[Closed] Ever felt truly scared for your life?

A few moments when scrambling on mountains, usually getting into a situation where progress seems impossible, reversing isn't an option and fatigue is setting in.

Similar to you, OP, getting pulled further out to sea by undercurrents and having difficulty holding my breath long enough - it was ****ing knackering getting out of it :/

A few times when climbing, the main one was when I spotted I wasn't tied in at the crux of a very nasty route.

A few times riding, usually some very exposed Alpine stuff.

Fall left ok, fall right = freefall

Glad you are both ok

Three times come to mind - canoeing, WW rafting and climbing - each occasion the lasting memory was how everything went into slow motion and an almost euphoric sense of calm. Intense concentration.

The fear hit me afterwards! Hard.

as scotroutes.

a couple of scrambles in the alps on loose base with a 100m+ payoff if things started moving quickly.

Yup. About 20 years ago when I lived in Aberdeen, myself and a few friends were out on Christmas Eve for a few drinks and some food. The last chap to turn up was walking down the street waving at us as a bunch of casuals rounded the corner.

Back then, the ASC (Aberdeen Soccer Casuals) were pretty much out of control. Vicious bastards who didn't limit their violence to after-match shenannigans. So it was no surprise to see them.

Anyway, this group of half a dozen headbutted my mate and pushed him down a long flight of stone steps. I legged it down the road and started punching. Needless to say, I hadn't thought it through and the punches were very soon coming my way.

Incredibly, I stayed upright throughout but there was certainly a moment of, "Oh shit, this is it" as my jaw and cheekbone snapped and everything went a bit fuzzy.

Christmas dinner was liquid that year...

Yeah, telling wife and young son to run while squaring up to 4 turks in the middle of knowhere armed with a brick and stiff upper lip isn't an experience I want to repeat.

In 1992 I walked over the Algerian border into Morocco. I'd had a pretty cool trip visiting a family friend and had become quite relaxed about being a woman travelling alone.

Until I realised that I was being followed by a guy. I tried crowded streets, doubling back and stuff but I couldn't shake him off. In the end I just went to the (crowded) station and got on the first long distance train I could get a ticket for. Got to Fez and there was no sign of him. Phew.

Out for a sunday stroll as a yoof, I went off piste and decided to fullow the gully up between two of the crags across the bay from Plockton. I got very stuck and couldn't reverse, water pouring over me. After a while clinging on shaking I eventually had to make a move and managed to traverse sideways across onto the face of the crag and make my way down from ledge to ledge clinging to the vegetation.
Gives me the heebiejeebies thinking about it 😯

I think I was probably in the gully directly above the castle in the pic
[img] [/img]

When I was 17 I was in a bad car crash and ended up in Hospital for 3 1/2 months. The day after I was discharged a friend picked me up in his car, i was still on crutches. He was driving his mums Opel Kadet, we took off up the road and I was feeling a bit nervous. He thought he could defy the laws of physics by throwing it into a corner, losing it and us rotating a couple of times and going backwards into someones garden. I really thought I was going to lose control of my bladder my arse everything, couldn't speak was shaking like a leaf. I remember making some weird mewing noise. Dont remember getting out of the car but remember the homeowner going mental at us, I thought this was a bit unfsir as I wasnt the moron behind the wheel.

Strangely never really been scared like that since in a car or on a bike.

Had one of those drowning whilst in the middle of a group of people things. Somehow couldn't breath or shout and just started sinking. Managed to calm myself and get it back together. Wasn't good though

And machine gun to head by masked gunman. That wasn't good

All ok now and never really think about them.@muffin-man, if you haven't already done so make sure you give your daughter a chance to talk about what happened. Better to get it out now. Doesn't need to be rationalised, just expressed

playing in the front row of a scrum when i was 17, the match was a open age game. the scrum collapsed inwards, whilst still on my feet my head touched the ground and our pack went forwards, with what felt like the whole of the pack on my back, neck and head.
i was screaming but was unable to move at all. the scrum moved to the side slightly and the pressure was released from my neck.
i blacked out and woke up in the changing rooms.

i thought i was gonna die or be crippled.

Similar to the OP, dinghy sailing on the sea. You're supposed to be sensible and come in when you hit n-1 capsizes (n being the most you think you have the strength to recover from), but some days you've got a long downwind stint, through confused chop, and you just keep getting thrown in the water from top speed. There have been a few days when I've just felt like giving up, although I suppose the level headed option would be to turn around and just run it up the beach, that isn't the way your brain works when that tired, you just keep sticking to the plan.

if you haven't already done so make sure you give your daughter a chance to talk about what happened. Better to get it out now. Doesn't need to be rationalised, just expressed

Yep - we had a talk. It did shake her up and she went off on her own rock pooling for a while. She went back in the water later that day though with the wife and both of us went body boarding again at Whitesands Bay the next day in some fairly big waves. So hopefully scared at the time but it doesn't seem to have lingered with her.

Me - not so sure! That look on her face will stick me me for a while yet.

How do surfers manage to get back in against currents? Is a surfboard a lot easier to paddle? Can it be taught or is it just experience?

Abseiled off the end of a rope in the alps once, luckily didnt fall far and landed on snow. Bit of a worry though!
18th july this year. Missed pedal clipping in back of leg dragged over chainring cutting it to the bone. Took about 20s to realise I had managed to miss any arteries and wasnt going to bleed to death.
Fell off a car once too...

A few times but this is a favourite..

An old school friend was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in his early 20s and I used to meet up with him once a month for a pint and a chat.. I don't think he had any other friends by then and it was nice to give him a bit of company

We had met in town one afternoon and somehow we got caught in a nostalgic moment and carried on drinking past his 3 pint safety cut off, hatching a plan to go to a punk night at one of the clubs in town..

