From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Aron Ralston
Aron Ralston
Aron Lee Ralston climbing all of Colorado’s "fourteeners"(53 or 54 depend-
ing upon the definition parameters), or peaks over 14,000
feet high, solo and during winter—a feat that had never
been done. He has subsequently achieved this feat.
In August 2009, Ralston married Jessica Trusty, and
their first child, Leo, was born in February 2010. [2][3][4]
Accident
On April 26, 2003 while he was hiking Blue John Canyon
(in eastern Wayne County, Utah, just south of the Horse-
shoe Canyon Unit of Canyonlands National Park), a sus-
pended boulder from which he was climbing down be-
came dislodged, crushing his right forearm and pinning
it against the canyon wall.[5] Ralston had not told any-
body of his hiking plans and knew no one would be
searching for him. Assuming that he would die, he spent
five days slowly sipping his small amount of remaining
water, approximately 350 ml (12 imp fl oz), while trying
Ralston in october 2008
to extricate his arm. His efforts were futile as he could
Born October 27, 1975 (1975-10-27) not free his arm from the 800-pound (360 kg) rock. After
Indianapolis, Indiana three days of trying to lift and break the boulder, the de-
Alma mater Carnegie Mellon University
hydrated and delirious Ralston prepared to amputate his
trapped right arm at a point on the mid-forearm, in order
Occupation Motivational speaker, mountaineer, engineer to escape. He experimented with tourniquets and made
Spouse Jessica Trusty some exploratory superficial cuts to his forearm in the
first few days. On the fourth day he realized that in order
Aron Lee Ralston (born October 27, 1975) is an American to free the arm, he would have to cut through his bones,
mountain climber and inspirational public speaker. He is but that the tools he had available were insufficient to do
widely known for having survived a 2003 canyoneering so. When he ran out of water on the fifth day, he carved
accident in Utah in which he was forced to amputate his his name, date of birth and presumed date of death into
own right arm with a dull pocketknife in order to free the sandstone canyon wall, and videotaped his last good-
himself from a dislodged boulder,which had trapped him byes to his family. He did not expect to survive the night.
there for five days and seven hours.[1] He found himself still alive at the dawn of the following
The incident is documented in Ralston’s autobiogra- day (Thursday, May 1, 2003). Soon thereafter, he had an
phy Between a Rock and a Hard Place, and is the subject of epiphany—he could break his radius and ulna bones us-
the 2010 film 127 Hours. ing torque against his trapped arm. He did so, and then
performed the amputation, which took about an hour
with his two-inch knife. Although he never named the
Personal life manufacturer of the tool he used other than to say it was
Ralston is a graduate of Cherry Creek High School in not a Leatherman, he did describe it as "what you’d get
Greenwood Village, Colorado. He received his college de- if you bought a $15 flashlight and got a free multi-use
gree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, fin- tool."[6] After freeing himself, he still had to get back to
ishing with degrees in mechanical engineering and his car. He climbed out of the slot canyon in which he
French, with a minor in piano. At Carnegie Mellon, he had been trapped, rappelled down a 65-foot (20 m) sheer
served as a Resident Assistant, studied abroad, and was wall one-handed, then hiked out of the canyon in the hot
an active intramural sports participant. He left his job midday sun. He was 8 miles (13 km) from his vehicle, and
as a mechanical engineer with Intel in 2002 in order to he had no mobile phone. While hiking out, he encoun-
pursue a life of climbing mountains. He had the goal of tered a family on vacation from the Netherlands, Eric
and Monique Meijer, and their son, Andy, who gave him
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Aron Ralston
water and then hurried to alert the authorities. Ralston Larsen on his "Save the Poles" expedition in 2010, as was
feared he would bleed to death before that happened (by previously reported.[14]
this point, he had lost 40 pounds total, including 25% of
his blood volume), but by coincidence, rescuers search- Media appearances
ing for Ralston (they had been alerted that he was miss- After the accident, Ralston made numerous appearances
ing by his family and had recently narrowed the search in the media.[15] On July 21, 2003, Ralston appeared on
down to Canyonlands) flew by in their helicopter and The Late Show with David Letterman;[16]; on October 6, 2005,
he was rescued, six hours after amputating his arm. He Ralston appeared on The Late Late Show, Ireland. On
thinks that if he had amputated his arm earlier, he would September 10, 2004, Ralston’s story was featured on a
have bled to death before being found, while if he had not two-hour edition of Dateline NBC called "Desperate Days
done it he would have been found dead days later. Look- in Blue John Canyon".[8] Ralston has appeared twice on
ing back he thinks he was looking forward to the ampu- The Today Show, Good Morning America, and The Tonight
tation.[7] Show with Jay Leno.[15] He has also appeared on The Ellen
Later, his arm was removed from under the boulder DeGeneres Show, CNN’s American Morning with Bill Hemmer,
and retrieved by park authorities. According to Tom Minute to Win It with James Franco, Anderson Cooper 360°,
Brokaw,[8] it took 13 men, a winch and a hydraulic jack CNN Saturday Morning, and CNBC with Deborah Norville.[15]
to move the boulder so that Ralston’s severed arm could In 2006, Ralston was also featured as a panelist in Miller
be freed. The arm was cremated and given to Ralston. He Lite’s "Man Laws" ad campaign.[15][17] He also starred on
returned to the accident scene with Tom Brokaw and the the Australian interview show Enough Rope.
