Aron Ralston Amputated His own Arm To Keep Living
Photo Credits: Don Arnold/WireImage
Aron Ralston is a mountaineer, mechanical engineer, and motivational speaker. In 2003, Ralston was solo climbing in Utah when his right arm became stuck in a dislodged boulder in Blue John Canyon. He was trapped in the canyon alone for six days until he finally self-amputated his arm with a dull pocketknife to free himself.
He then managed to hike out of the canyon and repel down a 65-foot cliff to safety. After his ordeal, Ralston continued to mountain climb and became the first person to climb all 59 of Colorado’s ‘fourteeners’ solo in winter. The documentary Between a Rock and a Hard Place and the 2011 film 1027 Hours starring James Franco recounted his story.