At some point late in the evening I spotted a deranged skinny hippie fella outside the toilets screaming about the mujahideen at a couple of terrified looking kids that had been selling hash..

It took me a moment to realise that it was my buddy, and I grabbed him and got him outside before any trouble could kick off... We were giggling when he showed me that he'd nicked some of the drugs, and I thought it was probably best to call it a night..
He had other ideas though and wanted to go back for the rest of their stuff..

I was having none of it and we got into a heated discussion, he had a really crazy look in his eyes and I knew things were about to go pear shaped..
It quickly descended into a bit of a scuffle between the two of us and the next thing I knew we were in the road, with him straddling me with his hands around my throat, all snarls and mad triumph in his eyes..
There was zero semblance to the fella that I knew and loved..
He was gonna kill me and after what seemed like hours of struggling, as I felt all the strength draining out of me and started to black out, I just thought what a totally shit way to die

When I came round a couple of blokes that had been held up in their car by our shenanigans had seen it all, got out and dragged him off and he'd legged it..
They were all for hunting him down, but I explained that he was ill and got off home
I got a call from him the next morning from the police station.. Later that night he'd nicked a bus, driven it to the seaside and tried to drive into the sea thinking he was saving the world as he believed there was a nuclear bomb on board

I didn't hear from him for a few years after as he believed that I was a werewolf, but he's doing very well now with better meds and we chat regularly on facebook, always with plenty of laughs 🙂

Heading towards a stationary dustbin lorry that was collecting on the Bitterne side of Northam Bridge (just past sweeping bend), doing ~20mph or so and my brakes are not stopping me. Never known ~10 metres of road feel so slow, surreal slow-motion moment.

~20mins or so later, I come to with paramedic over me, with my maxilla in bits; two broken metacarpels; two missing teeth; virtually every tooth chipped or cracked; split upper lip.

What a way to start my 40s, three days past my 40th birthday, just before Xmas 2013 and days before Michael Schumacher's terrible skiing accident.

Christ n0b0dy! And Yunki, ever stopped to wonder if perhaps you are, in fact, a werewolf?

Just to be greedy, I'll post another one. Except it wasn't my life in danger but a friend. Three of us were cycling around The Pyrenees between France and Spain. After a few months of sharing a two man tent, one of our company had had enough and took off for a few days by himself.

The two of us noticed some castellations built into a cliff on the valley hillside on a cliff and decided to climb up and have a gander. The going went from rough to vertical and I gave voice to my misgivings. My mate was adamant that we could do it right up 'til the point he fell about six feet onto a ledge.

After that, he needed coaxed down every, single, bloody centimetre of the way; "Ok, right foot left a bit, yes it'll hold you" kind of a thing.

At one point, he froze. His whole body was shaking so much that I didn't believe he could hold on and rocks were raining down on my head. There was a good 200 foot drop if he let go - I was sure he would.

We did, however, get down with just cuts and bruises. Never been so scared for someone else in all my life.

the-muffin-man - Member
How do surfers manage to get back in against currents? Is a surfboard a lot easier to paddle? Can it be taught or is it just experience?

Oh yes, twice.

Once went climbing with a guy met up with from UKC. Seemed ok on sp and we went to do a mp pitch route, Amphitheatre Buttress (nice easy mountaineering route). Get to the start and he doesn't want to lead through which is a bit of a pain. I asked him to call out when we get to half rope length as id be leading and would probably run pitches together. There's a nice slab pitch just before the ledge leading to the crux. There's a bit of a pull over onto this slab from a ledge. im halfway up the slab when the rope comes tight I shout down and am told out of rope (in hindsight should have stopped below the slab but it was a beautiful day and I was in the moment). Rigged a very crap belay on two no.1 wires on a toe ledge which is all that was available. Just above me (a few feet) the slab tuned to big steps and ledges. Bring the guy up to below the slab and ask whether he can rig a belay, says he can't but happy to lead though a few feet to get to the ledge above me. Up he comes, no worries cleaning the runners on the slab as he comes. I point out bomber runner placements just above me (but out of reach). He moves off. He doesn't place a runner even when i'm shouting/pleading with him to do so (were both now on two crap no.1 wires). He then start traversing out left for some unknown reason despite my helpful comments that straight up was best(its a staircase above), still no runners. About 20 or so feet away he makes some weird move up the slab, slithers backwards then goes backwards/headfirst down the slab and over the drop at the bottom. Whilst i'm waiting for the tug i'm looking at these wires for what seems an age (which would be ok with a little slither but not a full scale plummet). The tug comes, I've twisted my body round to brace and have a bight of rope round my hand. One wire pops, my hand wedges up against the belay plate and i'm wobbling for balance on the toe ledge, literally tottering, thinking that's it. A gust of wind (or something)and i'm back in balance. I then get this guy back up to the ledge below the slab and another party belay him so I can then scramble up the staircase above me to a good ledge above and say my prayers. Getting the guy off the route was a bit of an epic as he was in tears and slightly hysterical.

Second occasion was down at Pembroke to do a route called Blue Sky that starts of a wave washed slab at low tide. All is fine low tide etc and we wait for a CambsUMC group (who are doing the route as two pitches to move off). They start to move up so we ab down. They then grind to a halt for some reason. Were waiting to start and the tide has turned. More waiting and there are a few rollers coming in now so as the party in front is still not moving we decide to retreat - i've got the rope and rack on me. Water is probably 12 inches over the slab but there's a safe scramble out. On this slab there are various pockets about 12 inches deep i've seen. One bigger wave comes in just as i'm taking a step and makes me stumble into what I assumed was one of these pockets save that this pocket was a proper blowhole. Down I went with the outward going wave sucking me down with the added weight of rack and rope as ballast. I remember feeling quite surprised when I opened my eyes see a world of foam and bubbles. Luckily the next wave pushed me back up and the rack and rope didn't snag on anything. My mate was now fishing for me and grabbed me to stop me going down again. I thought it was quite funny at the time but the following day brought out the cold sweats.

