In the spring of 2014, after a season in which upwards of 25 wingsuit flyers died in various incidents in the Alps, Dean Potter talked with 黑料吃瓜网 contributing editor Florence Williams about聽fear, risk, and safety. Potter鈥檚 words are the expression of a man trying to engineer security within an activity that virtually precludes it. It鈥檚 in that dangerous gray area where he lived much of his life鈥攁nd felt most alive.聽
On feeling fear:
Many people think I don鈥檛 feel fear, but I do. Fear is worthwhile because it pushes me into these higher states of consciousness where I perceive more. It makes me more awake, and I can stay calm. This switch into mental states that I normally can鈥檛 access allows me to do scary things.
On safety:聽
Last year [in 2013], more than 25 people died wingsuit flying in same region I was in [the Alps], which was quite a huge die-off for wingsuiters鈥攍ike 5 percent of the worldwide total. It made me stop for about a month and a half, take a pause, calculate, and come to grips with my thoughts: Is this really safe? If I survived 1,000 out of 1,000 times, is that because of safety, or just did I get lucky?聽
I went back to flying prematurely, for sure. I was uncomfortable, for sure. I didn鈥檛 enjoy it; I felt sick physically. Then the good vibe came back,聽my batteries were recharged, my friends were around. The three or four guys I jump with, we didn鈥檛 understand how people were dying doing this. Flying 150 mph聽next to a wall is exciting enough; you don鈥檛 need to make it more badass.
I stay well within my abilities and never go to those places that are too harsh to handle. If you scare yourself too badly, that could set you back years. I remember getting really afraid back in the late 鈥90s when several friends died and I had a close call and was pushing too aggressively. There鈥檚 a major lesson there about listening to yourself: Pushing too hard is a step back. You might quit, or you won鈥檛 leap ahead like you鈥檇 like. For me on a project, if I don鈥檛 feel it, I can鈥檛 do it. It鈥檚 horrible to force it.
On approaching the edge:
While walking up to the cliff, I鈥檓 preparing myself, trying to breathe and stay calm. You visualize;聽you work out the jump in your head first. The more prepared you are, the better鈥攖he more visualization, the better. Sometimes I draw it out, write it down. I鈥檓 very visual. I draw pictures and form images in my mind.
I used to struggle with heights. I can even remember being frustrated, breaking down, and crying鈥攊t was too overwhelming. Especially with BASE jumping, where falling means death. But through doing it over and over again, you become more comfortable. Now I can calmly breathe while I fly through air and feel comfortable. I can feel my heart rate. I鈥檓 able to be in the moment.聽
Maybe at first, if I haven鈥檛 jumped in a while聽and I鈥檓 standing on the edge, I鈥檒l have a racing heart and be nervous. But you can鈥檛 be nervous and rigid and do your art at a high level. Like life in general, with any of these extreme things, you can鈥檛 be at your highest state if you鈥檙e nervous. Controlling that is part rational, part necessity. You better relax or you鈥檒l go out of control and mess up. The whole art is about staying calm.
On practicing fear management:
I鈥檓 very much into Japanese culture. I study and read a lot about Miyamoto Musashi, a samurai and Zen Buddhist from the 1600s. He talks about striking with no thought, which I find important. When he鈥檚 in battle, he realizes he鈥檚 reading his opponent鈥檚 mind. He was way into connecting on that level鈥攖hrough body language and senses [beyond the five basic ones]. When fighting someone else, he couldn鈥檛 win unless he entered the highest form without conscious thought.聽
So when I climb, I don鈥檛 think, 鈥淚鈥檓 going to grab this climbing bolt.鈥 I just do it. To get to the level of 鈥渘o thought,鈥 you have to ingrain it into yourself. It can鈥檛 be done except through regimentation. Consistency is key. If I don鈥檛 climb or jump or walk lines or fly for a few weeks or even a few days, I lose confidence. The way I get it back is by practicing my art daily, making it my lifestyle.
Is this really safe? If I survived 1,000 out of 1,000 times, is that because of safety, or just did I get lucky?
On meditation:
Anytime I鈥檓 having difficulty, I focus on the breath, on relaxed breathing. I鈥檓 not so good at sitting on floor and meditating鈥擨 struggle with patience. I use those skills way better when I鈥檓 moving.
My mother was a yoga teacher before I was born and practiced her whole life. When I was toddler, I observed her doing yoga and meditation. My two sisters and I would mimic her, and she wouldn鈥檛 push us. I could hear a difference in her breathing. Kids are tuned into the emotions of adults, even if you don鈥檛 quite understand all the lingo.
Then, during late 鈥90s, I climbed a lot with Jose Pereyra. Jose was very structured about his meditating. Maintaining that heightened state was a lifestyle for him, whereas the way I did it was more of a fix聽or useful for climbing. Jose was the first person who showed me that it was a life pursuit. He passed away in 2003 [during a climbing fall in Potrero Chico, Mexico]. Still, his influence has been very strong for me. I am mindful of calming myself by moving and breathing.
On getting older:
Fear is not linear like age is. I have cycles when I鈥檓 more adventuresome and ones when I鈥檓 more conservative. As I鈥檝e gotten older, I have realized that just because I can do something doesn鈥檛 mean I should do it. Now I think, is this really true to what I want to do, to how I want to use my one chance at living? I am more precise with my actions.