At first glance, Rudolf “Rudi” Hauser may not strike you as a typical mountain climber. But once the climbing begins, the presumed “surfer look” sported by the Austrian native can no longer hide the man’s passion for mountains. There are very good reasons why the extreme athlete can be counted among Europe’s best professional climbers – he’s a man who has made a name for himself with, among other things, his spectacular solo tours on rock and ice.
Rudi was a relative late bloomer to the sport, having discovered his passion for the vertical world at the advanced age of 19. But he quickly found his way to professional climbing and mountaineering – high-performance activities that he readily admits are propelled by the support he receives from his family and friends.
Hauser, a man who works on the side as a carpenter, celebrated one of his most spectacular successes with his solo climb of the frozen, 270-metre waterfall Supervisor (WI6), one of the most challenging ice-climbing routes in Austria. Of course, he did it without leashes and the use of technical aides – and the whole climb took just one hour and 40 minutes. To put that into perspective: The rope team that became the first group to ascend the frozen waterfall in 1991 needed eight hours to pull off the feat! It was a performance that highlights the physical and mental strength of the family man.
“The mountains have always been part of my life. I grew up surrounded by the Alps and my role models were my ancestors. It was never a question of starting with sport, more a question of getting stronger by experience and adventure.”
“The adventure of my life so far was a free solo climb of two 1000m big walls with high difficulties in 11 hours – connected by a 21km run. I tried to face my biggest fears, with all the consequences.”
“A feeling of dependability on your feet in extreme terrain”