Back in 94 i spent 6 months in Africa as a young n' carefree 20 something and quite a few times i was genuinely scared for my life.

Went rafting down the Zambezi with Shearwater but the water level was really low which left more rocks exposed, especially at "open season rapid", needless to say i got kicked out of the raft and got caught in the undertow near a section of rocks that just whipped me round n' round till i passed out, got recovered by the safety kayaks and dragged to safety where i recovered but my helmet was smashed to bits and i was covered in lacerations from the rocks.

Hiking through Mozambique i accepted a lift and was taken at gunpoint to a shack where i had an AK47 placed to my head and stripped of my possessions

Whilst staying with friends at Matobo Hills lodge nr to Bulawayo i woke early one morning and decided to go exploring so off i wandered down the hill and over the amazing rock formations, i jumped down from one rock and came within touching distance of a Black Mamba getting some early morning sun - I have never ran so fast in my life and i guess the only thing that saved me was the fact it was still quite cool so the mamba was not up to speed to strike me.

At the same place ^ i found a large hole in the hillside and naturally being inquisitive i crouched down at the edge and peered in, 200lbs of warthog launched itself out and sent me spinning and cartwheeling back down the hill.

Yep....Africa is a wonderful place 😀

Only last week was the latest, up 10 meters at full extension in our scissor lift trying to remove a steel cable from the side of a silo when the units brakes slipped and the unit rolled back slightly putting the rear left wheel over a dip the whole unit started tipping back!!!

Somehow I managed to death grip the rolled seams on the silo & pull it back upright at the same time lowering it and holding on to the silo 😮

I felt decidedly relived to get the unit back to ground level.

Had it inspected this week & the holding sensor was faulty 🙁

Unit like this

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Yup twice, once river swimming with my then 9 year old who despite being told not to followed me out into deep water, got out of puff and then grabbed me and pushed me under a couple of times in his panic. I swallowed a mouthful of Thames and for a split second had that sinking feeling - quite literally. I got myself together and towed him back to shore but that was a very scary moment. Second was biking in France, slipping off a root, not clipping out in time and falling off a long drop, happily there was a ledge about 15 feet down so I just got a shattered ankle and not a 100 foot drop to flat but that was a well this is it moment for sure.

Done some daft stuff climbing & swimming as a youth.
Swimming across a local reservoir whilst drunk once, got cramp & remember sinking deeper & deeper. Somehow managed to get out of it but I can remember how cold & dark the water got the further I sank.

Of late, the only time I've honestly thought it was all over was when a tyre blew & put the car on its roof.
Seeing my 2 & 3 yr olds hanging upside down, mercifully unharmed, is something I will live with forever.
All that advice about what to do in a skid etc, was useless. All we could was hold on till it all stopped. The noise of the windows popping & the roof scraping on the road was horrendous.
The other thing that left a lasting mark on me was the unquestioning kindness of total strangers.
Since then I vowed to give something back, which I do through Scouting, volunteering etc.

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No, there have been a few times when I hindsight I've been in situations when I could have died had things gone slightly the other way, but I didn't - the first time (car crash) I was in shock for a long time, but blind luck ment I was almost mark free - the car span and hit a tree, destroyed the door next to me and folded the seat I was in, somehow despite wearing a belt I ended up sat on bit between the seats.

Second time I went down hard at Afan, when I first came to a halt I thought I was okayish, then I spotted the broken wrist, then the pain in my other arm, but it was only when I got to A&E I really knew I had broken the other arm, even then I thought I'd be home in an hour or two - it was only then when they were scurrying around me I was told my arm was losing too much blood because it was a compound break and they needed me to go in surgery straight away.

But neither time I was all that worried, it bloody hurt, but I never suspected it was 'serious'. Blissful ignorance is pretty good!

When I was a kid, our local sports centre used to have 'activity days' in the swimming pool, where they'd float out big inflatable things. One was like a giant wheel, with spokes and an inner hub. I wanted to sit on the hub with all the cool kids, but lacked the strength / ability to climb up the outer rim to get to it. So I came up with the genius idea of swimming underneath it instead.

I dived down for a bit, swam for a bit, and came up underneath the thing. Had a bit of a panic, swam a bit more, came up stuck underneath it again. Either it was drifting or, more likely in hindsight, I'd vastly overestimated my swimming ability. Now upgraded to a lot of panic, I tried for a third time and came up underneath it again. At my tender young age I genuinely thought I'd had it. I scrabbled desperately at the slippery vinyl on top of me and, almost certainly by blind luck, squirted out from under it like a bar of wet soap.

No damage done beyond giving me a drowning phobia for life, for years I couldn't even cross deep water if I could see it between boards. I remember years later being encouraged by a then-girlfriend to walk out on a pier affair a couple of feet wide. I got to the end and froze, ended up crawling back on hands and knees. I'm a lot better these days, but still don't like deep water. If I can't stand on the floor I'm having none of it.

A couple of "near misses" underwater. Had a CO2 "hit" once, the worst feeling in the World! The build up of CO2 increases the urge to breath, which causes you to over breath, which in turn causes more CO2 to build up, which causes you to over breath...... Feels like your suffocating and about to die but your not!

I got taken about a road gritter years ago, car rolled about 4 or 5 times down the central reservation. Myself and the other passenger walked away, not sure how!

