Comments on: Aron Ralston update

By: Caroline Thain

Caroline Thain — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 04:57:47 +0000

It’s really interesting to note the jealousy Aron’s experience has brought out in other people. They resent the fame and praise he continues to receive, and attempt to hide those feelings under disengenious comments about Aron’s character and motives, all of which are petty and quite ridiculous. The man made a mistake, and he saved himself from certain death by breaking his own arm and sawing through muscles and nerves with a dull knife. He is an inspiration to anyone who cares to learn from the mistakes he made. Nice one, Aron and Thank You.

By: Gemma

Gemma — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:34:13 +0000

I am surprised that every time a mountaineering accident gets notoriety it usually comes with a great deal of scrutiny and quite bitter criticism by experts in that community. There is always a harsh review about the personality, habits and behaviors of those involved in the events. It feels as though the mountaineering community has turned safety rules into principles and dogmas. If you break them, you are criticized, ridiculed and treated as a pariah in that community. I wonder why there is no room for mistake in the world of mountaineering. I find it way more arrogant to assume that a good climber never makes a mistake and that those who make one deserve what happens to them. This attitude aims to reinforce the idea of the climber as superhuman –only defeated by circumstances over which he or her had no agency and could not predict or prevent. In doing that critics become moral gatekeepers and place very high fences in the wilderness.

By: lolo

lolo — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 07:04:22 +0000

hehe

By: Fluffee

Fluffee — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:52:01 +0000

The story is not only about hiking alone or whatsoever literal… The story is all about making decisions in life… most of us doing risky decision alone… go out of the rules to satisfy our goal… but things will end up either we are wrong or we are right on track… the point is… Aron, got a mistake… he claimed it… but his will to survive, how he value his life.. and not giving up at his no chance point of his life… he pointed out that losing some part of you doesn’t mean losing your whole self… some point at that moment… there is a need that we have to track the path where we have lose something to realize the value of life… at the extent experience near to death ordeal because of stupidity in any form…

By: Cris

Cris — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 00:10:23 +0000

Going hiking alone and without telling anyone may seem foolish, but Aron was very young, and when you’re that young you just don’t think about bad things happening.
I first say Aron on a talk show years ago when he first published his book. His enthusiasm and zest for life awed and inspired me. He described amputating his arm to save his life, as being born again – being given a second chance at life. He’s living life to the fullest now because he learned through an unbelievable ordeal, how precious life is.

By: JoeW

JoeW — Thu, 26 May 2011 22:41:30 +0000

I have just watched the film 127 hours and stumbled on this thread while trying to find out more about Aron Ralston. Slightly shocked by some of the judgements made about him and frankly I think we should all be thankful that this remarkable man did not end up paying the ultimate price for his bad judgement and is still around to tell this story! This shows in stark reality what bad decisions could have cost, which certainly makes it a worthwhile story to tell. Money is of no consequence, media is such that he would struggle not to make money out of this; I hope he enjoys it.

By: CinD

CinD — Sat, 14 May 2011 17:54:39 +0000

I just finished reading his book and thought it was excellent. I think he is an amazing person and had a great story to tell. As for profiting off of his experience, that was not his plan – the media came to him, not the other way around. And his story has helped a lot of people so BFD if he makes money off of it. Only in America? Damn straight and more power to him!

By: Dangerousdaveeverett

Dangerousdaveeverett — Mon, 09 May 2011 14:32:00 +0000

Good on him. I’d promote myself too if I had to lose part of my arm, especially hacking it off yourself. Also it served as a good warning to others not to go places without telling somebody. Sounds like sour grapes on the part of people who are bitching about him. All I would say to the knockers is get a life, he certainly has.

By: donH

donH — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 07:08:52 +0000

Climbing out of what Aron Ralston fell into was amazing my other was explaining who I was.I read almost all the posts .Unless you’ve been their , before any judgement is waitless.I’ve rescued A few Extreme adrenaline junkies ; all it takes is one mental lapse and it could be your last.As for those who Fallow a code well, surviving in the Bush or extreme environments is not An adrenaline trip its life or death.Again , when did you last tell someone you were taking a drive ?thinking awe nothing gonna happen ? then Bam! you get hit your in ICU ! yet you only went down the block.

