

Most of you have heard of Aron Ralston, the Aspen mountaineer who sawed off his own arm below the elbow after being stuck in a narrow canyon in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park. Not one to sit back and relax, Ralston has just completed his seven-year project to solo the Colorado 14’ers in the winter.
Last weekend, Ralston put the cap on the project by climbing four peaks in the Weminuche Wilderness of the San Juan Mountains. According to Ralston, he has climbed 59 peaks above 14,000 feet, even though the official count is actually only 54 peaks.
Prior to his 2003 canyoneering accident, Ralston had summited 45 of the Colorado 14’ers. Despite having only one hand, Ralston bagged two peaks last winter and nearly a dozen this year. His accomplishment makes him only the third person to complete the Colorado 14’ers in the winter and the first to complete the project solo.
For more on Aaron Ralston’s accident: Canyonlands Accident 2003