At a house party in 1990 a bunch of local thugs punched me to the floor and then proceeded to kick my head against a doorstep until I became unconscious. I don't know how long they were kicking me for but it felt like an eternity. I've been told that they only stopped when my brother realised what was happening and came to my aid.........everyone else at the party was too scared to help!
It scared the shit and piss out of me........literally 😳

Twice whilst 'underwater potholing'....
1. Tangled in a somewhat unpleasant load of old line in bad vis is a low and wide bedding plane

2. Laying line in a reasonably snug bit of passage, passable with a hand held cylinder easily enough as it fitted quite nicely into a slot in the floor. On the return I rolled a small pebble along the front of my wetsuit up to my sternum which effectively wedged me between floor a ceiling for a little while.

Not really had it at work, although a fire where a large roof timber landed in front of me was quite memorable....

We were in Thailand last year in a fairly remote hotel, it was still early when we were disturbed by a load of gunfire, the sound of screaming, children crying etc. Thought we were in the middle of a terrorist attack. We barricaded the door to the room with what we had and tried ringing the hotel reception, but their lack of answer only added to our concern. We were pretty convinced we were going to be gunned down.

15 tense minutes later we managed to get an answer from the hotel reception, it was some sort of religious celebration/funereal outside of the hotel.

****ed us both up.

On holiday in Malta a good few years ago. Me and missus (before we were married and sensible) decided we wanted hire a little speedboat to pose about for an hour or two. The only thing the guy says is "dont go out of the bay". Obviously we're not on holiday to be told what to do and our hotel is in the next bay, so off we go. A while later we set off to go back but the tide has turned and the sea has got very rough, it was like one of those North Sea trawler documentaries. The wife is lying in the bottom of the boat and I'm steering it vertically up and over the face of these massive waves. Definately thought our number was up.

Leaning over a set of forks I was working on, I removed the circlip holding the air spring in place. There was a huge bang, I got an eye-full of oil and something rocketed past my head, missing my face by millimetres. Distracted by the Moto GP, I'd forgotten to let the pressure out of the forks and had fired the air spring past my head with some force. I wasn't scared until I saw the inch-deep hole in the ceiling 6 feet above my head.

I've had a couple of scary climbing moments, although the scariest was when, halfway up a cliff, I heard an ex-girlfriend scream as she abseiled off the end of a rope and fell a good ten metres to the ground. Luckily she's made a full recovery, but it's not something I really want to experience again. Don't imagine she does either!

Climbing, all the bloody time. In my mind if not in actual reality, though how do you ever know? Probably why I've pretty much stopped, and should get into the bolts...

Mtb, plenty of'oh shite' moments but no actual 'I'm going to die'.

Surfing, similar. I'll go out in pretty much anything - not a brag, I'm not that good at the actual surfing. But I figure whatever the hold down, I'll bob back up at some point.

Nearest to being caught out was triple overhead Melvich one time. Conservative estimate I recon, but whatever. I was younger and probably a bit stronger, but even shitter in those days. After a few near misses went for a wave, had zero real chance, it hollowed out under me, over the falls and then deep deep down where it's dark... Climbed up the leash (board was 'tombstoning' ie standing on end meaning gi was full stretch of the leash underneath). Surfaced in time to be unloaded on by another wave, and deep down again. Pulled my way back up the leash and the same thing happened. I remember thinking"this is how it happens..." I was anchored in the impact zone. After a three or four down to the bottoms, I wrapped my arms and legs round the board, meaning I got bashed about a bit, but washed in. Collected my thoughts on the beach for a few mins, then paddled back out to my mates to fail again.

I was more scared once in a situation like the OP. France, beach, in easy sight of lifeguard, 13yr old daughter, chest deep, but couldn't move in against the current (I recon it was a basin -water held behind a sandbar- emptying as the tide went out.) Would not have given it a second thought on my own but my daughter was not a strong swimmer. I didn't want to have to keep her afloat for 20 mins, and was too British/much of a **** to shout the lifeguard. Ended getting under her to chuck her shoreward, braced against the bottom. A few chucks and we could struggle through thigh deep water. Sticks in the mind.

How do surfers manage to get back in against currents? Is a surfboard a lot easier to paddle? Can it be taught or is it just experience?

Partially they are easier to paddle as tallow says, the fins keep it straight and you just pull with your arms. Body boarders usualy use flippers on their feet to achieve the same.

Also you can sit on a surfboard comfortably, so higher up the shore looks closer (and easier to keep an eye on) and you can see currents and other rips, so the advice to swim at right angles makes more sense under pressure as you can see the route back to the beach. Telling someone to swim at right angles to a rip is all well and good, but when the beach already looks out or reach it's not easy advice to take to expend energy to swim further out!

Whilst yacht racing near Burnham on Crouch in 30knts, we Chinese gybed whilst I was in the pit taking the slack out of the new kite sheet around a winch, the gybe happened, I got smacked in the mouth by the boom and shot overboard with a broken jaw and lost all my front teeth. I lay face down for about 30secs I was told before one of my mates jumped in with the life ring off the stern whilst the lads turned the yacht around to pick me up. I became conscious whilst in the cockpit, blood everywhere, came round to the sight of the owner (a MaxFax surgeon) looking at me saying "your nose could do with a bit of rhinoplasty too.. "
I didn't think I'd had it right there and then, but once in hospital I started to think about it and the situation, kinda scared me that did.

But like all things, you learn about yourself and others in situations out of your control.

OP, glad to hear you are both well, thankfully you found someone who knows/knew the area and situation you were both facing and helped you out. You find out in situation like this that we humans have an ability and sense of will to help others out.

A few times,

Scrambling on a mountain and got caught out, probably the most exhilarating moment of my life when I made it to a safe place.

