I’ve only met with fear like this a few times. I’d need to examine it and figure out what and where this fear actually comes from. Ask what it is, where it comes from, if it’s a type of fear I’ve had before, or a new type of fear? If it’s a new type of fear, I won’t jump. I always get frightened when I’m standing on top of a building, so I’ll take it in for about a minute, sit with it, then review it. And you can either make it shut up, or you can challenge it in a way that feels right. I had to study this quite a bit to understand how my brain worked, and my conclusion was that every time there is fear, you should listen to it. “But I think the fear that comes from your surroundings is different to the fear that comes from within. I’m incredibly nerdy with the stuff that I do, and I know I’d try and calculate as much as possible, then team up with my friend who is good at analyzing wind conditions. I’d take the lift without my gear, but with my notebook. Let me take the lift up with my gear and jump off it.’ I would never do that. I wouldn’t go somewhere in the world and say, ‘that’s a cool building. If I know I’ve done my homework, then it’s down to trusting my own skillset, trying to visualize what I have to do. There are so many factors that could go wrong, but being with a brand like North eliminates that thought. “If I don’t see it happening, then it’s not going to happen. Nick comes into the game well prepared to eliminate that mindset. It instils in you elements of doubt, reluctance and lack of trust”. Red Bull performance coach Gary Grinham says, “Fear causes a negative mindset. “My mom has always been there for me, especially in the way that she has trusted me 100 percent to do the best that I could, and to do my homework before jumping anywhere.” But I do the risk assessments and calculate everything well.” Nick believes that his own mental fortitude is a combination of several factors: his genetic make-up, how his parents raised him, the level of support he’s had, his surroundings and his friends as he’s gotten older. “I don’t know if I’ve been lucky, but if anything happens to me during those ‘crazy’ acts, then it would be pretty fatal you wouldn’t just break an ankle. In 19 years of kiting, Nick has only broken an ankle and a finger. I can’t even do a wheelie on a dirt bike, so why the hell would I try to do a double backflip? If you don’t know your limits, that’s when it goes wrong.” When I look at Travis Pastrana, I’m like, HOLY BANANAS! I will never try and do something like that in my whole life because I know my limits. I try to put myself in their shoes, but it’s difficult for me. I’ve gotten a bunch of email and Instagram messages from parents who say, ‘you shouldn’t do this, it’s crazy, and you’re not even wearing a helmet! My son looks up to you, and now he wants to jump off things…’. “I know it can seem crazy when you list what I’ve jumped with a kite, but I take great honor in being in control and assessing the origin of the occasional fear, so when I do it, it never feels crazy. But he would never do something that didn’t feel right. What makes Nick want to perform such stunts with the Orbit? Curiosity, he thinks, combined with a feeling of achievement. We’ve eliminated those rear pulls you get in gusty winds, and we’ve focused on finding a balance so you don’t overloop the kite and it doesn’t back stall. “The 2022 Orbit is slightly lighter, and I feel like it boosts a little higher. While his R&D contribution to the new kites has been limited during Covid, Nick gave the design team feedback throughout the year with small details like the bridles and the arc. It’s the kind of kite you want when you’re jumping off, or over cruise ships, islands, forts, and the world’s tallest building. “When you make something really, really good, there’s no point in changing much!” grins Nick, still fizzing on his new season Orbit. As he celebrates his third Big Air season launch with North, the Danish pro-kiter spoke to Victoria Stuart at North HQ about how he tackles fear and what it takes to stay at the top of your game for more than six years. North team rider Nick Jacobsen is well known for his ‘daredevil’ antics and as a successful extreme athlete, has developed a healthy methodology for managing and overcoming fear. Big Air is not a sport for the faint-hearted – alone in the sky in massive conditions, you’re relying on just your skills and your kite.
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