Chris & Chiara Hanke - Karpos Outdoor

Christoph and Chiara Hanke are the couple at the top of German climbing. He has twice been a semifinalist in lead climbing at the world championships, and she was the first German woman to climb a 9a. While they prefer different types of surfaces, they are united by a shared passion that brought them together and led them to settle with their dog in Betzenstein, a small town in the Frankenjura area of Germany.

The Hankes share not only a very technical and explosive climbing style but also a simple and minimalist lifestyle that has allowed them to become one with the natural environment that surrounds them. In the rock and the forests near their home, Chris and Chiara have found the freedom to fully express themselves, learning to go beyond new limits imposed by the shoulder injuries that over the years have undermined their capacity, but not their determination to return to the base of another wall.

Let’s get to know more about them.

CHIARA HANKE

For Chiara Hanke, climbing was not an instinctive choice. She started when she was still a child, on the advice of her doctors, to strengthen an injured shoulder, then decided to take an introductory course with her parents. In a short time, she developed the strength in extension and the versatile use of her fingers in holds that distinguish her even today, demonstrating that she was destined for pro climbing.

The results confirmed it: first came the callup to the national team, then victory in the women’s German Cup in 2013. A continuous upward trajectory, leading to the repetition of “Wall Street” (2018), the first-ever 8c in her Frankenjura region, repeating the exploits of the legendary Wolfgang Güllich, and the repetition of “Sever the Wicked Hand” (2019), with which Chiara became the first female German athlete in history to complete a 9a.

Her love for nature has led her to travel around Europe and the world in recent years, leaving her light and respectful footprint everywhere.

HIGHLIGHTS

2023 Stradivari (8b)
2022 T1 Full Equip (8b+/c)
2022 Pain Makes Me Stronger, Every Day (8c+)
2018 Sever the Wicked Hand (9a)