Hansjörg Auer

Life & Legacy

Hansjörg Auer ([hans.jœʁk ˈaʊ̯ɐ]; 18 February 1984 – 16 April 2019) was an Austrian mountaineer, noted for his free solo climbs, and particularly of Fish Route in the Italian Dolomites, the first-ever big wall solo at 5.12c (7b+). National Geographic described him as "one of the boldest and best climbers in the world", and he won the 2019 Piolet d'Or for this free solo ascent of the Lupghar Sar West, in northern Pakistan. He died in an avalanche while climbing on Howse Peak in the Canadian Rockies.