Another time was when I had an bicycle accident in traffic - just remember coming off and going onto the other side of the road - incoming car bumper to my face! But stopped just in time 😀

A couple of motorbike moments too, 1 on the motorway where a car almost took me out, and 1 off-road going into a tree, but I got away with that big time 🙂

Yes last year I stayed in very old apartment in Morpeth and had a ghost/spirit whatever experience. Never had it before and not willing to endure it again. And no I'm not the type to believe I'm them either until now of course.

Many potential situations but the only one where I thought 'this is it' was windsurfing in Sotavento on a big wind day. gybed on the inside and something went.'click'. Realised the mast had slid forward in the track. Took the outside gybe easy when I should have committed and I pulled the rig out of the back of the track.
Too rough to get the bits together again I waited for someone to see me. 20 mins later in an offshore F8 I decided to dump the rig no try to paddle in.
Didnt work so I bSically just though this is it. Ten minutes later A boat from the centre found me.
I really had the idea I was gone.
Went back to the beach to find my mates in the bar who had assumed I gone off with the German girl i've been chatting to.
I've fallen 30ft out of a helicopter into 5ft of water trashing my cameras. I've been robbed at knife and gunpoint and had a million scary moments but never had time to stop and consider my options and realise I had none, before or since then.

I've been jn car crashes, rolled a car, been hit squarely and flew up in the air by a VW Golf going 40mph and broke my back, few fights, broke my neck in an mtb crash, but never feared for my life! Either I'm too stupid or don't care enough about it 😆
Scariest thing ever was a bloody roller coaster in Wales!

Twice, both in Africa.

1) On a remote island in the Okavango Delta doing an early morning bush walk with two guides (locals wearing leather jackets, no guns). Found a herd of elephant with young uns, took pics and carried on. The guides had taken us upwind of the herd so soon enough we heard the sound of elephants trumpeting. Then the sound of undergrowth being trampled. Yup, they were running after us! The two guides legged it and we ran after them, found a huge termite mound and hid behind that, watched the elephants about 100m away, luckily we'd now moved downwind and so they didn't know where we were. Was v. scary.

2) In Tanzania in a bush camp we'd set up a few hundred metres off the main road. Was woken up in the early hours by gunshot in the camp and then the sounds of footsteps outside and guns being reloaded. Didn't know whether to stay in the tent or get out and fight/run. Turned out to be the Tanzanian police who were looking for a stolen truck and saw ours, put 2 and 2 together getting 5,000. Nice intro to just fire off an AK47 !

I've had my head kicked like a football by 5 lads, I've broken various bones, multiple rolls (somersaulted at one point), a few other things that I can't put on a public forum but last week I was in day 2 in a LHD hire Panda that had spongy, fading brakes on http://www.dangerousroads.org/europe/spain/4354-cap-de-formentor-lighthouse.html

Wooden fencing on the outside of some bends, plenty of nervous tourists in hire cars etc etc.

Now I know why TopGear trio got soo arsy on their South American jaunt.

I'm very scared of heights. I must admit as I had my hand on the handbrake, I had a wee brain freeze for a split second as the brakes started to fade again. 😆

I was outnumbered two to one in a knife fight, didn't think I was going to survive never mind win, but I did, just.

I hate ladders. I've just been on a ladder upto my bedroom window. That was scary.

Working in Ukraine a few years ago on a film. We got a local van transfer back from the village to the airport which kept stopping at various small villages in the middle of nowhere. Various blokes kept getting in and taking over the driving and we were nowhere near the airport.

There were 3 of us and a lot of kit.

We eventually did make it to the airport. But I was on edge for ages.

Kayaking, a few times. I was pinned to the river bottom in a kayak in Wales. paddling the Orchy on full flow we had an additional flash pulse of water in the gorge section under railway bridge - we decided to just sit in the eddy and wait, but the boils were so strong they would just open up and you went down...so we decided after a few underwater recirculating moments to press on and get out ASAP. It took 5 mins through standing waves the size of houses, and we bailed at the smokehouse - usually 20-30mins effort paddling. Being on a river, unable to see pals, fearing for myself and them, and seeing one on a poor line through trees was terrifying. Typically, 20 mins later the river reverted to normal high flow fun....

Climbing, yes, a few times where it was MTFU or you are coming off. Literally make the move stick or go 50/50 on some iffy gear....

Some very windy or wet scrambly days have been overly exciting - CribGoch in heavy rain, snow and sudden thunderstorm anyone? Lighting risers all round us, ice axes clattering with static and hair standing on end.... Run away....

.

Wasn't scared but genuinely thought it was the end.

Choked on a piece of chicken that went down the wrong way while at work. Managed to gulp a few breaths for a bit but then the airway was completely blocked. I remember blacking out while thinking 'Oh well.'. I didn't panic or freak out at all!! A colleague found me slumped on the floor and called an ambulance, luckily there was one at the doctor's surgery on the same estate as us and was there within a minute. All I remember is a big, burly guy throwing me around then blanking out again, then coming round in the back of an ambulance. Read the notes afterwards and the paramedic had tried multiple back slaps and heimlich things on me without success. He 'robustly' placed me in the back of the ambulance ready to put an airline in my throat. Actually he threw me in and I bounced off the back wall according to his colleague!! Whatever, it dislodged the chicken but I did not start breathing again so mouth-to-mouth was done. The notes said I started breathing two minutes after they go there.

Had a few days off work and just slept constantly. Never panicked or went into shock at all, it just felt like going to sleep. Really weird feeling, if that's what dying feels like I don't fear it.

dingy sailing with my father in the same weather that saw 20-30 dinghies and small yachts knocked over and the air-sea helicopter called and the lifeboat launched on the south coast, this would have '85-ish

we couldn't beach it as the wind keep blowing us along the coast, i think we were doing maybe 20knots (in a small wooden dingy it was enough) with just the jib aloft which he was trying to control and steer at the same time, and the wind would pull the wet sheet from his hands constantly.