Dateline NBC crew six months later, on his 28th birthday, Ralston was also named GQ Man of the Year and a
for two reasons: to film the Dateline NBC special about the Vanity Fair Person of the Year in 2003.[15] In 2003, he was
accident, and to scatter the ashes of his arm where he named the first Shining Star of Perseverance by the Wil-
says they belong. lReturn Council of Assurant Employee Benefits.[18] Ral-
ston was a contestant on the U.S. television show Minute
Aftermath of accident To Win It, where he won $125,000 for Wilderness Work-
shop.[19] The episode aired on February 23, 2011, on NBC.
Mountaineering and adventuring Ralston provides his voice on The Simpsons’ "Tree-
house of Horror XXII" as the voice on the other end of
Homer’s phone when he calls for help after getting
trapped in a similar situation to Ralston himself.[20] The
episode aired October 30, 2011.
He recently took part in the reality show, Alone in the
Wild, where he had to survive in the wild with a video
camera and a bag of supplies. The episode was aired 9
November 9, 2011 on Discovery UK.
As a corporate speaker, Ralston receives an honorar-
ium of about $15,000 per domestic speaking appearance,
and up to $37,000 for international speeches.[21] On May
4, 2007, Ralston appeared at the Swiss Economic Forum
and gave a speech about "how he did not lose his hand,
Ralston in the mountains of Central Colorado, near Indepen- but gained his life back."
dence Pass, Aspen in 2009 Ralston documented his experience in a book entitled
Between a Rock and a Hard Place (ISBN 0-7434-9281-1), pub-
Ralston still climbs mountains prolifically, including a lished by Atria Books on September 7, 2004. It reached #3
2008 expedition to climb Ojos del Salado in Chile, and on The New York Times Hardcover Non-Fiction list. It hit
Monte Pissis in Argentina.[9] In 2005, Ralston became the #1 in New Zealand and Australia, and is the #7 best-sell-
first person to climb all 53[10] of Colorado’s mountains ing memoir of all-time in the UK.[15]
over 14,000 feet in elevation, solo in winter, a project Ralston delivered the commencement speech on May
he started in 1997 and resumed after his amputation in 15, 2011, at Carnegie Mellon University for the graduat-
Blue John Canyon.[11][12][13] In 2008, he climbed Denali ing class of 2011.[22]
and skied from the 20,320’ summit.[citation needed] He led a
2009 expedition on the Colorado River through the Grand
Canyon, and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.[citation 127 Hours
needed] While Ralston still intends to climb Mount Everest Main article: 127 Hours
some day, he did not go along with polar explorer Eric
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Aron Ralston
British film director Danny Boyle directed the film 127 article/889506--between-a-rock-and-a-happy-
Hours about the true story of Ralston.[23] Filming took place. Retrieved 2010-12-12.
place in March and April 2010, with a release in New York [10] 14ers.com • Colorado 14ers
City and Los Angeles on November 5, 2010. Fox Search- [11] "My Summit Problem". http://outsideonline.com/
light Pictures funded the film.[24] Actor James Franco outside/features/200604/aron-ralston-1.html.
played the role of Ralston.[25] The movie received stand- Retrieved 2007-03-21.
ing ovations at both the Telluride Film Festival and the [12] "14ers.com". http://www.14ers.com/. Retrieved
Toronto International Film Festival. Some members of 2010-11-07.
the audience in Toronto fainted due to the realistic am- [13] Mutrie, Tim (2005-03-11). "Ralston sends it: First
putation scene.[26] The film was very well received by solo winter fourteener project complete". The
film critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports Aspen Times. http://www.aspentimes.com/article/
that 93% of 197 professional critics have given the film a 20050311/NEWS/103110014. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
positive review, with a rating average of 8.2 out of 10.[27] [14] "Explorers eye poles, Everest on climate mission".
The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, includ- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27841486/
ing Best Picture and Best Actor (James Franco). #storyContinued. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
[15] ^ "Aron Ralston - Speaker Profile".
