Any thrill seekers in OT?

When I was a kid I used to be terrified of being in a car because my father was probably the worst driver in the world...as in, Russian driver bad (apologies for the stereotype)...red lights meant "if you manage to squeeze through you can still go", driving into incoming traffic meant shortcut and "using your front bumper to gently push the car in front of you" was a perfectly legitimate way of making them either drive faster or get out of the way.

So after years and years of this, every time I'd get into that car I would get really bad stomach cramps and got a phobia of being trapped in there so whenever possible I'd try to avoid anything fast, bumpy and that wouldn't allow me to get off for a long period of time. Eventually I decided to do some stuff outside of my comfort zone to face the fear. First did some zip-lining off a small tower, then did it again off the highest tower in Europe, then decided to try roller coasters, got addicted and started doing more and more of them but everything was pretty mild. But it kept going and I am now about to schedule a skydiving lesson, some bungee jumping and trying to decide what can I do that's more exciting than that without being stupidly dangerous (I do have a small kid).

How about you guys? Anybody enjoys the adrenaline spikes?

Also, if there's anyone here who has done skydiving...I ruptured my eardrum about a year ago while diving (in water) and I'm worried it might go wrong with the skydiving...any idea if that's something to be worried about?

You can wear a helmet while skydiving. Barring that, you can wear earplugs. You're not going to hear anything on the way down but wind anyway, even if someone is right next to you screaming.

Heights are my adrenaline. Skydiving, yes. But mostly I like to fly. There's no adrenaline rush like lining up for a landing even in the best weather. Going from sky to ground...there's just something magical about it. There's so much to do in such a short space of time, your attention has to be on the task every nanosecond of the descent. Once you are losing lift, nose up and sinking to the ground, every movement and moment is exaggerated. It's that floaty feeling of not really flying but not really falling.

@br0kenrabbit: Does everything go into slow motion? ;) I used to have that during my martial arts training.

As for ear plugs, is that not a problem with the pressure?

Not a problem with the pressure, just swallow a few times.

And I wouldn't call it slow-motion, more like time expansion. Things are still moving just as fast, but I seem to be able to complete more tasks than usual in said amount of time.

@br0kenrabbit: That is a more apt description, yes. It's like a mental overload where you're a lot more alert, focused and responsive.

aka 'The Zone'.

@br0kenrabbit:

@korvus: A little more snooty than that. ;)

/me closes smoking jacket

I don't take any needless risks. I'm not going to jump out of a plane unless it's going to crash.

If you want to, that's totally cool, I even support that. But I have a history of bad luck, of not "getting away with anything", so I tend to not push it. Seriously, the second I try something, it blows up in my face.

If you don't mind asking this question but, is there a super giant fan that gives you an idea of what Skydiving is like before doing the real thing? I always wanted to do Skydiving when I was 25 years old but I do kinda don't like heights so I like to do a test before heading to the real deal.

Also, as far as Thrill Seeking goes, Skydiving would also be my main choice first and maybe Cliff Jumping wearing Flying Squirrel Suits would be something I could do myself. Would you do Cliff Jumping by any chance Korvus?

There is Flyaway indoor skydiving in Pigeon Forge, but I've never done it. (Note: Pigeon Forge is a tourist trap). I don't know how well it simulates the real thing. Also, it obviously doesn't simulate being under the canopy.

Your first jump will be a tandem jump, anyway. You'll be strapped to an instructors chest. Don't worry about hesitating to leave the plane, you WILL be pushed out by your instructor.

Looks like I'll just stick to Skydiving and not bother indoor Skydiving then. Thanks :)

No, I'm actually kind of boring.

I've 3 jumps under my belt (one tandem, the other two to level 2 AFF) before I had to stop due to an illness. Am looking to pursue when I move to a place with a DZ.

Riiiiight, I'm sure your fun at Parties :)

Did the instructors release you at all on the second level 2 jump?

I'm usually the one off by myself with the host's cat or dog. I tend to prefer the company of animals in large group situations.

I'm addicted to putting myself in dangerous situations.

Which is one of the reasons why I've experimented with drugs in the past.

I believe so, but only very briefly. IIRC, I didn't pass because I was rotating unintentionally to the right. It had something to do with stability.

