This effect is created by the hormone adrenaline, which our bodies release during moments of excitement and fear. I have experienced this adrenaline rush in many different sports I have practiced over the years.
Adrenaline (epinephrine) is a hormone secreted by the inner parts of the adrenal glands. In nature, its function is to prepare the body for urgent action. Its effects include increased heart rate, redirecting blood flow from internal organs and skin to muscles, converting glycogen to glucose in the liver to provide an immediate energy source, dilating blood vessels, and reducing pain sensation. The pupils dilate, increasing the amount of light entering the eyes for clearer and faster vision (Source: Wikipedia).
During excitement and fear, adrenaline secretion increases. Besides fear, people often release adrenaline when doing things they truly find thrilling and are passionate about. Some feel this excitement diving, some playing soccer, some painting, some dancing, skiing, or through extreme sports. This also depends on a person’s nature.
For example, it’s very difficult for someone who’s afraid of heights to be a pilot or to skydive. Such a person would need serious therapy. I’ll use myself as an example. I have neither a fear of heights nor claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces). It might sound bold, but I can say “I’m not scared of anything.” I don’t know why, but even in panic situations, I manage to stay calm. This has been the case since I was a child.
I remember once when I was about 8 or 9 years old, our plane hit severe turbulence. After big shakes, the plane dropped about 15-20 meters and kept shaking violently. It caused serious panic on the plane. Naturally, there were people praying, crying, screaming—everything. For some reason, what fascinated me more than the turbulence itself was people’s reactions.
I couldn’t hold back and started laughing because I found it strange to see all kinds of adults in that state—and for some reason, I found the situation funny.
I remember people stopping crying and coming over to see who the laughing child was. My poor father tried to calm people down by saying, “Sorry, he’s just a kid, what can you do?” This continued in the same way in the years that followed.
Many things happened to me (I’ll share them over time). Even though these kinds of bad experiences would normally throw someone into a panic, I always stayed calm. In fact, that calmness even helped me save the lives of both my friends and myself on several occasions. Naturally, you might assume that someone with this kind of personality wouldn’t hesitate to try extreme sports—and might even enjoy them.
And yes, I can say I’ve tried and truly enjoyed many of these activities. For example, when I was 15, I started scuba diving in Fethiye during the summer, encouraged by my childhood friend Ali from the summer house. I enjoyed it so much and was so eager that by my 5th dive, our instructor had already taken me down to a depth of 31 meters. I still remember the team leader scolding our instructor afterward, saying, “How can you take a 15-year-old kid deeper than 15 meters on just his 5th dive?” But I had loved that dive. My air had even run out underwater, and we had to surface using the extra regulator from the instructor’s tank. I said to him afterward, “That was amazing, thank you, sir. Next time, let’s go for 40 meters.”
One of the sports I’ve done in nature—though not widely known—is a fast-growing activity around the world: canopying (or ziplining). It involves gliding on a stretched steel cable from one tree to another (usually over a cliff or at great height), like Tarzan. I’ve done this in Costa Rica and Argentina. It was incredibly fun. Now, wherever I see a canopy course, I don’t even hesitate, I just go for it. Here are some clips from the canopy I did in Argentina:
Skiing is another activity I really enjoy. There’s just no way to put into words the thrill of starting at the top of a mountain and gliding down over a blanket of snow. The best way I can describe it is: “a moment when I truly feel 100% free and one with nature.”
Since I’ve been skiing since I was five, I’m comfortable skiing from anywhere, even mostly off-piste.
Of course, every slope offers a different kind of thrill. Ice, powder, moguls, or packed snow all require different techniques and offer different sensations. The key is adapting yourself to the terrain. One experience I’ve never managed to fit despite considering it the ultimate in skiing—is heliskiing. In heliskiing, they drop you off at the mountaintop via helicopter, and you ski down, usually through deep powder. The biggest risk is avalanches, though the odds are slim. Just in case, they give you an oxygen tank (to help you breathe in case you get buried under snow).
In case you haven’t heard, for the past few years, a Swiss company has been organizing heliskiing trips in the Kaçkar Mountains of Türkiye. I registered twice, but never managed to go—every time, something urgent came up at work and I had to cancel, much to my disappointment. This year, just when I thought I’d finally make it, they announced they were canceling the season in Türkiye because the Turkish authorities hadn’t provided the necessary assurances.
Similarly, I’ve always loved water skiing. After doing regular water skiing when I was younger, I moved on to mono skiing and wakeboarding. I didn’t really pursue them seriously for a while, but over the past ten years, I’ve water-skied whenever I had the chance to take rare summer weekends off. In my teenage years, I had gotten pretty good. At one point, instead of starting from the water, I’d just jump off the dock directly into motion. Even though it’s been a while, I’d still love to try kitesurfing and barefoot water skiing. I have no doubt I’d enjoy those too.
Another extreme sport I’ve tried is hang gliding. I first noticed it at La Plagne ski resort in France when I saw someone hang gliding on the slopes. I walked over and started asking questions. You strap yourself to the delta wing, ski off a cliff, and start flying. I was instantly thrilled. I rushed down the mountain, got the money from my family (without telling them what it was for), and went straight back to try it. I was 16 at the time, and the experience was absolutely exhilarating. (Here’s a photo of me mid-flight, automatically taken from the hang glider):
During that flight, I felt like a bird, soaring through the sky. What struck me most was how small everything looked from above—people, houses, hotels. From that height, everything seemed tiny. After landing, I just wanted to go back up and do it again. But when I showed those aerial photos to my family, they reacted with, “How could you do something like that?”
Had I told them in advance, they would’ve done everything in their power to stop me.
In the end, it remains a beautiful memory. If I get the chance someday, I’d love to try bungee jumping and skydiving as well.
Speaking of skydiving, when it comes to that, no one can hold a candle to the world’s #1 professional: Felix Baumgartner. Just recently, on 14 October, he jumped to Earth from 39 km (24 miles) above ground—basically, from the edge of space.
The whole world watched breathlessly as Baumgartner ascended for over 2 hours and 40 minutes—reaching an altitude over three times higher than the maximum ceiling of the world’s fastest jets. He broke three records that had stood for 52 years: highest freefall, fastest human, and highest manned balloon flight.
By breaking the sound barrier, he reached a descent speed of 1,136 km/h (706 mph) and spent 4 minutes and 19 seconds in free fall. He deployed his parachute 1,524 meters (5,000 feet) above ground and landed safely after a total descent of 10 minutes. That was the final jump of his extreme parachuting career. You can watch the video of this incredible feat at the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh3gsD66704
And just before jumping, he said something that made me admire him even more:
“Sometimes you have to go really high to understand how small you really are.”
My man Felix—respect. I’ve been trying to explain this to people around me for years. I’ll definitely write another piece in his honor one day…
Tag: memoir
