UKH

Sorry if this has already been posted on UKC, I couldn't find it.

This made me feel uncomfortable: https://www.facebook.com/HansjoergAuer.official/videos/10156275046798216/

I read somewhere that it was a fake clip. Something to do with an advertisement. 

Sorry I can't be more specific. 

Well that must have been character building! 

Look at the angle of the trees in the distance. It could well be that the slope he's 'abseiling' down is about 20degs Very convincing at first sight though!

Hard to tell, as gopros have masses of distortion around the edges and angles tend to be messed up.  The rope does appear to be free hanging at some points which suggests it is somewhat steeper than 20 degrees.

Ah, ok - hmm, even on second viewing it isn't obvious to me what the angle is. I originally thought it was Hansjörg Auer himself in the video.

The guy has freesoloed a 850m+ route at French 7b. Not sure what he'd get out of faking an abseil?

Well given that my only knowledge of this video is this thread, which gives no context at all, who knows what reason there may have been for making it - certainly seems to have generated clicks! I can't honestly believe he or anyone else would be trying to suggest that such an ab is reasonable.

And it's 7b+ 

Well, if the alternative is an attempt to downclimb in which you are fairly-certain you'll peel off, then the unreasonable abseil becomes the reasonable choice...

The caption of the video reads;

"When you're climbing solo, you realize that you got off the route but there is no option anymore to climb up or down?! By the way you have no gear except a thin rope, one ice screw, your harness, a belay device and you need your crampons and ice axes to finish the climb. Challenging!"

I'm with John on this one. The rope doesn't look free hanging at all, and when hes actually abing it is definitely laying on the rocks and not dangling off into the abyss!! also he knocks his axe at about 21 seconds in and its loose! make of that what you will...

I didn't see that. Perhaps my assumption that it's an advertising spoof isn't right? I still think it's far less steep than it initially appears.

Is this the next version of the Beal Escaper?

If I didn't have a warthog to whap into the turf I'd have abseiled off my axe. I must say I liked the way he held his axe at the ready while descending so that if the worst happened he could quickly bury it in a usefully close patch of neve thus averting a plummet to certain death.

I suspect it's bollocks. Either that or we can expect to be reading more about Hans in an obituary quite soon.

The fact that he seemed to be able to fiddle around setting it up no hands and the tree thing suggests it wasn't very steep at all and the spike pretty positive. So, as long as the rock sound, no reason why it shouldn't be safe enough.

It didn't look very positive to me.

It looked flat if you were to assume crag vertical, so pretty positive if not all that steep.

Soloed, just 'soloed.'