Hansjörg Auer

Born

1984-02-18

Died

2019-03-16

Birthplace

Zams, Tyrol, Austria

Biography

Hansjörg Auer was born on February 18, 1984, in Zams, in the Austrian Tyrol. He grew up in a family of mountaineering farmers, typical of this mountainous region. Early on, he distinguished himself with his exceptional climbing abilities, quickly reaching grade 8a on the walls of his region. Alongside his passion for the mountains, he pursued studies and became a mathematics teacher. Auer became known at the age of 23, in 2007, thanks to his free solo ascent of the legendary "Via Attraverso il Pesce" (Weg durch den Fisch or Fish Route) on the south face of the Marmolada in the Italian Dolomites. This 37-pitch (850 m), graded 7b+, is considered one of the most difficult free solo routes in the world. He completed the ascent without a rope in 2 hours 55 minutes, a feat that was internationally acclaimed and later compared to Alex Honnold's performance on El Capitan. This solo remains one of the most remarkable in the history of modern mountaineering. After this ascent, Hansjörg Auer pursued a career marked by audacity and innovation, focusing on free climbing, free soloing, and challenging alpine expeditions, often on unclimbed peaks or via uncharted routes. Among his notable achievements: In 2006, he free soloed "Tempi Moderni," another major route on the Marmolada (27 pitches, 850 m, 7a). He made several first ascents of Himalayan and Karakoram peaks, including the south face of Nilgiri South (Annapurna, Nepal), the west face of Lupghar Sar West (Pakistan, solo), and the southwest face of Kunyang Chhish East (7,400 m, Pakistan) in 2013 with his brother Matthias and Simon Anthamatten. This last ascent earned them a nomination for the 2014 Piolet d'Or. In 2017, he free-soloed three major routes in the Dolomites, connecting the ultralight paragliding routes: Vinatzer/Messner (Marmolada), Abramkante (Piz Ciavazes) and Grosse Mauer (Sass dla Crusc), accumulating 3,600 m of elevation gain and 33 km in 12 hours. His solo ascent of the west face of Lupghar Sar West (Pakistan) earned him the posthumous Piolet d'Or in 2019. Hansjörg Auer embodies a new generation of mountaineers, committed to a strict ethic: alpine-style progression, refusal of fixed ropes, the search for untouched routes, and regular free soloing. He admired Reinhold Messner, whom he considered a role model, and discussed his personal struggles, particularly with anorexia, in his autobiography Südwand (2017). On April 16, 2019, Hansjörg Auer died in an avalanche on Howse Peak in the Canadian Rockies, alongside his companions David Lama and Jess Roskelley. The three climbers were attempting an ascent of a very difficult mixed route. Their bodies were found on April 21, buried under the snow. Hansjörg Auer is remembered as an exceptional, daring, and innovative climber, renowned for his extreme solos and challenging expeditions. He left a lasting mark on the world of mountaineering with his style, commitment, and the diversity of his achievements, both in the Alps and on the world's highest peaks.