Yeah you def don't want to be spinning unless you intend to (def don't be spinning when you deploy, just bad news all around). For best stability your knees should be in line with your shoulders. You can go wider if you need to but this tends to make you fly 'bum up' so I really only recommend doing so if you find you have lost stability. Once you recover you can go back to shoulder-width.

I like thrills from skating down steep hills it's risky when I've broken bones doing this before. There's adrenaline from risking rejection when talking to a new girl. I'm afraid of heights so no thrills pertaining to that. I wouldn't swim in the middle of the ocean because of sharks. Basically I don't like thrills involving insta-death.

@mrbojangles25: Respect. Can't fault you for that.

@davillain-: 1) Squirrel suit jumping sounds like an awesome idea!!! Added to my bucket list! 2) My wife is going to kill you

@foxhound_fox: Even if you are, being an adrenaline junkie is not the only way to have a good time, so don't sweat it...

@MirkoS77: Sorry to hear that you had to stop and forgive the ignorance but that's a DZ?

@Gaming-Planet: Can't say I've ever done drugs; don't really want to.

@playmynutz: "Basically I don't like thrills involving insta-death."...I'd say that's a very sensible motto :p

Na, going 4 foot up a ladder to paint a ceiling usually shit myself.

This is where I spent my day today. Everything was pretty mild but still fun...except that bloody wooden coaster...yes, it is as rough as it looks...ouch...

I was a thrill seeker when I was a new driver. If it was a standard 30 mph road, I'd hit 40 to 50 mph. And if it was a 70 mph motorway, I'd hit 100 to 130 mph.

But over the years, I've become a more law-abiding driver. I still speed from time to time, but rarely exceed 5-10 mph above the speed limit.

@Jag85: I've done my occasional drag race in highways when they were empty but one time both of us goofed (neither of us knew the highway) and it all of a sudden the left lane did a hairpin left and the right lane did a hairpin right with a sharp as all hell ship hull style divider in the middle. I half-assed a drift but the other guy barely missed going straight into the divider and probably get cut in two...I decided never to put myself or anyone else in risk like that.

Everyday at work is a potential thriller. Will we be robbed for fentanyl patches or oxycodone? Will it be with a used syringe, knife, hammer, or gun?

But in my spare time, not really. I enjoy roller coasters and will go on all the rides. I wouldn't go as far as skydiving.

@SOedipus: If my work was that "exciting" I would probably just chill on my spare time...what do you do for a living?

Dumb qeastion, but why isn't it metal? Wood sounds abit dodgy.

@uninspiredcup: Only the first one isn't metal. And yeah, wooden coasters suck in my opinion....they're normally tall or long but since they're wooden you can't have any loops or corkscrews and the whole think just throws you left and right against your seat the whole ride...got a bruised knee from that one today...a lot of people like them because they're normally quite old so it's more of a "hey, let's do the old coaster" kind of thing. I normally do them once when I go to a new park but don't go on them again since the experience is either boring or painful...I get, at the very least, a headache from most wooden coasters.

That one was very boring as well; been to one a few weeks ago that was a bit more entertaining but also rough as hell. It's a racer coaster.

@korvus: A "DZ" is short for drop zone, designated airspace where skydivers are taken to altitude and jump from.

@MirkoS77: Understood. Thank you ^_^

@korvus: I work in pharmacy. So yeah, hardly ever a dull moment.

I purposely lose track of how much is in my bank account, then go shopping for bit ticket items to see if I get hit with overdraft fees...does that count as being a thrill-seeker? For me, that's a white-knuckle ride through Hell right there.

@hallenbeck77: You absolute nutjob :p

Sound logic, but at the same time maybe I don't want the first time I attempt to skydive to be when my life depends on it.

-Byshop

Yeah and I totally get that. I'm just talking about me. I won't do a certain thing unless it's necessary. A parachute is designed to be a life-saving device, so I will use it as such. If someone want's to use it for recreation, that's cool; but me using for anything other than lifesaving counts as "pushing my luck" so I don't do that.

I've got a buddy that was pursuing his license, they take it very seriously, talk about "risk management" and "minimizing risk" and "calculating risk" and so forth. They inspect their own parachutes, each others parachutes, they pack their own chutes, they train a lot, they jump together until they are ready to solo, and so forth.

