Aron Ralston
Encyclopedia
Aron Lee Ralston is an American
mountain climber
and inspirational public speaker. He is widely known for having survived a 2003 canyoneering accident in Utah
in which he was forced to amputate his own right arm with a dull pocketknife in order to free himself from a dislodged boulder
.
The incident is documented in Ralston's autobiography Between a Rock and a Hard Place, and is the subject of the 2010 film 127 Hours
.
in Greenwood Village, Colorado
. He received his college degree from Carnegie Mellon University
in Pittsburgh, finishing with degrees in mechanical engineering
and French
, with a minor in piano. At Carnegie Mellon, he served as a Resident Assistant, studied abroad, and was an active intramural sports participant. He left his job as a mechanical engineer with Intel in 2002 in order to pursue a life of climbing mountains. He had the goal of climbing all of Colorado
's "fourteener
s", 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.
(in eastern Wayne County, Utah
, just south of the Horseshoe Canyon Unit of Canyonlands National Park
), a suspended boulder from which he was climbing down became dislodged, crushing his right forearm and pinning it against the canyon wall. Ralston had not told anybody 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 (3.150031500315E-08 imp fl oz), while trying to extricate his arm. His efforts were futile as he could not free his arm from the 800-pound rock. After three days of trying to lift and break the boulder, the dehydrated
and delirious
Ralston prepared to amputate his trapped right arm at a point on the mid-forearm, in order to escape. He experimented with tourniquets and made some exploratory superficial cuts to his forearm in the first few days. On the fourth day he realized that in order to free the arm, he would have to cut through his bones, but that the tools he had available were insufficient to do so. When he ran out of water on the fifth day, he carved his name, date of birth and presumed date of death into the sandstone canyon wall, and videotaped his last goodbyes to his family. He did not expect to survive the night. He found himself still alive at the dawn of the following day (Thursday, May 1, 2003). Soon thereafter, he had an epiphany—he could break his radius
and ulna
using 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 manufacturer of the tool he used other than to say it was not a Leatherman
, he did describe it as "what you'd get if you bought a $15 flashlight and got a free multi-use tool." After freeing himself, he still had to get back to his car. He climbed out of the slot canyon in which he had been trapped, rappelled down a 65 feet (19.8 m) sheer wall one-handed, then hiked out of the canyon in the hot midday sun. He was 8 miles (12.9 km) from his vehicle, and he had no mobile phone. While hiking out, he encountered a family on vacation from the Netherlands
, Eric and Monique Meijer, and their son, Andy, who gave him water and then hurried to alert the authorities. Ralston feared he would bleed to death before that happened (by this point, he had lost 40 pounds total, including 25% of his blood volume), but by coincidence, rescuers searching for Ralston (they had been alerted that he was missing by his family and had recently narrowed the search down to Canyonlands) flew by in their helicopter and he was rescued, six hours after amputating his arm. He thinks that if he had amputated his arm earlier, he would have bled to death before being found, while if he had not done it he would have been found dead days later. Looking back he thinks he was looking forward to the amputation.
Later, his arm was removed from under the boulder and retrieved by park authorities. According to Tom Brokaw
, it took 13 men, a winch
and a hydraulic jack to move the boulder so that Ralston's severed arm could be freed. The arm was cremated and given to Ralston. He returned to the accident scene with Tom Brokaw and the Dateline NBC crew six months later, on his 28th birthday, for two reasons: to film the Dateline NBC
special about the accident, and to scatter the ashes of his arm where he says they belong.
in Chile
, and Monte Pissis
in Argentina
. In 2005, Ralston became the first person to climb all 53 of Colorado's mountains over 14,000 feet in elevation, solo in winter, a project he started in 1997 and resumed after his amputation in Blue John Canyon. In 2008, he climbed Denali and skied from the 20,320' summit. He led a 2009 expedition on the Colorado River
through the Grand Canyon
, and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
. While Ralston still intends to climb Mount Everest
some day, he did not go along with polar explorer Eric Larsen on his "Save the Poles" expedition in 2010, as was previously reported.
. On September 10, 2004, Ralston's story was featured on a two-hour edition of Dateline NBC
called "Desperate Days in Blue John Canyon". Ralston has appeared twice on The Today Show
, Good Morning America
, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
. He has also appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
, CNN's American Morning with Bill Hemmer
, Minute to Win It
with James Franco
, Anderson Cooper 360°
, CNN Saturday Morning, and CNBC with Deborah Norville
. In 2006, Ralston was also featured as a panelist in Miller Lite's "Man Laws
" ad campaign. He also starred on the Australian interview show Enough Rope
.
Ralston was also named GQ Man of the Year and a Vanity Fair
Person of the Year in 2003. In 2003, he was named the first Shining Star of Perseverance
by the WillReturn Council of Assurant Employee Benefits. Ralston was a contestant on the U.S. television show Minute To Win It
, where he won $125,000 for Wilderness Workshop. The episode aired on February 23, 2011, on NBC.