By: Andrew Lemley

Andrew Lemley — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:54:39 +0000

Aron I’m really getting deppressed. Your my inspiration. please please contact me. I’m really going through hard time please contact me.

By: Betty

Betty — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:28:14 +0000

I just get angry at those who say they would not profit from thier risky actions gone wrong. So i took a risk and it didn’t work out, first I am going to tell my story for many reasons, one so people understand the risks of going hiking on your own without telling anyone where you will be and when you expect to return and two becasue I welcome the opportunity to earn a living based on my life experiences. I don’t get what is so wrong with that…people do it all the time. I bet Aron did not plan to get stuck and cut his own arm off becasue he knew it would make a great story. Have you gone to the library and seen all the books on the shelf about similar situations? Aron’s happened to be interesting enough to turn the story into a movie. Get real folks….

By: J O'Neil

J O'Neil — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 04:38:24 +0000

Wow, I have read a couple stories about this and just watched the movie. I am sure gald that peope can make money on such stupid actions. I cant wait for the movie to come out about the women who spilled coffee on her self and sued McDonalds. I sure hope that every morning he awakes and is greated with his dumb ass actions that he took. Yes I have done filish things to put my self at risk. But I also do not make a living telling my story.
Vote Republican.

By: Betty

Betty — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 02:07:52 +0000

For all those who critize the actions of Aron. I would like to ask you if you ever did anything foolish that put you at risk. If you have any sense of adventure I’m sure the answer is yes. Only difference is you came out ok

By: Ron Sherwin

Ron Sherwin — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:56:17 +0000

Re Aron Ralston: If what I read is accurate, then add to foolhardy, the adjectives selfish and inconsiderate. There are a number of people who care about him deeply. After putting them through a hellish ordeal of worry, he completely disregards their emotions and returns to solo hiking and climbing.
I have no sympathy for his past ordeal, nor for future calamities which he might bring upon himself.

By: Bill Woods

Bill Woods — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:02:40 +0000

I am about halfway through the book and I am finding much more than I expected. I expected an account of his misadventure and how he found the wherewithal to cut off his arm to get free. That’s there, but I’m taken with his passion for life and his commitment to excelling at what he does. Few people are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to actually “live the dream” and pursue life with zest. Sure, his enthusiasm leads to reckless mistakes (for which he often pays a price) but it seems to me to be worth it. Although I never took to mountain climbing (I’m a Colorado native and an Outward Bound graduate) with the passion Aron has, I find his book inspiring and hope to apply that inspiration to the passions of my life.

By: Dannyboy

Dannyboy — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:20:28 +0000

dld39 – drivng drunk and aron’s mistake, not even close to being the same. 1 main difference is being intoxicated and sober when making choices.

A lot of things have been said both positive and negative, here is my take:

Most outdoors type people have forgotten to leave a note. some say that people that not leaving a note makes them more manly and hard core. I think it makes them less responsible. There are people that love you and you owe it to them to give them a chance of hope to find you if you get lost/injured. It’s just plain stupid to not leave a note. You are still going on the adventure alone. If something were to happen and you died, it would not have mattered if you left a note or not, it would just make it easier for people to find the corpse. So it just makes sense to leave one. Aron simply forgot in this case so he says. But, he has had a history of doing things like this, getting in bad situations. And not only just having his safety at risk, but other people, multiple times. So yes, something like this was bound to happen. I’m glad he did not take anyone down with him.

Greg ended a post with this “but if you know that you can survive anything, then go out and do what you want and fuck the cowards who criticize you.” such an immature thing to say. There is not one person that doesn’t have someone that cares for them, so do responsible things because of them, not because you’re hard core.

