Mountain photographer and top climber – Heinz Zak
His name is spoken in the same breath as the most famous mountain and climbing photographers. His pictures travel around the world. His passion for nature and the mountains also spur him on to supreme achievement behind the shutter of his camera.
Pioneering work in climbing
51-year-old Zak is one of the most famous climbers in Austria and one of the pioneers of sport climbing. Since 1979, he has been travelling the climbing regions of the world, but he has never forgotten his homeland of Austria. At the end of the 1970s, he brought his sport climbing ideas from the United States back to Austria with him, where he helped to develop the sport by opening up local climbing regions and Alpine routes up to a difficulty rating of ten. His territory is the Karwendel. He was involved in opening up climbing areas such as the »Dschungelbuch« and the »Chinesische Mauer«.
International success
The climber from Tyrol himself successfully completed the third ascent of the 1300 m high »Royal Flush« (IX, A2) on the Fitz Roy in Patagonia as well as the second free solo ascent of the famous split roof »Separate Reality« (VIII+) in California’s Yosemite National Park. Also in Yosemite, Zak managed to climb the »Nose« on El Capitan and the north-west wall of the Half-Dome, one after the other, in one day. On El Capitan he successfully completed a red-point ascent of the »Free Rider« (IX). In Europe, he climbed the north face of the Eiger in winter and he crossed 36 peaks of the Karwendel main ridge in three days, solo and without a rope.
Professional in important position
Heinz Zak was a teacher and then later turned his passion into a job. He lives as a climber and self-employed photographer in Scharnitz, Tyrol. Together with Bernd Ritschel, Peter Mathis and Jürgen Winkler he is one of the best mountain, climbing and landscape photographers in the German-speaking region. As well as climbing, he has also devoted himself to slacklining and is very important on this scene in Europe. He demonstrates the art of highlining at a dizzy height in performances and live appearances.