References Keynotespeakers.com. 2005-09-01.
http://keynotespeakers.com/
[1] Duncan Campbell (2003-05-03). "Mountaineer speaker_detail.php?speakerid=5177. Retrieved
trapped by boulder amputated arm with 2010-10-19.
pocketknife". London: The Guardian. [16] "Aron Ralston Sacrifices His Right Arm to Save His
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/may/03/ Life". Cmu.edu. http://www.cmu.edu/magazine/
duncancampbell. Retrieved 2010-12-13. 03fall/aralston.html. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
[2] Inbar, Michael (2009-12-08). "Hiker who cut off [17] "Catching Up with Aron Ralston". Disaboom.com.
arm: My future son saved me - TODAY People - http://www.disaboom.com/athletes-with-
People: Tales of survival". Today.msnbc.msn.com. disabilities/catching-up-with-aron-ralston.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/34325633/ns/ Retrieved 2010-10-19.
today-today_people/. Retrieved 2010-10-19. [18] "Perseverance Hall of Fame".
[3] "Pick Me Up CATCH-UP". Pick Me Up magazine. Assurantemployeebenefits.com.
http://www.pickmeupmagazine.co.uk/real_lives/ http://www.assurantemployeebenefits.com/
Pick_Me_Up_CATCHUP_article_292602.html. shiningstar/2003Ralston.html. Retrieved
Retrieved 2010-10-19. 2010-10-19.
[4] "Aron Ralston Interview – The Man Who’s (sic) Real [19] One-Armed Adventurer To Take Part In Game
Life Story Danny Boyle’s Upcoming Movie ’127 Show
Hours’ Is Based On". Flicks and Bits. 2010-10-08. [20] "Fox Details ‘The Simpsons,’ Oct. 30 Episode:
http://www.flicksandbits.com/2010/10/08/aron- ‘Treehouse of Horror XXII’". 2011-10-24.
ralston-interview-the-man-whos-real-life-story- mediamarketjournal.com, Retrieved 2011-11-01
danny-boyles-upcoming-movie-127-hours-is- [21] Pushing the Limit NY Times, March 31, 2009
based-on/3988/. Retrieved 2010-10-19. [22] [1]
[5] "The Daily Mirror". Los Angeles Times. [23] "Spend 127 Hours with Danny Boyle".
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/ Dreadcentral.com. http://www.dreadcentral.com/
2010/11/aron-ralston-the-real-story.html. news/34398/spend-127-hours-with-danny-boyle.
[6] Kennedy, J. Michael (May 9, 2003). "CMU grad Retrieved 2010-10-19.
describes cutting off his arm to save his life". [24] Xan Brooks (2009-11-05). "Danny Boyle climbs on
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post- mountaineer epic 127 Hours". London: Guardian.
gazette.com/nation/20030509climbernat2.asp. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/nov/05/
Retrieved 2007-03-21. danny-boyle-aron-ralston. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
[7] Rollings, Grant. The Sun (London). [25] Siegel, Tatiana (January 6, 2010). "James Franco
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ puts in ’Hours’". Variety (Reed Business
showbiz/film/3326119/I-smiled-as-I-cut-off-my- Information). http://www.variety.com/article/
arm-I-was-just-grateful-to-be-free.html. VR1118013420.html?categoryid=13&cs=1. Retrieved
[8] ^ Desperate days in Blue John Canyon June 19, 2010.
[9] Howell, Peter (2010-11-11). "Between a rock and a [26] Kellett, Christine (September 15, 2010). "Audience
happy place". The Star (Toronto). faints at ’realistic’ amputation film". The Age
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/ (Melbourne). http://www.theage.com.au/
entertainment/movies/audience-faints--at-
3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Aron Ralston
realistic-amputation- • The Official 127 Hours UK Twitter Page
film-20100915-15bpo.html?autostart=1. Retrieved • NBC’s Desperate Days in Blue John Canyon Part 1, Part 2,
September 15, 2010. Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
[27] "127 Hours". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Persondata
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/127_hours/.
Name Ralston, Aron
Retrieved March 3, 2011.
Alternative names hi ...
External links Short description
Date of birth October 27, 1975
• Cannonball by Atlanta Rock band Capibara: A song
inspired by Aron Ralston Place of birth United States
• Redux: A Climber’s Survival Tale Date of death
• Aron Ralston: in his own words Place of death
• The story on BBC-Outlook (26min)
• The Official 127 Hours UK Facebook Page
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aron_Ralston&oldid=475453086"
Categories:
• 1975 births
• Living people
• American amputees
• American autobiographers
• American motivational speakers
• American mountain climbers
• Carnegie Mellon University alumni
• American mechanical engineers
• Intel people
• People from Aspen, Colorado
• People from Indianapolis, Indiana
This page was last modified on 6 February 2012 at 20:28. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-
ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of
the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.Contact us
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
4