Heights in Basic traning (Fear of Heights)

[MountainRunner]

Hey McPhee.  I used to be very afraid of heights until I started climbing.  I understand your fear but there's no satisfaction like conquering a phobia.  In fact, rapelling in BT may be the biggest thrill of your life.  I love rapelling now - the longer, the better (though going up a ladder still makes me pause).

My advice:

Go to your local climbing gym and practice your rapelling indoors.  Take a course in rope handling and rapelling.....Break the ice BEFORE basic and you'll feel way more confident.

p.s. The worst moment is just stepping over the lip, after that it's a fun ride down!

 

[S McPhee]

Can anyone tell me how high the repelling tower is?  Other then the repelling tower, is the 20 foot cargo net the next highest obstacle to overcome?

 

[MikeL]

I think they are usually around 32/34 feet. Don't worry about it too much, pretty much everyone is afraid of heights, an if you join the military, you gotta overcome some fears. I'm afraid of heights, after the first time, you get used to it an trust the equipment, etc an it starts to get fun. Highest rappel I've done in Army was in Chilliwack, 120ft around.

 

[GO!!!]

To overcome this I started to wear my bunny suit around my house. I was writing essays in my bunny suit, watching TV in it etc until I just became comfortable with it.

Well, that is devotion!

 

[Forgotten_Hero]

You get to take your bunny suit home??

 

[Glorified Ape]

Wow, really? I remember the first time I rapelled... it was right after I finished my BMQ. I went on adventure training with my unit... We rapelled off of a cliff that was actually pretty high. Made me pretty confident in my ability to tie swiss seats.

I guess not everyone rappels - my first rappel was in Farnham on IAP, the second was in Farnham on BOTC.

There is a requirment to rappel in Farnam - the short wall, high wall, and skid, sometimes with the sloped wall too.

There is also a fixed line traverse that starts about 30 feet off the ground, a requirment to jump off the high diving board into the pool (to simulate abandoning a ship) and ropes to climbed.

We did the short wall, high wall, and sloped wall but the skid was optional and only offered on my BOTC (not on IAP). We did do the zip line, maritime crossing (if that's the wire bridge), swim test, and ropes but I don't think they were mandatory insofar as they weren't POs. The rappelling was optional on BOTC/IAP, IIRC. Do you know if it's mandatory on Phase II/III (Infantry)? I would hope so, but I have no idea.

 

[canadianblue]

- If a recruit has an EXTREME fear of heights, can he be excused from this small portion? (even if it means having to do something else that is harder on you)

I highly doubt it, while doing my BMQ people had a fear of heights but were told to do the entire obstacle course. They want you to be able to overcome your fears in order to complete basic.  If I am wrong on any of this please correct me.

 

[S McPhee]

So is it safe to say that there is not a whole lot of time spent in BMQ that involve heights?  I have viewed two different BMQ videos and read the course outline, but thought it would be better to hear it from the source.  If anyone who has recently completed or is currently doing their BMQ, I would love to hear details of how ofter or the exact heightts of what I should expect.  It would be good to get an idea of exactly how heigh up I need to mentally prepair myself to be.

 

[JBP]

So is it safe to say that there is not a whole lot of time spent in BMQ that involve heights?  I have viewed two different BMQ videos and read the course outline, but thought it would be better to hear it from the source.  If anyone who has recently completed or is currently doing their BMQ, I would love to hear details of how ofter or the exact heightts of what I should expect.  It would be good to get an idea of exactly how heigh up I need to mentally prepair myself to be.

Well, forget even going through heights on BMQ, during the course of your regular training year, you might trained to do airborn ops from a Griffon (helicopter). You might be trained to rappel from it or simply be picked up/dropped off from one. I wouldn't think someone who is afraid of heights would like a helicopter because you do get quite the view, and the way they fly when in "tactical" means sharp and hard turns which would have you out the door if not for a very nice seatbelt.

Mind you it's an awesome ride and you do get quite a view if you get a door seat!!!!

 

[GO!!!]

So is it safe to say that there is not a whole lot of time spent in BMQ that involve heights?  I have viewed two different BMQ videos and read the course outline, but thought it would be better to hear it from the source.  If anyone who has recently completed or is currently doing their BMQ, I would love to hear details of how ofter or the exact heightts of what I should expect.  It would be good to get an idea of exactly how heigh up I need to mentally prepair myself to be.

As I said earlier, if you are unable to face and conquer your fears, look elsewhere for a job. You don't want to be the one to have their death grip slowly peeled off, finger by finger by an instructor, as you hang on for dear life on the helo skid tower, only to fall five feet and be brought to a stop by the brakeman.

Then everyone laughs at you, and takes pictures, while you are lowered to the ground - inverted.

The skid is 30 feet from the ground if you decide to do it.

Every rational person has a fear of heights, you simply have to beat it.