Ralston provides his voice on The Simpsons
' "Treehouse 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. 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 is to air on the 9th November 2011 on Discovery UK.
of about $15,000 per domestic speaking appearance, and up to $37,000 for international speeches. On May 4, 2007, Ralston appeared at the Swiss Economic Forum and gave a speech about "how he did not lose his hand, but gained his life back."
Ralston documented his experience in a book entitled Between a Rock and a Hard Place (ISBN 0-7434-9281-1), published by Atria Books on September 7, 2004. It reached #3 on The New York Times Hardcover Non-Fiction list. It hit #1 in New Zealand and Australia, and is the #7 best-selling memoir
of all-time in the UK.
Ralston delivered the commencement speech
on May 15, 2011, at Carnegie Mellon University for the graduating class of 2011.
directed the film 127 Hours
about the true story of Ralston. Filming took place in March and April 2010, with a release in New York City and Los Angeles on November 5, 2010. Fox Searchlight Pictures
funded the film. Actor James Franco
played the role of Ralston. The movie received standing ovations at both the Telluride Film Festival
and the Toronto International Film Festival
. Some members of the audience in Toronto fainted due to the realistic amputation scene. The film was very well received by film critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes
reports that 93% of 197 professional critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 8.2 out of 10. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor (James Franco).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mountain climber
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
and inspirational public speaker. He is widely known for having survived a 2003 canyoneering accident in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
in which he was forced to amputate his own right arm with a dull pocketknife in order to free himself from a dislodged boulder
Boulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....
.
The incident is documented in Ralston's autobiography Between a Rock and a Hard Place, and is the subject of the 2010 film 127 Hours
127 Hours
127 Hours is a 2010 biographical adventure drama film co-written, produced and directed by Danny Boyle. The film stars James Franco as mountain climber Aron Ralston, who became trapped by a boulder in Robbers Roost, Utah in April 2003....
.
Personal life
Ralston is a graduate of Cherry Creek High SchoolCherry Creek High School
Cherry Creek High School is the oldest of six high schools in the Cherry Creek School District in suburban Denver, Colorado. It is one of the largest high schools in the Denver metro area, with an campus and more than 3,700 students. Cherry Creek High School has been designated a Blue Ribbon...
in Greenwood Village, Colorado
Greenwood Village, Colorado
The city of Greenwood Village is a prominent suburb of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area and a Home Rule Municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States...
. He received his college degree from Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
in Pittsburgh, finishing with degrees in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, with a minor in piano. At Carnegie Mellon, he served as a Resident Assistant, studied abroad, and was an active intramural sports participant. He left his job as a mechanical engineer with Intel in 2002 in order to pursue a life of climbing mountains. He had the goal of climbing all of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
's "fourteener
Fourteener
In mountaineering terminology in the United States, a fourteener is a mountain that exceeds 14,000 feet above mean sea level. There are 547 fourteeners in the world. The importance of fourteeners is greatest in Colorado, which has the majority of such peaks in North America...
s", 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.
Accident
In April 2003, while he was hiking Blue John CanyonBlue John Canyon
Blue John Canyon is a slot canyon in eastern Wayne County, Utah, United States, southwest of the Horseshoe Canyon Unit of Canyonlands National Park and 42 miles south of Green River...
(in eastern Wayne County, Utah
Wayne County, Utah
Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It was formed from Piute County in 1892. The county gets its name from a man who served as delegate to the constitutional convention, in honor of his son who was dragged to death by a horse. As of 2000 the population was 2,509, and by...
, just south of the Horseshoe Canyon Unit of Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands National Park is a U.S. National Park located in southeastern Utah near the town of Moab and preserves a colorful landscape eroded into countless canyons, mesas and buttes by the Colorado River, the Green River, and their respective tributaries. The park is divided into four districts:...
), a suspended boulder from which he was climbing down became dislodged, crushing his right forearm and pinning it against the canyon wall. Ralston had not told anybody 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 (3.150031500315E-08 imp fl oz), while trying to extricate his arm. His efforts were futile as he could not free his arm from the 800-pound rock. After three days of trying to lift and break the boulder, the dehydrated
Dehydration
In physiology and medicine, dehydration is defined as the excessive loss of body fluid. It is literally the removal of water from an object; however, in physiological terms, it entails a deficiency of fluid within an organism...
and delirious
Delirium
Delirium or acute confusional state is a common and severe neuropsychiatric syndrome with core features of acute onset and fluctuating course, attentional deficits and generalized severe disorganization of behavior...