My dad was wide eyed, and keep telling me we'd be OK, and I don't think he was doing that solely for my benefit, eventually the sailing club formed a human chain, and as we aimed for the beach again for about the 8th time, grabbed us as we came in close...My dad later told me that he was so tired he reckoned he couldn't have managed another go about and run in.

My first job was as a bank teller in South Africa. The guard who brought the cash daily thought he was being followed. A few days later, as he delivered the cash he got attacked at the door to our branch. They were going for the kill to stop him destroying the cash, but luckily just shot him in the arm. Lots if shots fired. While I wasn't directly affected, it was not much fun, and made me realize how little life means to criminals in SA.

Another was in evening class, chewing the back of my pen, I took a breath and the little plastic bit in the back popped out and went in my airway. I sat there for a few seconds trying to figure out what to do. I realized I had breath in my lungs so launched into a major coughing fit which dislodged it. The weirdest part was I emptied my lungs, and then paused as I was worried about attracting attention when I took my next breath, which was one of those massive, noisy, sucking in if air.

Kayaking for me too. Aged 12,at Eskdale. I capsized in a flowing river, the feeling of dread ,as I grabbed and failed to hold on to roots and branches, whilst whooshing down the river ,still gives me goosebumps.
Just as I thought I couldn't hold on any more ,I grabbed a branch and was rescued,500 metres down stream.
There was also a stag do in Amsterdam ..... 😯

I asked for advice on how to get out of a speeding ticket on here once...

Climbing, yes, a few times where it was MTFU or you are coming off. Literally make the move stick or go 50/50 on some iffy gear....

A few of these. Soloing a route onsight and finding the last move was much harder than expected and involved grovelling over a little overhang onto a sloping top-out. Felt the centre of gravity tip the wrong way at least twice during the process, just held it each time.

So much swearing when I eventually made it.

But quite a few moments when you're staring at the next hold, looking at the distance back to gear and calculating that you're decking out if you miss it.

Kids have put all that on the backburner.

100+ mph downhill on the A22 Caterham bypass into the bends on my ZX7-R and came round the corner to find rolls of turf all over the dial carriageway. No way out, it's all over the road, hit one square on with the bike cranked over (thought I'm dead at this point) bike picks itself up, slams back into the Tarmac, wobbles a bit and carries on. Got home, Mrs M asks why I'm white as a sheet and I proceed to drink all the booze in the house.....

Thankyou Mr Kawasaki.

but luckily just shot him in the arm

I know what you mean, but still 😯

I was on a flight to Canada, when I realised the cabin was going a bit "hazy/smokey". As it got a bit worse, the whole plane went silent, very eerie. I was quite calm, thinking that if the plane's on fire, there's very little that could be done, and this was it. The flight attendants then appeared and started going up each row speaking to passengers, which also didn't fill me with confidence, but I eventually found out they were saying the air conditioning unit had failed and we weren't going to die after all, just maybe get a bit warm!. Phew! never have I felt such a sense of relief.

The one thing I'm taking from this thread is, water, we've no place being in it.

I hate ladders. I've just been on a ladder upto my bedroom window. That was scary.

I've no phobia of heights, though it's "challenging." I've bungee jumped, thrown myself out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft, rock climbed way beyond my ability. But ladders give me the willies beyond reasonableness, I think because someone's just stuck it up rather than any sort of thought-about construction.

I trust the rock, I trust the parachute, I trust the rope, but ladders who knows.

At the time, there were a lot of ex liberation fighters who were merged into the army after apartheid. They eventually left the army and moved onto using their skills in armed robberies of cash transports.
This also happened inside of a shopping center. Going to work for the next while seeing all the bullet holes in the glass windows was a bit disconcerting.

South Africa is not a place I could live with my family.

For me was the 7.6 magnitude earthquake whilst living in Taiwan. It happened about 2am and as soon as it started I instinctively knew what it was and dragged Mrs Stern out of bed and down the wóbbling stone stairs. I wanted to bolt outside but when I opened the door I was confronted by the sight of our car bouncing around like one of those gangsta LA cars plus the huge car port had a glass roof so didn't think it was such a good idea trying to get out. In the back of my mind I had read somewhere that the safest place is under a door frame (which I later found out is total bullshit) so that is where we cowered for what seemed like an eternity which in fact was probably about 2 minutes. And boy was it loud. As soon as it finished we ran upstairs got dressed and went outside just in time to wítness the numerous aftershocks each one over 6.5. You could literally see the houses wobbling around. It wasn't until later that we realised that thousands had been killed not 50km from where we lived just how lucky we had been.

Later I became expert at rating the magnitude of earthquakes/after shocks and when they happened we used to place bets on the size and the next day you could check on the governement website and I usually won! 🙂

Yep had a few myself, notably in Afghanistan. One moment being surrounded in a compound by taliban with only one exit to get out of the compound and exposing ourselves before hiding in an alley and calling in a danger close apache strike to clear the path. Sat there hoping that we gave the right grid reference to the pilot and then hearing the rounds firing above and hitting the ground 50 metres in front of us. We all gave each other that awkward laugh and smile when we made it back to the checkpoint!

The other was at the checkpoint, second to last day of the tour and doing my sentry in a watch tower. Took a glance out and everything seemed fine initially but seconds after felt that eerie feeling that something wasn't quite right, it's hard to explain. Looked out again and as I turned away a sniper round hit me in the shoulder, went through my chest and out of my back. Dropped to the floor like a sack of shit, blood started pouring heavily out of my mouth every time I breathed out and I laid there thinking, shit, this is this how it's going to end? Took a few seconds to realise I may be able to sort myself out if I relax and don't panic, took my helmet off, through it down the stairs and it caught the attention of one of the sergeants in the checkpoint where he came and found me gargling away. Needless to say, I was that was it. Had the Americans come in and get me, woke up 4 weeks later in a right state!

