What motivates a thrill-seeker?

[Gris]

Type "T"

Might just be we aren't/don't consider oursleves type "T"s cause by default (birth, happenstance, etc.) we live and play in a "safe environment" (the USA) - where the water is treated, the law requires seatbelts, the curbs are painted, the mountain rocks are old, hard and worn smooth, etc.

Head down to South America and out into the wilds for a while. No treated water, no seat belts, no real roads and rock slides happening all around you! You become a type T without even choosing to!

But then again if you standing below the Old Man went he went down, then history would've made you a type T w/o you thinking you had made that choice either....

Now, where's that remote control...?

 

[kurcam]

this is a difficult topic for me personally. difficult because i find myself vacillating between the two areas which i generally construe as "safety" and "freedom".

when i was younger and throughout my college years i had a fair amount of wanderlust. some which was put to good use, some which was pointlessly squandered in college by activities like drinking/partying etc. often i found myself in a situation where i couldn't easily express that wanderlust in a positive way. i also believed i had made a commitment to finish college and be responsible. when i wanted to escape, or be free, instead of expressing this in a healthy way, i chose the simplest path...as per above. i am not proud of this.

after college, i thought i should settle down, or at least i heeded that social expectation. i carved out a safe existence, one spent always looking forward, trying to anticipate future events, performing various analyses, etc. i managed to sit at a desk and make my excitement mainly mental - competing with others in financial markets.

much of that safety structure changed for me after 911 however. i worked across the street from the trade center complex and was on my way there when it all happened. i witnessed the whole thing from WT5 about 200 yds away. what i saw was pretty horrific and sometimes still bothers me. i lost a good friend in the north tower. i apologize for pulling that out, but it was an important part of my decision to seek out the solace of the backcountry.

afterwards i found myself being more fearless in some ways because i came to the understanding that this was it. things can go south at any time and if you aren't happy with what you are doing then what is the point? i hope this point of view about said event does not offend anyone...that is certainly not my intention.

anyway, i began to crave more freedom which i found more and more in the backcountry mostly snowboarding, mountainbiking and hiking. i prefer to go alone when reason dictates because i feel i really can spend the time to think, to ask honest questions of myself and give myself time to contemplate honest answers.

i'm not sure where that puts me along the "T" continuum. i guess my point is that sometimes circumstances can create a shift in your thrill-seeking endeavors, or perhaps, reestablish who and what you are.

 

[peak_bgr]

Noonmark Diner pie-- motivates me.

 

[Michael M]

Machismo Recidivism

Great thread

Reading it I am beginning to feel a little old. This is somewhat reminiscent of my late teen years and early climbing when who could push it further was an ever-present macho topic.

The best thing about a thrill is --- it's yours, and no one can feel it, or measure it. Like pain, it is a personally perceived sensation. Maybe even a rush. In this way we can all be big T's. Even my 5-year-old girls are thrilled on a merry go round and they are big T’s.
It is all about pushing YOUR limits.

That said:
While your perception is your reality, the better/harder you play the game the more skilled you must be in discerning real from perceived danger.

I no longer hold on to comparative sensation/pleasures because this would take away from why I do the things I love -- and that's for the pure pleasure!

And while Helen Keller parsed these words many times and in many ways, this is the version hold to my heart.

“Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.
The fearful are caught as often as the bold.
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”


Michael CM