Christoph Hainz, Tre Cime di Lavaredo man: the evening at Arco

There are some appointments that shouldn’t be missed. One of these is undoubtedly the evening with Christoph Hainz, scheduled to take place at 21:00 on Friday, June 2, at Caffè Trentino in Arco, Italy. This evening lecture is the first of the Italian tour organised by Salewa - the outdoor company for which Hainz has always been a reference point and close friend - during which the talented South Tyrolean alpinist will discuss his way of interpreting mountaineering, climbing and the mountains in general.

The evening talk will also include the screening of the film "Christoph Hainz - Three peaks man". This is a spectacular and intense document that combines Hainz's beautiful and thrilling solo ascent of the North Face of Cima Grande di Lavaredo with Hainz's more intimate and personal sphere, where he talks about himself and is described by his friends and family. The lasting picture is that of a man who, starting out from"his" beloved Tre Cime di Lavaredo and the Dolomites, has managed to interpret mountaineering like few others, always in a very personal manner, always cutting-edge, on all terrains and in all its forms. Hainz’s experience is both unique and extraordinary, and the path he has trodden is well worth exploring.

Christoph Hainz
Christoph Hainz is a true master climber and mountaineer who constantly searches for difficulty and beauty on all types of terrain: from huge mountain faces to difficult sport climbs, past ice and the biggest mountains in the world. Hainz belongs to that lineage of men who seem to have been bred specifically to climb mountains. In fact, it comes as no surprise that he comes from a land, the South Tyrol, that has produced some of the finest mountain climbers in the world.

Born in 1962 at Mühlwald, mountain guide since 1990, Christoph Hainz’s name has become associated with some of the most impressive ascents of the last 20 years, both in the Dolomites and elsewhere. Extremely strong is the adjective that most alpinists and climbers use to describe him, while "beautiful", accompanied by "very demanding", are the comments used to describe his routes. What is probably more important however is to underline the passion, strength and absolutely exceptional drive that Hainz applies to the mountains and his climbing, in all its forms. A passion and a commitment that always feeds off the joy the mountains give him. Interestingly, Hainz’s relationship with the mountains only began when he was twenty. "Perhaps" explains Hainz "it’s because the mountains were an integral part of my every-day life." The South Tyrolean had learnt the mountain’s secrets in that farm at 1500m where he grew up. And he had savoured its beauty and horizons in the most simplest of ways: experiencing the mountains one day after the next. Then, when Hainz was twenty, he discovered rock climbing. This encounter proved decisive, since he soon quit his job as car mechanic and became a mountain guide.

This choice, to devote his life to mountaineering and the mountains, immediately reaped its rewards, naturally with new routes, above all in the Dolomites. His first, in 1987, was the "Walde" pillar up Mur des Pisciadu in the Sella group and this was followed by countless other climbs, all of which are considered 5 star outings. Those that deserve a special mention are "Zauberlehrling" on Cima Scotoni, "Friedl Mutschlechner Gedächtnisweg" up Sass dla Crusc, "Moulin Rouge" up Roda di Vael, as well as the Civetta trio "Kein Rest von Sehnsucht" up Punta Tissi, "Rondò Veneziano" up Torre Venezia and "Donnafugata" up Torre Trieste. It’s worth underling the absolute must-climb hattrick on the North Faces of the Drei Zinnen, known as Tre Cime di Lavaredo in Italian. It is on these walls that Hainz really felt at home and set the standards of the upper extreme with his famously severe "Phantom der Zinne" on Cima Grande, "Alpenliebe" on Cima Ovest and "Otzi trifft Yeti" on Cima Piccola.

Hainz has also left his mark well beyond the Dolomites, on one of the most beautiful mountains in the world: Shivling. In 1993 he teamed up with Hans Kammerlander and forged a difficult line directly up the mountain’s North Pillar. In 1996 he travelled to the grandiose Ulumertorsuaq rock face in Greenland and established the difficult "Südtiroler Profil". His fast solo ascents are worth remembering, too, such as his race up the Franco/Argentine route on Fitz Roy in Patagonia, and also the "Superdirettissima" up Cima Grande di Lavaredo. And of course his superbly swift ascent of the Heckmair route up the North Face of the Eiger. That was back in 2003, and at the time Hainz breached those 1800m in a mere 4 and a half hours. This time amazed everyone, but Hainz didn't wish to emphasise it too much: "I didn’t want to set a record" he said at the time "I simply wanted to climb the Eiger…" And this is something he did again, in 2007, by teaming up with Roger Schäli and inventing his "Magic Mushroom": the new route that climbs the incredible rock mushroom on the top of the North Face of the Eiger. Obviously Hainz didn’t stop there. He has continued to establish new routes, such as his Golden Pilar on Ortler. And he has continued to "have fun" with fast raids such as the Winter’s Tale across the Tre Cime di Lavaredo that enabled him and Simon Kehrer to enchain Comici-Dimai on Cima Grande, Via Cassin on Cima Ovest and Spigolo Giallo on Cima Piccola. Because for Christoph Hainz the journey, and the magic of mountaineering, are never-ending.

by Vinicio Stefanello

Info: www.salewa.it