multiple redundancies to prevent them from ever opening, and that's excluding any seatbelts. Accidents on coasters are extremely rare. Even then, in the US and UK, the accidents that do happen aren't fatal 9 times out of 10. You're in good hands, and shouldn't worry about your safety.

For actually riding, there's 2 ways you can go about it: the first as stated by @TPC is to get it out of the way and go on the biggest thing straight away. This could work in some instances, as you can tell yourself, "I did that one already, this one is shorter. I can do this one if I can do that one". However, not all rides are created equal. So sometimes you can be fine on the 400 foot ride, but be scared to death on the 200 foot one. The other method is start small and work your way up. Most all parks have some sort of family-friendly coaster that isn't menacingly tall, so these are good starters. As you work around the park, you can ride things that get ever-so-slightly taller/bigger. This method is helpful in that it helps you slowly become desensitized to heights, but could get difficult when you get to the really tall rides. Both ways have their pros and cons, so it's up to your judgement to see what's right for you.

Good luck and have fun!
 

HeartlineCoaster

Theme Park Superhero
alton3.jpg
 

Dan1989

Mega Poster
This is something I genuinely struggled with for years. I have no problem going on most coasters, however there is still a certain a few I'm yet to get the bottle for. Inversions, suspended coasters, lap bars ect.. really don't phase, yet rides like the Big One have always frightened the F out of me. I know I have been on Coasters the Pull more G's, go faster and more intense, yet getting onto a hyper coaster is still something I'm yet to do. I tend to find the more Adrenaline running through me, the more confident I get. So maybe go on a ride that you know is more intense but not as high.
 

scarydrago

Roller Poster
I'm starting to get slightly desensitised to heights as i'm in air cadets and we tend to go flying, so I will slowly get used to it.
 

scarydrago

Roller Poster
Just make yourself go on high coasters preferably with friends. Sounds a bit harsh but I know from experience with my old fear of inversions, this tends to work
Don't have friends, kidding but all jokes aside what park would you recommend me going to with my mates, and I'm 13 so no way I can go alone, my biggest chance of going with friends is on a school trip and that's if they have the balls to go on large rides.
 

Sandman

Giga Poster
It's always hard to overcome fear without facing it head on. Get on which ever ride scares you most!
 

Zek_Teh_Kek

Hyper Poster
I dealt with this for the longest time. In fact, I rode Top Thrill Dragster and Millennium Force for the first time in 2017, and Cedar Point's my home park! It was never because I was too short, just that I was so scared! The day I rode both of those coasters, I actually rode Power Tower before I went on each. Adding on to what Sandman said, try riding something that you have never ridden before. Bringing a friend along is also a good idea, but they shouldn't be the kind that just nags you on and just tries to get you on immediately. Try finding a friend who is supportive of you and can convince you to get on a ride that seems scary to you! Being high up on rides still does scare me, but nothing is as scary as riding a really tall ride for the first time.

Now only if I can get on Skyhawk!
 

TPC

Roller Poster
Thorpe park coasters are more intimidating if you are most worried about height. If so do stealth as you'll gain a lot of confidence from it. Towers on the other hand is a lot less scary in this regard so it matter less which one you start on.
 

scarydrago

Roller Poster
I dealt with this for the longest time. In fact, I rode Top Thrill Dragster and Millennium Force for the first time in 2017, and Cedar Point's my home park! It was never because I was too short, just that I was so scared! The day I rode both of those coasters, I actually rode Power Tower before I went on each. Adding on to what Sandman said, try riding something that you have never ridden before. Bringing a friend along is also a good idea, but they shouldn't be the kind that just nags you on and just tries to get you on immediately. Try finding a friend who is supportive of you and can convince you to get on a ride that seems scary to you! Being high up on rides still does scare me, but nothing is as scary as riding a really tall ride for the first time.

Now only if I can get on Skyhawk!
Man you're so lucky! Cedar Point being your home park, my home park is Oakwood.
 

scarydrago

Roller Poster
Thorpe park coasters are more intimidating if you are most worried about height. If so do stealth as you'll gain a lot of confidence from it. Towers on the other hand is a lot less scary in this regard so it matter less which one you start on.
Is the wickerman good for a starter one?
 

zazobo

Hyper Poster
Yeah Wickerman is a great starter for Alton, then maybe something like Galactica or nemesis before you hit up oblivion or smiler.
 

scarydrago

Roller Poster
Yeah Wickerman is a great starter for Alton, then maybe something like Galactica or nemesis before you hit up oblivion or smiler.
I would get a panic attack on Oblivion literally, I hate VERTICAL DROPS anyways. If you've ever been to Oakwood is the wickerman similar to megafobia?
 

scarydrago

Roller Poster
Yeah Wickerman is a great starter for Alton, then maybe something like Galactica or nemesis before you hit up oblivion or smiler.
I went to Alton Towers on a school trip in Year 8. I didn't go on many rides, but it got me into this community with me then getting interested into coasters.
 

Hutch

Strata Poster
Alton Towers is actually a great choice because none of the coasters are really that tall (relatively speaking), but it checks off a variety of types. You got your intense invert (Nemesis), woodie (Wicker Man), flyer (Galactica), launcher (Rita), spinner (Spinball Whizzer), and a couple of other family coasters to ease your way in (Runaway Mine Train and Thirteen). Smiler and Oblivion are probably the two most intimidating rides there, Oblivion obviously because of the drop (which actually isn't quite vertical, but close enough), and Smiler has all the inversions, and the vertical lift hill might feel weird.

Good luck though, once you get over that hump you'll want to ride everything!
 

zazobo

Hyper Poster
I would get a panic attack on Oblivion literally, I hate VERTICAL DROPS anyways. If you've ever been to Oakwood is the wickerman similar to megafobia?
It's similar enough to someone who hasn't ridden many coasters! Really, Wikerman is smaller and less intimidating I would say.
 

scarydrago

Roller Poster
Alton Towers is actually a great choice because none of the coasters are really that tall (relatively speaking), but it checks off a variety of types. You got your intense invert (Nemesis), woodie (Wicker Man), flyer (Galactica), launcher (Rita), spinner (Spinball Whizzer), and a couple of other family coasters to ease your way in (Runaway Mine Train and Thirteen). Smiler and Oblivion are probably the two most intimidating rides there, Oblivion obviously because of the drop (which actually isn't quite vertical, but close enough), and Smiler has all the inversions, and the vertical lift hill might feel weird.

Good luck though, once you get over that hump you'll want to ride everything!
Thank you!
 
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