Ralston prepared to amputate his trapped right arm at a point on the mid-forearm, in order to escape. He experimented with tourniquets and made some exploratory superficial cuts to his forearm in the first few days. On the fourth day he realized that in order to free the arm, he would have to cut through his bones, but that the tools he had available were insufficient to do so. When he ran out of water on the fifth day, he carved his name, date of birth and presumed date of death into the sandstone canyon wall, and videotaped his last goodbyes to his family. He did not expect to survive the night. He found himself still alive at the dawn of the following day (Thursday, May 1, 2003). Soon thereafter, he had an epiphany—he could break his radius
Radius (bone)
The radius is one of the two large bones of the forearm, the other being the ulna. It extends from the lateral side of the elbow to the thumb side of the wrist and runs parallel to the ulna, which exceeds it in length and size. It is a long bone, prism-shaped and slightly curved longitudinally...
and ulna
Ulna
The ulna is one of the two long bones in the forearm, the other being the radius. It is prismatic in form and runs parallel to the radius, which is shorter and smaller. In anatomical position The ulna is one of the two long bones in the forearm, the other being the radius. It is prismatic in form...
using 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 manufacturer of the tool he used other than to say it was not a Leatherman
Leatherman
Leatherman is the trade name for a line of multi-tools, knives and LED flashlights manufactured and marketed by Leatherman Tool Group of Portland, Oregon, USA.-Company history:Timothy S...
, he did describe it as "what you'd get if you bought a $15 flashlight and got a free multi-use tool." After freeing himself, he still had to get back to his car. He climbed out of the slot canyon in which he had been trapped, rappelled down a 65 feet (19.8 m) sheer wall one-handed, then hiked out of the canyon in the hot midday sun. He was 8 miles (12.9 km) from his vehicle, and he had no mobile phone. While hiking out, he encountered a family on vacation from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Eric and Monique Meijer, and their son, Andy, who gave him water and then hurried to alert the authorities. Ralston feared he would bleed to death before that happened (by this point, he had lost 40 pounds total, including 25% of his blood volume), but by coincidence, rescuers searching for Ralston (they had been alerted that he was missing by his family and had recently narrowed the search down to Canyonlands) flew by in their helicopter and he was rescued, six hours after amputating his arm. He thinks that if he had amputated his arm earlier, he would have bled to death before being found, while if he had not done it he would have been found dead days later. Looking back he thinks he was looking forward to the amputation.
Later, his arm was removed from under the boulder and retrieved by park authorities. According to Tom Brokaw
Tom Brokaw
Thomas John "Tom" Brokaw is an American television journalist and author best known as the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004. He is the author of The Greatest Generation and other books and the recipient of numerous awards and honors...
, it took 13 men, a winch
Winch
A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the "tension" of a rope or wire rope . In its simplest form it consists of a spool and attached hand crank. In larger forms, winches stand at the heart of machines as diverse as tow trucks, steam shovels and...
and a hydraulic jack to move the boulder so that Ralston's severed arm could be freed. The arm was cremated and given to Ralston. He returned to the accident scene with Tom Brokaw and the Dateline NBC crew six months later, on his 28th birthday, for two reasons: to film the Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
special about the accident, and to scatter the ashes of his arm where he says they belong.
Mountaineering and adventuring
Ralston still climbs mountains prolifically, including a 2008 expedition to climb Ojos del SaladoOjos del Salado
Nevado Ojos del Salado is a massive stratovolcano in the Andes on the Argentina-Chile border and the highest volcano in the world at . It is also the second highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere and the highest in Chile...
in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and Monte Pissis
Monte Pissis
Monte Pissis is an extinct volcano in La Rioja Province, Argentina. The mountain is the third-highest in the Western Hemisphere, and is located about 550 km north of Aconcagua....
in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. In 2005, Ralston became the first person to climb all 53 of Colorado's mountains over 14,000 feet in elevation, solo in winter, a project he started in 1997 and resumed after his amputation in Blue John Canyon. In 2008, he climbed Denali and skied from the 20,320' summit. He led a 2009 expedition on the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
through the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
, and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. While Ralston still intends to climb Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
some day, he did not go along with polar explorer Eric Larsen on his "Save the Poles" expedition in 2010, as was previously reported.
Media appearances
After the accident, Ralston made numerous appearances in the media. On July 21, 2003, Ralston appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman;; on October 6, 2005, Ralston appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig FergusonThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...
. On September 10, 2004, Ralston's story was featured on a two-hour edition of Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
called "Desperate Days in Blue John Canyon". Ralston has appeared twice on The Today Show
The Today Show
Today is an iconic American morning news and talk show airing every morning on NBC. Debuting on January 14, 1952, it was the first of its genre on American television and in the world. The show is also the fourth-longest running American television series...
, Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
. He has also appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, CNN's American Morning with Bill Hemmer
American Morning
American Morning is the morning television show on CNN. It premiered in 2001.-About the show:American Morning is hosted by Ashleigh Banfield, Zoraida Sambolin & Soledad O'Brien. Others who appear regularly are Rob Marciano with the weather, Sunny Hostin on legal news, and CNN senior medical...
