Climbing has always been an integral part of our company history. In the early 1980s, we were one of the first companies to make sport climbing shoes. Pioneers and climbing legends such as Kurt Albert and Sepp Gschwendtner shaped an entire era – with HANWAG shoes on their feet.
In 1975, the nuremberg Kurt Albert invented Redpointing in Frankenjura, Germany. The climbing genius started marking routes that could be free climbed – without falls, without resting on the rope and without the use of ‘artificial aid’ for progression – with a red dot (Rotpunkt). This demanding technique revolutionized modern sport climbing from the 1970s and 1980s onwards. Today, it is not only the most popular form of climbing all over the world – in 2025, Redpointing celebrates its 50th anniversary.
The Bavarian Sepp Gschwendtner was one of the top German climbers at the start of the 1980s. He made sport climbing history – wearing Hanwag rock shoes and was also involved in developing them. Bright, colourful, different – what motivated sport climbers in the 1970s and 1980s? What influenced their special attitude and lifestyle? Sepp Gschwendtner enjoys talking about the period.
Inspired by the original rock approach shoe from the 1980s, the ROTPUNKT LL is a retro-inspired functional mountain & leisure shoe with high-quality details that comes in a limited edition of only 999 pairs with an embossed serial number.