Okinawa, Japan. (January 8, 2025): Acrophobia sounds like a terrible disease, but it is really quite common. Fear of Heights. In this photo by Sergeant Noah Masog, Sergeant Brian Evans supervises Marines rappelling down a steep cliff during a company exercise at the Jungle Warfare Training Center here. All troopers experience, to varying degrees, some level of acrophobia while learning to rappel.

Symptoms of this irrational fear are intense anxiety, trembling, and shortness of breath. For many, even thinking of heights or being in a high place can be debilitating. To conquer these fears, troops must have confidence in their rappelling skills and the quality of their equipment.

Rappelling is the art of using ropes to conduct a controlled descent down a cliff face or building. The “control” part involves creating friction in the rope using a metal device to slow or stop the descent. The techniques used to control the rope range from the classic rope around the body to custom-built seats with a D-ring attached. The rope is typically anchored to trees, boulders, rocks, or ice features using metal bolts or pitons.

The other end of the rope is thrown down to the Belayer. Their job is to keep constant pressure on the rope during the descent. Should a climber begin to fall, the Belayer quickly pulls the rope taught which ceases the descent. The Belayer then lets out short bursts of rope to slowly lower the climber safely to the ground.

On the other end of the safety spectrum is “Fast-roping,” a dramatic method used by Special Forces to land on ships at sea or to descend into difficult terrain. Special Operators descend a thick rope hanging down to the landing surface from a stationary helicopter. Using just their hands, commandos slide down the rope at high speed which limits their exposure to enemy fire. Unlike standard rappelling, however, there is no Belayer to break their fall.

While we all suffer from various levels of acrophobia, American troops overcome these fears to get the mission done.