, Minute to Win It
Minute to Win It
Minute to Win It is an American prime time game show on NBC hosted by Guy Fieri. Contestants take part in a series of 60-second challenges that use objects that are commonly available around the house....
with James Franco
James Franco
James Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...
, Anderson Cooper 360°
Anderson Cooper 360°
Anderson Cooper 360° is a one-hour television news show on CNN, hosted by the American journalist Anderson Cooper. It is also broadcast around the world on CNN International....
, CNN Saturday Morning, and CNBC with Deborah Norville
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
. In 2006, Ralston was also featured as a panelist in Miller Lite's "Man Laws
Man Laws
Man Laws are a series of beer commercials for Miller Lite, inspired by the supposed unwritten codes by which men live. In the commercials, the panel discusses a given issue until it decides upon a "Man Law". The "Men of the Square Table" are a parody of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table...
" ad campaign. He also starred on the Australian interview show Enough Rope
Enough Rope
Enough Rope with Andrew Denton is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC Television in Australia...
.
Ralston was also named GQ Man of the Year and a Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
Person of the Year in 2003. In 2003, he was named the first Shining Star of Perseverance
Shining Star of Perseverance
The Shining Star of Perseverance is awarded annually by the WillReturn Council of Assurant Employee Benefits to honor and recognize individuals and groups who overcome disabilities to succeed in the workplace and society. Award honorees include:...
by the WillReturn Council of Assurant Employee Benefits. Ralston was a contestant on the U.S. television show Minute To Win It
Minute to Win It
Minute to Win It is an American prime time game show on NBC hosted by Guy Fieri. Contestants take part in a series of 60-second challenges that use objects that are commonly available around the house....
, where he won $125,000 for Wilderness Workshop. The episode aired on February 23, 2011, on NBC.
Ralston provides his voice on The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
' "Treehouse 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. 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 is to air on the 9th November 2011 on Discovery UK.
Other projects
As a corporate speaker, Ralston receives an honorariumHonorarium
An honorarium is an ex gratia payment made to a person for their services in a volunteer capacity or for services for which fees are not traditionally required. This is used by groups such as schools or sporting clubs to pay coaches for their costs...
of about $15,000 per domestic speaking appearance, and up to $37,000 for international speeches. On May 4, 2007, Ralston appeared at the Swiss Economic Forum and gave a speech about "how he did not lose his hand, but gained his life back."
Ralston documented his experience in a book entitled Between a Rock and a Hard Place (ISBN 0-7434-9281-1), published by Atria Books on September 7, 2004. It reached #3 on The New York Times Hardcover Non-Fiction list. It hit #1 in New Zealand and Australia, and is the #7 best-selling memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
of all-time in the UK.
Ralston delivered the commencement speech
Commencement speech
A commencement speech or commencement address is a speech given to graduating students, generally at a university, although the term is also used for secondary education institutions. The "commencement" is a ceremony in which degrees or diplomas are conferred upon graduating students...
on May 15, 2011, at Carnegie Mellon University for the graduating class of 2011.
127 Hours
British film director Danny BoyleDanny Boyle
Daniel "Danny" Boyle is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Trainspotting. For Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle won numerous awards in 2008, including the Academy Award for Best Director...
directed the film 127 Hours
127 Hours
127 Hours is a 2010 biographical adventure drama film co-written, produced and directed by Danny Boyle. The film stars James Franco as mountain climber Aron Ralston, who became trapped by a boulder in Robbers Roost, Utah in April 2003....
about the true story of Ralston. Filming took place in March and April 2010, with a release in New York City and Los Angeles on November 5, 2010. Fox Searchlight Pictures
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Fox Searchlight Pictures, established in 1998, is a film division of Fox Filmed Entertainment alongside the larger Fox studio 20th Century Fox...
funded the film. Actor James Franco
James Franco
James Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...
played the role of Ralston. The movie received standing ovations at both the Telluride Film Festival
Telluride Film Festival
The Telluride Film Festival was started in 1974 by Bill and Stella Pence, Tom Luddy and Jim Card in the town of Telluride, Colorado, United States. It is operated by the National Film Preserve....
and the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
. Some members of the audience in Toronto fainted due to the realistic amputation scene. The film was very well received by film critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 93% of 197 professional critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 8.2 out of 10. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor (James Franco).
External links
- Cannonball by Atlanta Rock band Capibara: A song inspired by Aron Ralston
- Redux: A Climber's Survival Tale
- Aron Ralston: in his own words
- The story on BBC-Outlook (26min)
- The Official 127 Hours UK Facebook Page
- The Official 127 Hours UK Twitter Page
- NBC's Desperate Days in Blue John Canyon Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6