LOWA PRO Team Rudi Hauser

Climbing as a natural vocation

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.