Honestly I think skydiving is probably safer ta lot of other things. Just a hunch, not stating that, though.

It is pretty safe as long as you're attentive, aware and don't take shortcuts.

What scares the shit out of me is scuba diving. Done it once, freaked out, walked away. Talk about claustrophobia... /me shivers.

yeah I've heard it's one of those things where you need to be really calm and confident, and once you start freaking out it's pretty bad.

Was talking to someone that did it seriously once, had no idea how involved it was; I thought they just took air and compressed it; nope, they mix different types of gasses depending on how deep you are going, stuff like that, even if you are only going down 30 feet.

Can't blame you, deep holes in the ocean are terrifying to me somehow XD

When I was single back in the early 90's, I used to take my car (1991 Plymouth Laser RS Turbo) to its top speed limit. Not that impressive nowadays, 142 mph stock, +150 mph after some street tuning. I didn't really care if something bad happened to me. But, at least, I did it at the deserted roads of central Nevada. So, no one would know.

My modern cheap thrills nowadays? Theme parks like Hershey Park, PA. It's a bit safer and I have my eldest kid to keep me company. ;)

Riding a Motorcycle is about as far as I go for thrill seeking, I thought about sky diving, but just like @mrbojangles25 said, I aint trying to jump out of a plane unless I have to. lol.....but more power to you bro!!

I've gone skydiving and bungee jumping. The former is way better.

@jun_aka_pekto: They're not really extreme coasters but I really like that they intertwine with each other. Must be fun to go into a loop and it looking like the car from the wooden coaster is about to smash into you.

@MarcRecon: Funnily enough I'd feel like I'd have more chance of dying from riding a motorcycle than jumping off a plane.

@perfect_blue: I'd think so too. Problem is I like to start at the top so if I were to do bungee I'd want to go to Colorado or Macau since they are the highest jumps. With skydiving it's easier to find places that let you jump from high(er) up.

@korvus: That's actually correct!!! lol

Nope. But, with family and friends to think about, I'm not really keen on putting myself in danger. Besides, these coasters are still good enough to give me spaghetti legs every time. That's good enough to me. ;)

In the past, the younger AF weather crew I used to supervise invited me go skydiving with them on weekends. I declined, of course. My family wouldn't approve a source of income endangering himself.

You have a wife n kid. So, you understand.

Anyway, I love Hershey Park in Pennsylvania. I think there are at least 8 or 9 (the ones I rode) different roller coasters there: Fahrenheit, Great Bear, Sky Rush, to name a few. I think that red one nearby is Storm Runner. Sky Rush is the yellow one far away.

Sky Rush does pull some Gs though. The photo of me had my hair pulled back and my face slapped back to my skull. Ha Ha!

@jun_aka_pekto: I do understand but barring health problems I don't really see any coaster being more dangerous than another...you can die from a 10 ft drop if you slam your head hard enough so the chances of you dying from a coaster are pretty much all the same.

It's not so much the danger but, the adrenaline rush that matters to me. If I can get it for cheap and be happy without killing myself, so much the better.

If my life was in actual danger (like being chased by a rabid animal), I wouldn't be happy no matter how much adrenaline rush there is.

yea I think I am, I tend to seek out the most extreme terrain when I go skiing, and get a lot of enjoyment out of going on climbs/hikes where there are precipitous drops and exposure.

I'd happily go sky diving or bungee jumping but haven't had the opportunity. I've been told I lack a sense of self preservation. I drive like a bit of a maniac but never been in an accident. Had lots of random injuries but never doing anything considered particularly dangerous.

we had a nasty winter and I did a lot of driving in terrible conditions, at one point I was driving on a mountain highway at night with no other traffic in the middle of a snowstorm so bad I missed my exit and hard to pull a u-turn through 15cm of snow, I loved every second of it.

A bit, I guess. I've gone skydiving, parasailing, white water rafting (this was probably the most thrilling since one instance was after a week of flood inducing rains), kayaking down rapids... Nothing crazy like those people who jump from planes without chutes or anything, but enough to have some fun while having solidly good odds of survival. Well, most of the time. Now that I think about it, I did some really stupid things in my youth like intentionally see how many flips I could force our go-kart to perform and riding on top of a garbage can lid tied to an ATV while my buddy tried to flip me off of it.