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Fear of Drop Towers

Mark-Cal

TS Member
Favourite Ride
Shambala
I should start by saying I'm not the world's biggest coaster fan boy, probably 50% of my 60ish "creds" have been obtained in the past year and the rest many years back and 99% of them are UK based, so I'm returning to the world of coaster fun after a long time away.

But there's no doubt I do enjoy a good coaster and they envoke many feelings when planning trips, waiting in the queue and actually during the ride.
Anticipation, excitement, trepidation, euphoria and many others but never actually fear.

After looking at many coasters from around the world I can honestly say there isn't one of them I wouldn't ride, dodgy Chinese knock offs, that unrideable Australian thing that goes over a cliff face, hell I'd even risk a go on Smiler if they promised me they'd just torqued all the track bolts.

So why is it that Drop Towers completely scare the crap out of me ?
I'm not talking about those silly pointless air powered bouncy things I mean the ones that crank you slowly up to some vertigo inducing height and then just drop you.

I hate everything about them from being strapped in to the moment I can get off again, there's no part of the ride I enjoy, and sitting at the top waiting for the drop actually petrifies me !

I know they're perfectly safe, I know something is going to arrest my plummet towards certain death before I become pavement pizza ( magnets or magical fairies or however they do it) but the fact remains they scare me like no other ride can !

Apocalypse at Drayton Manor is bad enough but this year I'm going to have to face up to Hurakan Condor. I'm worried already ! :-[

Yeah, I realise I don't have to go on them, but I'm not going to let my kids get one up on me that easily and to be honest being actually scared by a ride is pretty cool, so is it just me with this unnatural fear of drop towers then ?
 
It's actually quite a common thing. I know many peoople on here who love coasters but absultely hate drop towers!

Drop towers do have a different effect on me to coasters also. I do really like them, but I suppose they do scare me more than other rides. It's the being taken to the top really slowly part that gets me, and then waiting at the top. However they do give me an extra buzz, probably because of this slight fear. So for me it's probably a height thing. However for some people it might be to do with that if the breaks fail or something there's nothing stopping you from crashing straight into the ground? I'm not overly sure.

So yeah, I'll always go on drop towers and do enjoy them. But they do scare me more than coasters do. Saying that, sitting waiting for Kingda Ka to launch for the first time is equally as scary as doing a tall drop tower!

:)
 
I don't like drop-towers. I have voluntarily put myself through Detonator and Flight of the Phoenix (at Terra Mitica), and not enjoyed them. It's the anticipation of the drop, and then the drop's intensity, that gets me. And, to be honest, even if it were good, I wouldn't bother queuing, as it's really too much faff for a couple of seconds of thrill.

On the other hand, Tower of Terror is my favourite dark ride of all-time, so it's not all drop towers I hate.
 
Drop towers always give me a feeling of dread, especially ones that I have never been on. I don't mind coasters that are really tall but when it comes to drop towers, I always feel uneasy about them. The slow ascent to the top then a 5 second or so stint before being plunged to the bottom. I always get a buzz off them, maybe its this 'irrational' fear that I get that makes me enjoy them to some extent.

I know many enthusiasts who are scared of drop towers, so you are most certainly not the only one. And having been on HuraKan Condor, not my particular favourite drop tower but I can now say I've done it. And that's all that counts for me even if I screamed all the way down the drop. :p
 
I have a love/hate relationship with them...

I hate the feeling of dread on the way up and I hate the suspense at the top. But I love the feeling on the way down which outweighs the dread going up...
 
I've come to the conclusion that I don't get along with falling vertically if I'm not facing the ground. So coasters are fine, but being upright while falling is a truely unpleasant feeling.
The only tower ride I've ever enjoyed is Mystery Castle, which is more of a bouncing motion than dropping.
 
DiogoJ42 said:
I've come to the conclusioon that I don't get along with falling vertically if I'm not facing the ground. So coasters are fine, but being upright while falling is a truely unpleasant feeling.
The only tower ride I've ever enjoyed is Mystery Castle, which is more of a bouncing motion than dropping.

Does that mean you'd ride and like Falcon's Fury? ;)

I have to admit the thought of doing a drop tower where you are facing the ground really scares the hell out of me!

:)
 
I'd be more willing to ride one where you face the ground, in a flying position, yes. Doesn't mean I actually would though. ;)
 
It's good to know that I'm not on my own with my irrational fear of drop towers, I won't be quite so embarrassed next time I squeal like a little girl all the way down. :-[
 
Mark-Cal said:
It's good to know that I'm not on my own with my irrational fear of drop towers, I won't be quite so embarrassed next time I squeal like a little girl all the way down. :-[

There is nothing shameful about screaming like a girl ;)

As for me, I'm not very fond of drop towers like Detonator and Apocalypse, I won't go near them whatsoever, but I absolutely adore Tower of Terror moreso for the overall experience than the "oh god, this is too high for my liking' thought process and I spent a lot of time laughing on PBB's paltry Ice Blast plus a great deal screaming on Cliffhanger at Flamingo Land. I look forward to experiencing Myyyyystery Castle though!
 
It's not the height that bothers me, it's the unpleasant dropping sensation. It's bad enough with an OTSR, but when you just have a lap bar, like those nasty little ABC towers, I really don't feel safe. As for Tot, just a seatbelt? Not even a solid bar? Not for me thankyouverymuch.
 
It's a natural human instinct to have an extreme fear of falling. People dream of falling to their deaths (and wake up with a bounce in the bed). Sooo, drop towers are obviously that feeling of falling.

Bleurgh. Hate them so much. Used to be able to handle some, now can't really do any but the easiest.
 
I find tower of terror a lot more fun and less scary than most drop towers, I think the airtime zero G from going up then down is fun. Whereas an outdoor drop tower just reminds me how high up you are then you only get high G force on the way down, no fun zero G.
The zero G thing is another reason I like Rush at Thorpe too.
 
thefatone said:
It's a natural human instinct to have an extreme fear of falling. People dream of falling to their deaths (and wake up with a bounce in the bed). Sooo, drop towers are obviously that feeling of falling.

Off topic: That is one of the reasons but another reason why we suddenly jerk and wake up in bed is because of Sleep Apnea wherein your body jerks as a response to the lack of oxygen in your system after a short period of time i.e. your body's ensuring you're still living :p

jon81uk said:
I find tower of terror a lot more fun and less scary than most drop towers, I think the airtime zero G from going up then down is fun.

I find that Tower of Terror's thrills are accentuated because of the story based experience that's been tailored for your immersive purposes more than the intimidating structure itself, which you only get glimpses of from the exterior, and infamous seatbelts (which I still can't believe Diogo, death credit counter, hates). The build up and the impending entrance into the Twilight Zone creates a great reason, in my opinion, to be frightened.
 
Rowe said:
thefatone said:
It's a natural human instinct to have an extreme fear of falling. People dream of falling to their deaths (and wake up with a bounce in the bed). Sooo, drop towers are obviously that feeling of falling.

Off topic: That is one of the reasons but another reason why we suddenly jerk and wake up in bed is because of Sleep Apnea wherein your body jerks as a response to the lack of oxygen in your system after a short period of time i.e. your body's ensuring you're still living :p

It's most commonly due to the pleasantly named hypnic jerk though. :p
 
See, I used to hate the things, but recently I've been 'in the mood' to try them out again and I've actually started enjoy the standard drop towers.

I hate the forced ones with a passion, but the standard Intamin type don't bother me in the slightest any more. Not even the lift and sit at the top.
 
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