As for him getting all the money and fame from this. People capitalize on misfortunes all the time. Don’t tell me anyone would not do the same thing. As much as I would hate to admit it I would. I would give a majority of my money away, but I would still do it. Yes, he is doing a lot for charities and whatnot, but not enough in my mind. He is set for life, making 20k+ for each speaking announcement plus the boatloads from the movie and book, way more then enough for his family to live on, so he should donate more.

By: dld39

dld39 — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 03:13:44 +0000

oh for fuck’s sake, Eidas. you sound like the egotistical narcissist. did you look up all those big words? How does nature become “controlled”? I bet every poster on here has driven drunk and that is the same stupidity that Aron R has.

By: eidas

eidas — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 13:47:20 +0000

Having found this more than three-year old thread, I thought it a proper venue to add my two bits on the matter. The short opinion is that the book is decently written but poorly edited with far too much andecdotal back story filler. Although, his courage comes through in spades for the essential, as the book wears on you do begin to feel a growing narcissism in his words. Especially towards the end from the moment he’s amongst the hikers, through the helicopter ride and then into the hospital emergency room, the ‘Me’ point of view dominates. So much that all his entourage (the Dutch, the pilot, ranger, hospital staff) nearly appear to be but passive bystanders at the bidding of our the still pointedly alert and pro-active Aron Ralston. The book could easily have been cut in half. And should we excuse the degree of egocentrism and embellishment. Why not? After all, there are other examples in history. It’s part of what comes with the bullishness of the endeavor.

Oddly, however, it was Ralston’s padded flashbacks that gave me the greater insight into the guy’s overall personality. So you have to at least give him credit for admitting to all those errors connected with the avalance, the Colorado plunge, frozen water bottles and a number of generally ill-equipped outings. Even the tossing of a bogus distress message into Lake Mead was symptomatic of a rather fratboy mentality.

So the question that came to my mind was less whether Aron Ralston was a victim of happenstance or his own personal hubris, but rather considering his ‘profile’ if one could ever seriously trust themselves to this man as a guide or fellow backpacker. Imagine how things might have unfolded had you crossed paths with Ralston on that fateful day but unlike the two girls you carried on with him. Would you have balked at the chockstone? Would he have gone on alone regardless? Would he have enticed you on, possibly with a roped descent only to have him then show you how its done with a quick lesson in chimneying (and support from this little wedged rock….) My overriding question is would this guy have sacrificed his personal goal for the lowest common denominator interest of the group: your/my safety? One could easily have ‘gone around’. Personally, I doubt he would have, and with the consequences that we all know today.

I recently saw the movie 127 Days. Cinema-wise there’s the good and the less good. But as input to the Ralston character, there are two scenes early on that really sum it up. First he half-heartedly gropes on a shelf for his Swiss army knife…and without further looking decides to leaves it behind. Then later he takes a seemingly severe spill off his trail bike only to react with a big grin and a self-photo of himself on the ground. Neither probably happened in reality. But both speak miles about Aron Ralston’s nonchalance and narcissism.

And to think that this guy pulls in $30K to ‘model’ as a corporate ‘example’. Exemplary of having the courage to perform a fluke-induced ad-hoc surgery which 99% of people will never come to close to having to come to grips with? Or rather a prime example of the kind of people the National Park Service had in mind when it created its visitor rules and restrictions. Mechanical engineer, brave adventurer, swaggering jock. However you class him, at least you’ve gotta agree, he’s one very complex and colorful dude.

By: Badfox

Badfox — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 07:51:16 +0000

By the way,he took several cameras and video recorders but took no radio with him…that means to show off was the only thing left in his mind before he departed from his apartment.

By: Badfox

Badfox — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 07:47:15 +0000

Stupidity kills~~well,I’m exaggerating, but it’s safe to say stupidity cuts off an arm~~LOL

Aron Ralston is a tough guy and a rash idiot as well…He thought a weekend-hike was a piece of cake to an expert like him, so no need to prepare, to tell anybody ,to take some ropes or a radio.ACCIDENT HAPPENS~