Apologies if that was a bit overkill!! Sure I'm not the only one with stories like that on here. I know cos I ride with a few!

Not my life, but sitting with 3 young kids on a passenger hovercraft that was on fire and thinking that if Mrs crikey took one child, could I manage the other two with one life vest per adult...
...at night...
...in a choppy sea...
...in autumn...

I watched the crew kit up in fire fighting equipment and disappear for what seemed like 500 years while holding my sons with a death grip.

That's why we go on holiday to Stockport.

Bloody hell braddersm. If you don't win the internet with that, you win my respect...

Blimey. So not warfare type stuff but I firmly believed our car was going to end up under an artic lorry..

Driving home up the A1 with Mrs RRR and mini RRR, in the left lane behind a lorry and indicating ready to leave at the Worksop slip road. Aforementioned lorry was also indicating left.

However at the last second he slammed on the brakes pulled hard right (I assume he realised he had the wrong turn), he then ended up not back on the A1 but hammering down the dividing line between the road and the slip road towards an Armco barrier. He then realised he was going to smash into and pulled hard left back into the slip road.

I remember my wife shouting "Dan!" in a blood chillingly terrified scream. By this point the lorry was a few feet in front of me and I had zero time to brake. My reaction was to hoik on the wheel, bury the car into the dirt to the left of the slip road and go round it. It sounds dramatic but my wife's cries stay with me! We then composed ourselves and followed the lorry whilst ringing the police. I've no idea why he wouldn't stop nor what the hell he was trying to do :-/

Oh and the fire on the plane to turkey (the ovens caught fire)... Annoying thing was that I could smell burning at take off and my Mrs RRR told me to shut up. It was only at about 23000 feet that the cabin crew realised the ovens were alight.

.. Oh and when I was 13 my parents trusted me to fix their old cyclinder mower. After tinkering I started it, heard a bang and felt something fly through my hair.

Once I'd turned the engine off I found what had gone through my hair - a pound lump of cast iron flywheel / clutch mechanism .. In the flower bed 30 feet away :-S

Never been to war, thankfully, respect to all of you who's job is to put yourself in harms way.

The only time I really though I was going to die was about 35 metres down, when I was guiding a group through a wreck. I went down the missile loading hatch too fast and got a bit narced.

It was the first time it have ever happened to me and when you do your training you get the impression that you're going to die if you get it and I definitely had the "WTF have you done here Jimbo" moment.

What actually happened was I took a few breaths and came back to feeling normal again.

Out chasing poachers came round a corner for one of them to turn round and point a shotgun at me.

Needless to say we let them get away. A few years later the guy who had had the shotgun was done for murder makes me wonder how close he was for pulling the trigger on me!

Haha thanks matt_outandabout, appreciate it. I've spent my life doing stupid things and putting myself in awkward predicaments, just that time wasn't a sporting activity.

Had a similar moment on the road as some others. Came flying out the back of some woods when I was about 15 on the BMX onto a dual carriage way crossing point. Saw a gap in the cars through the trees and thought yeah I've got this. I didn't have this, instead I panicked, stop dead in the road and froze as the guy kind of skidded around me (luckily no traffic following up). He pulled into the layby and ran up the road to me. Thought I was going to get an earful so was ready to shoot off again but he was genuinely concerned for us. Must have scared the bejesus out of him. He might follow up with a comment on here haha, though was many moons ago.

Another similar surfing incident as to some others. I'm a terrible surfer really but had been going for a few months fairly consistenly and felt I could deal with some bigger conditions. I followed the reports for Bantham and it was looking good and big down there. Got there and kitted up, straight in and used the rip to get 'out back'. The problem was, I couldn't get out of the rip. Had the locals come over telling me to paddle out etc and I played it down that I was ok. I paddled and paddled but kept getting sucked towards the rocks, getting smashed off my board every wave, coming up and gasping for air before getting smashed again. Bearing in mind this is about 7-8 months after my injury so had the lung capacity of a sparrow and no shoulder strength. I burnt up pretty quick and was just exhausted, laid there on the board and was thinking the options are go with it or try and jump onto the rocks on top of a wave. So took that option! A few minutes later back on shore, battered board, wetsuit, and body and sat there on the beach thinking bloody hell. Went home that night and felt so ill from it. Chose my surfing days wisely after that and wound my neck in a bit

Apologies if that was a bit overkill!!

@bradders that may be the stupidest thing anyone has ever posted here. "Apologies" not necessary !! Massive fespect and appreciation for your service.

Been in a few Alpine scenarios which have been quite sketchy. Not least when we ducked the ropes onto a closed off-piste area. Was closed for a good reason. Never done that again. Having skied for 35 years I'd certainly say the summer and biking is more dangerous, numerous walking trail routes where a fall is terminal. Given I suffer from heights its an issue as I loose motor function and hand gets so sweaty I can't grip properly.

Certainly had a few dodgy incidents sailing. Been dragged along feet first with a rope (spinnaker sheet) caught round my foot, crew mates hauled me back on board but if they hadn't been so prompt couod have been very ugly.. Dismasted in Fastnet race in bad weather my crew mate was very quick witted to avoid getting hit with falling mast (likely fatal ?) he was then totally spooked and non functional wanted to get in the life raft which would not have been a good plan. Spent an uncomfortable hour trying to get sails / etc back aboard so we could start the engine. Bits of rigging flying around at head height. Seriously moby-dick, lashing with rain and big waves pitch black night. Called the coast guard / RNLI and got towed in. Had a good swim in Lake Geneva after tiller snapped and I went in as I was braced against it, local marine police turned up as they'd had a report of a man in distress !