 

[S McPhee]

Hey GO!!!, this "skid" you speak of, is it referring to the repelling portion of BMQ?  I was thinking it was like 60+ feet or something (it looked pretty high in the video).  Is 30 feet the most to expect in BMQ?  I think I can learn to deal with that.

 

[GO!!!]

The skid is 30 feet, the fixed line traverse is about 100 feet at the deepest point of the valley it traverses, and helicopter rappelling is done from 100 feet as well.

Go to a climbing wall/ferris wheel, bungee jumping place wherever you live, and confront your fear. One girl on my course had to be dragged out of the port-a-john where she had been hiding in St.Jean and almost forced off the tower. She cried the whole time, and screamed on the way down. It was hilarious!

You really dont want to be "that guy".

 

[Good2Golf]

The military has a way of exploiting everyone's fears. For me it was claustrophobia. I knew I was claustrophobic before, but I didn't really imagine that it would be a problem on basic....that was until I had to throw on the restricting bunny suit and gas mask...
...To overcome this I started to wear my bunny suit around my house. I was writing essays in my bunny suit, watching TV in it etc until I just became comfortable with it.

I have a bit of claustrophobia, but my wife will not let me wear my bunnysuit inside after the last incident...

 

[S McPhee]

can anyone give the expected height of these specific items:

- the rope you have to climb in the gym?

- repelling (I've heard from 32 - 120 feet)?

- swim test (I've heard different numbers here, just wanted to confirm)?


I think GO!!! already explained the fixed line traverse well enough.

 

[JBP]

It honestly doesn't make a difference too much if it's 35 feet or 72 feet or a hundred feet does it? Your going to be slightly terrified either way right??? In the swim test, you jump off like a 5 foot diving board into the water, it's not even really a raised platform. And you don't jump head first...

If your in the reserves, you probably won't get the chance to do any rappelling on your BMQ/SQ/BIQ etc.... At least no one in the courses I went through got to do it this summer in Meaford short of 1 Plt I can think of...

Face your fears, live your dreams man! I suggest GO!!!'s advice also, just go find something local you can jump off, or, go skydiving. If you are truely terrified of heights, well, good luck to you then!

Joe

 

[Good2Golf]

can anyone give the expected height of these specific items:

- the rope you have to climb in the gym?  A sufficient height to die from if you fall on your neck.

- repelling (I've heard from 32 - 120 feet)?  A sufficient height to die from if you fall on your neck.

- swim test (I've heard different numbers here, just wanted to confirm)?  A sufficient height to die from if you dive into the shallow end head first and hit your neck.

I think GO!!! already explained the fixed line traverse well enough.

S McPhee, seriously...you need to talk to somebody I think...not that I'm counting, but many if not most of your posts seem to be fixated about heights.  Honestly, you will either have to move beyond it, or perhaps military life isn't for you.  Go to Canada's Wonderland and ride "Drop Zone"...it's actually a smooth ride and you'll wonder what the heck you were worrying about.  Heights are totally psychological.

Cheers,
Duey

 

[S McPhee]

Yeah, I know most of my posts have been about heights, and that's only because everything about joining the Navy seems perfect except the heights in BMQ part.  I already have friends and family in the Forces and they say that after BMQ, you will not even have to deal with it again (I'm going for NES OP).  I've also been told by  people that the repelling portion in BMQ is not mandatory and that it is not required to pass the course. 

I am again not trying to whine, etc, I was trying to mentally prepair myself for what to expect when I DO try it.  I'm already cool with 20-30 feet, anything higher, I have some work to do to prepair myself.  I just figured that knowing what is coming my way, helps me prepair myself mentally.  Man.... I sure can't wait to get BMQ over with (although I am still waiting for medical clearance to be put back to "normal" status and then wait for an interview).

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all of the feedback and I am going to try my best and just suck it up.

 

[MountainRunner]

S McPhee,

In the words of Tom Petty, "Most thing I worry about never happen anyway."

People have given you lots of good advice.  The only way you're going to get over this is to get out there and do it....and do it before BMQ so you break the ice.

You're focusing on the fear.  Instead of that, picture the relief and pride you're going to feel when it's all over.  You'll feel unstoppable.  And if heights are the only things that scare you, then consider yourself lucky.  Your comrades are going to struggle with their own demons - personal problem, poor academics, bad impulse control, etc.  Some of them just don't know it yet.  And some of them will struggle their entire career.  You just have to step over that lip a couple times and it's over in a couple minutes.

You'll get through this.  You're just letting it become bigger than it is.  Don't think I know what I'm talking about?  I absolutely do. 
Good luck.

 

[canadianblue]

You can also die on the ground. If your afraid of death or getting injured the military isn't the best career to choose. They have obstacles which are designed to challenge your fear of heights to make you overcome an obstacle.

 

[WebAddict]

I cant climb ropes , it something I havent learned,? do they teach u how?