Hansjörg Auer facts for kids
Auer in Innsbruck, November 2012
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Born | 18 February 1984 Zams, Tyrol, Austria |
| Died | 16 April 2019 (aged 35) Howse Peak, Alberta, Canada |
| Climbing career | |
| Type of climber | Sport climbing, bouldering, mountaineering |
| Major ascents | Marmolada, Dolomites, Italy (2007) |
Hansjörg Auer (born February 18, 1984 – died April 16, 2019) was an amazing Austrian mountain climber. He was famous for his "free solo climbs." This means he climbed very difficult mountains and rock faces all by himself, without any ropes or safety gear. One of his most famous climbs was the Fish Route in Italy. This was the first time someone had free soloed such a big wall.
National Geographic called him "one of the boldest and best climbers in the world." He even won a special award called the Piolet d'Or in 2019 for climbing Lupghar Sar West alone. Sadly, he died in an avalanche while climbing Howse Peak in Canada.
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About Hansjörg Auer
Hansjörg Auer was born in Zams, Tyrol, Austria, on February 18, 1984. He lived in the Ötztal area of Tyrol. In 2017, he wrote a book about his life called Südwand. He looked up to another famous climber, Reinhold Messner, from South Tyrol.
Hansjörg Auer's Climbing Adventures
Hansjörg Auer made his first big "free solo climb" in 2006. He climbed a route called Tempi Moderni (which means "Modern Times"). This climb was 850 meters (about 2,789 feet) high on the south face of Marmolada in Italy. It had 27 sections, and he finished it in just 2 hours and 40 minutes.
The Famous Fish Route Climb
He is probably most famous for his 2007 free solo climb of the Via Attraverso il Pesce, also known as the Fish Route. This climb was also on Marmolada's south face. The route is 850 meters (about 2,789 feet) long and has 37 sections. It got its name because of a fish-shaped spot on the 20th section.
The Fish Route is very challenging. It has eight especially hard sections, some of which even hang over! Before Auer, other climbers had used ropes to climb it. One climber, Maurizio Giordani, used a rope to keep himself safe in 1990, and it took him 10 hours.
Hansjörg Auer had tried to climb the Fish Route with a partner in 2004 but didn't succeed. In 2007, he prepared by practicing parts of the route. Then, on April 29, he climbed the entire route completely free solo, meaning without any ropes or safety gear. He did it in an amazing 2 hours and 55 minutes! His climb has been compared to Alex Honnold's famous free solo climb of El Capitan in the Yosemite National Park in 2017. An expert magazine called Alpinist said it was "one of the most difficult, long free solos ever tackled."
Climbing High Mountains
After his famous free solo climbs, Auer started focusing on very tall mountains. He climbed mountains over 7,000 meters (about 23,000 feet) high in the Himalayas and Karakoram ranges. He was known for being the first to climb several of these routes.
Some of his first ascents include the south face of Nilgiri South in Nepal. He also made the first solo climb of the west wall of Lupghar Sar in Pakistan. For this incredible achievement, he was given the Piolet d'Or award in 2019, after he had passed away. He also climbed the south-west face of Kunyang Chhish East in Pakistan.
Hansjörg Auer's Final Climb
Hansjörg Auer died on April 16, 2019, while climbing Howse Peak in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. He was with two other climbers, David Lama from Austria and Jess Roskelley from America.
The group had just finished a very difficult version of a climbing route on the east face of Howse Peak. After reaching the top, they were on their way down when an avalanche happened. Their bodies were found on April 21, 2019. Pictures and GPS information from the accident site showed they had reached the summit and were starting their descent when a large piece of ice and snow broke off above them, causing the avalanche.
See also
- History of rock climbing
- List of first ascents (sport climbing)
