Mountaineer who cut off arm recovers after surgery

A MOUNTAINEER who cut off part of his arm to save his life after being pinned by an 800-pound boulder in a remote desert area in Utah was in fair condition after undergoing surgery, his parents said.

The surgery shortened the bone in his arm by about one inch and pulled muscles and skin over the end to cover the wound and prepare the arm for a prosthetic device.

Donna and Larry Ralston said their son Aron Ralston, 27, was doing well and had a positive attitude. But his father said he admits he made a mistake in not letting anyone know about his hiking trip. "He realises his error was not to notify anyone, but hiking alone for him is not an excessive risk," his father, Larry Ralston, told reporters during a news conference at St Mary's hospital in Grand Junction.