62. Rock climber Aron Ralston had to cut off his right arm or die
All The Wiser
Kimi Culp
4.8 • 652 Ratings
🗓️ 16 February 2022
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
No one was coming to save him. He didn’t tell anyone where he was going. Solo voyages weren’t unusual for avid climber and outdoorsman Aron Ralston. It was a beautiful day to drive from Colorado to Canyonlands National Park in Utah. During an afternoon trek he was descending through a slot canyon when a large boulder came loose above him, crashing down and ensnaring his right arm between the rock and the canyon wall 50 feet below. Over the next five days, Aron found the courage to do what he needed to do in order to survive and in this episode, Aron shares lessons on what difficult circumstances can teach us about acceptance, peace and welcoming all of what life is.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Aron’s introduction to Extreme Adventuring.
- The days his body was wedged into the side of a mountain.
- How he was able to shift his mind from panic to problem solving.
- Breaking his bone with a boulder.
- His timely rescue after 127 hours.
- The greatest lessons he’s learned through his recovery.
Stay connected to Aron:
Website: www.aronralstonspeaker.com
Book: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Charity Donation: Wilderness Workshop
Subscribe to All The Wiser wherever you listen to podcasts - we’re on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! That way you’ll never miss an episode.
We’d love to hear what you think about the show, too - it helps us know what stories are resonating with you. Head over to Apple Podcasts to write your review!
Stay in the know with all things All The Wiser! Sign up for our newsletter for personal reflections from Kimi, new episodes, and recommendations from our team!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacyTranscript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Tired of the price of everything going up these days, groceries, rent, you name it, it's all going up. |
| 0:05.8 | But not at Metro, they've got your back. |
| 0:08.2 | Metro has lowered their prices and are giving you a five-year price guarantee on talk, text, and data. |
| 0:14.3 | One line? Now 20% lower. Family plans? Also lowered. Oh, and you also get a free 5G phone, all with no ID required and no |
| 0:23.1 | activation fees. Stop by your neighborhood Metro store, visit Metro byteamobile.com, or call to |
| 0:29.0 | find out about their amazing offers. Bring your number, not available if currently at |
| 0:32.9 | T-Mobile or with Metro in the past 180 days. Guarantee covers monthly price of on-network talk |
| 0:37.4 | text and 5G data for customers activating on an eligible plan, exclusions apply, details or with Metro in the past 180 days. Guarantee covers monthly price of on-network talk, text, and |
| 0:37.9 | 5G data for customers activating on an eligible plan. Exclusions apply. Details at Metro byteamobile.com. |
| 0:44.1 | Well, I think most people already know me is the guy that cut his arm off. At least that's how |
| 0:48.8 | when folks, like, wait, are you the guy from the movie who wasn't in the movie? |
| 0:54.8 | His name is Aaron Ralston, and yes, he's that guy from the movie 127 hours. |
| 1:02.1 | But there's so much more to the story of the mountain climber who was trapped under a boulder |
| 1:07.1 | and had to cut off his own arm in order to survive. |
| 1:11.7 | Today on the show, extreme adventuring. |
| 1:15.1 | Where does the so-called bug come from? |
| 1:18.1 | And how much is too much when it comes to passion and drive? |
| 1:22.6 | Plus, lessons from Aaron on suffering and the idea of reframing our adversity as a way of finding an advantage in any difficult situation. |
| 1:34.3 | I'm Kimmy Kulp and this is Alda Wiser. Let it go and let it go and let it in |
| 1:59.0 | One thing to take. |
| 2:04.6 | One life to live. |
| 2:07.6 | Feel the changes in a way. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Kimi Culp, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Kimi Culp and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