Off sailing on Thrusday 🙂

EDIT: one very dodgy flight landing, appaling weather in the Bahamas, two aborted lanings and got in on the third, didn't see the ground till we where 50 feet up. Bumpy as hell rain and lightening. All subsequent fights where diverted. Ancient Air Bahamas plane.

10 msec before i hit the side of a 4x4 at 20 mph, i though "this is going to hurt". The two white van men who got to me thought i was dead. Came around 25 minutes later having not heard the air ambulance land.

Rode over a huge pothole on a night ride and thought "that was close". A week later the rider next to me did the same and wasnt so lucky. He never stood a chance. 10 seconds earlier and it would have been me who died instead.

[quote=the-muffin-man ]How do surfers manage to get back in against currents? Is a surfboard a lot easier to paddle? Can it be taught or is it just experience?

Not quite sure if this has been covered properly - you seem to have realised you were in a rip, surfers get back in by getting out of the rip rather than trying to fight it. As others have commented, it may be easier said than done to swim sideways out of a rip, but that's what you have to do. It's pretty unusual for the whole beach to form an outwards current.

I think the one where I can recall thinking at the time this could be it also involved water and also kayaking. Took out my surfski for a trip around Caldey Island. I knew it was blowing a bit, but launching off South Beach at Tenby conditions seemed OK. They were OK until I rounded the West tip of the island - at which point I encountered much, much bigger seas. If I'd been sensible I'd have turned around at that point, but turning around involved pointing the surfski in directions where the waves would have caused me more problems, so I decided the best thing was simply to carry on. It didn't get easier - I was side on to the waves now, with the waves sweeping towards sheer cliffs. By this point I'd realised that if I got tipped in there was no way I was going to be able to remount, so contemplating how long I had before getting washed onto the cliffs, and how quickly a lifeboat would be able to get there (there is a station at Tenby, but even so) - I am at least sensible enough to carry a VHF radio. Figured if I put my feet in the water it would make me more stable, but that not only meant I now had no control over the rudder, I was also slowed down enough that I couldn't stay away from the cliffs. Nothing to do but go for it - in theory it's a more stable with speed, though still the compromise if trying to be prepared to brace whilst pushing on as fast as possible to get out of the danger zone. Only about 1km of cliffs, but it felt like a lot more than that. Relief to finally round the corner and get the sea behind me and all of a sudden it's an easy surf back in.

Being chased through a field by a herd of cows.
Running so fast it feels like your heads about to snap off!
I remember vaulting over the gate too...

My pals laughed at my predicament, saying that cows don't chase people and went into the field themselves.
Moments later I could see their heads rapidly moving along the hedgeline, each with a look of outright terror.
They lived to tell the tale!

Fooling about swimming/treading water 20ft out at Perran Bay (out of season)

Things changed very quickly. Heard shouts from friend moments before sucked out by mother of rip currents (friend was struggling to return even in the kayak)

I swam hard 10-15 mins until arms exhausted. Had no education/experience of rips so made the classic mistake attempting swimming straight back for shore. And got exactly nowhere. So now treading water and can feel the pull. Sun-kissed carefree joy had become mild panic in colder, darker water. Things can change so fast.

By now I see our little party as ants on the distant beach. I'm dipping under small waves and drawing level with the headland/Ligger Point, heading out to open sea. No lifeguards. No mobiles. The mild panic becomes gasping, gulping horror. Drift out some more. Swallow water. Now it becomes icy cold realisation that my arms are exhausted and I'm going to drown. It sinks in fully. ' I'm twenty five years old and I'm going to f____ die alone in cold water.' This is the weird bit - it all changes in just a couple of thoughts. I first feel that wretched flush of mortal terror and helpless certainty. Then I go really calm. Then this anger. Real determined rage. I process thoughts methodically amd calmly. 'What can I do, I'm going to live. I'm sinking. I'm a cyclist. Wait - I have strong legs... So. '

I roll onto my back with arms limp and just kick. Big powerful churning kicks. Have no idea where, I just want to keep moving. After 15-20 mims of this I realise now I'm taking a big slow arc S/E instead of N/W. The beach looks closer.

Obviously I escaped by more luck than judgement. When got to the beach I was dragged out by friends and my lungs were sucking in huge air making noises like a distressed seal. I felt as an observer and remember thinking 'what's that awful noise???'. I learned to swim properly since then. And also educated self about currents.

Ancient Air Bahamas

Some of these stories are situations where the writers life was genuinely at risk. Others are times when they got scared and convinced themselves (often retrospectively) that their life was at risk. It's easy to confuse the two.

Some of these stories are situations where the writers life was genuinely at risk. Others are times when they got scared and convinced themselves that their life was at risk.

Ever felt truly scared for your life?

It seems for some the closer to the disaster/severity actually blanks the fear/reality a bit.

That's my experience, at least when the incident is a sudden onset one like a fall.

I'm not belittling people's accounts just pointing out that we tend to big up the severity of a situation in the aftermath or over estimate it in the first place. For example, true 'fall you die' terrain is incredibly rare on even the most extreme mountain bike routes but people often talk about it.

For example, true 'fall you die' terrain is incredibly rare on even the most extreme mountain bike routes but people often talk about it.

and very sadly this bit of trail or just around the corner turns out to be a lot more serious than we all really pretend
[img] [/img] Never even considered the conequence until some of the accident stories

Just because someone died on it doesn't make it fall you die terrain. People die falling in the bath. My point is that we like to say "if I'd fallen I'd have died" when the reality is "if I'd fallen there could have been serious consequences."