Christoph Hainz got a whiff of mountain air early on. Born in South Tyrol, he spent his childhood on a farm at 1500 meters. Up there, he sowed his wild oats and “ignored” the surrounding and distant summits for all of 20 years. It took him just eight years following his first “sought-after” encounter to decide on a career change. The first successes on the mountain came soon after.
What began with the first climb of the “Waldepfeiler” (V+VII-) on the Mur de Pisciadu/ Sella, grew into a testimony to Christoph Hainz’s passion for the mountain: Over 2000 routes, including rock-face climbing until difficulty X- (“Symphonie de liberté,” the Eiger north face, 2000), mixed climbs until M10+ (“Misch ich fix“, Höhlenstein Valley, 2005), and over 20 solo ascents grades VI and VII.
In addition to joining up with Hans Kammerlander for the first climb of the direct north pillar of the Shivling (VII, WI 4) in India, Hainz also scored solo successes. In 1994, he performed the fastest solo climb of the Fitz Roy in Patagonia, and in winter 1997, he did the “superdirettissima” of the Grosse Zinne north face alone in just 8 hours. Another spectacular solo feat in 2003: In a mere four-and-a-half hours, Hainz swept over the “Heckmair” route up the north face of the Eiger. There, in 2007, he and Roger Schäli opened up the “Magic Mushroom” route (21 SL, IX).