'I ride rollercoasters for a living - even though I'm absolutely terrified of heights'
A professional roller coaster rider has revealed how he got into his career despite being afraid of heights - and whether he's completely overcome the fear.
Sean Evans, the proud owner of YouTube Channel Lift Hills and Thrills, began his professional roller coaster riding journey in 2020, to overcome his fear of heights. His content consists of him getting out there and filming the ‘fun sides’ of coasters, and not all the technicals and mechanics - which he felt needed to be covered more online.
The ‘regular bloke from Stoke’ in the UK has ridden hundreds of the world's scariest coasters from Top Thrill 2 at Cedar Point Ohio to Europa-Park’s Voltron, in Germany, all while facing his fear of heights.
But why would someone actively pursue a career in something they're deathly afraid of? 'To face his fears', Sean tells UNILAD.
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"To this very day, I'm still absolutely terrified of heights," Sean admits. "It doesn't seem to matter how tall something is, or how many times you go on it, that feeling never seems to go away."
However, Sean feels like he's more 'equipped' to handle his fear while on rollercoasters, due to the 'harnesses, nice seats and safety' - it's the mental battle beforehand that gets him.
Sean may also be able to thank his FOMO for his courage to face his fears.
"I don't want to be that person who misses out on something because they were afraid to do it. I want to look back and be proud of the things I've achieved, and that's the exact same mentality when I go on these rides."
Sean says certain rollercoasters get easier as he goes on them more than once. There's one type of ride in particular though, that Sean says will 'terrify him until the day he dies' - drop towers and the feeling of 'free falling'.
Think Busch Gardens' Falcon Fury and Six Flags' Magic Mountain's 415 ft Drop of Doom. On many of these rides, a riders feet are left dangling in the air, something that the YouTuber says he 'will never get over'.
Recalling the first time he faced his fears, the content creator remembers being on a school trip to the Alton Towers theme park in England.
He remembers thinking he would 'regret' not going on the landmark steel roller coaster, the Corkscrew, with all his friends - revealing that he 'overcame his mind'.
"Whilst you may be terrified in that moment, it's something for you to be proud of, you've overcome that fear, even if it's just in that moment where you've ridden that roller coaster.
"It's all about understanding that barrier that your mind's put in the way, but pushing past it, because what's going to be on the other side is going to be far more rewarding."
As Will Smith once said in regards to skydiving though, Sean agrees that waiting in line is the worst part. During peak times, theme park goers can be waiting hours in the queue - and this is where Sean's nerves build up.
For those experiencing the same fear - Sean shares some tips he uses - buying a fast track pass, so he doesn't have to queue as long. But for thrill seekers - is it worth waiting longer for the front seat?
Is it worth waiting longer for the front seat on a ride?
“It’s personal preference," he tells us.
For Sean, being at the front helps him face his fear of heights more, as there's nothing in way of him seeing just how many hundreds of feet high he’s going.
In terms of guests visiting a theme park for the day, Sean says ‘there’s not really any need’ to spend those extra minutes or hours in the front seat queue.
“I can see why people queue up to feel the speed of the ride. But if you’ve got an extra hour to queue for the front when you can just jump on any other row, for me, just jump on."
“As long as I don’t have to queue up for very long to go on it, I couldn’t care less where I sit. A lot of people are very picky about where they sit, and full marks to them for that. However, I really couldn’t care any less. Just get me on the ride," he says.
However, there is one time Sean will make sure he’s at the front - when he’s recording. Of course, he doesn’t want heads in the way of his videos.
What's the best seat on a roller coaster?
The best seat depends on what you want to get out of the ride, Sean says.
“If you want to feel the full speed of the roller coaster, then the front is for you,” Sean tells us.
“If you want to feel the most airtime of a particular ride, you sit at the back."
And for those who are undecided, and just want to ‘trial the ride out,' the middle is the place to be.
Kiesha Dosanjh