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Urban Assault Bouldering Climbing
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| Elevation: | 497 ft |
| GPS: |
30.24757, -97.79184 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
| Page Views: | 15,775 total · 277/month |
| Shared By: | JLilStar _ on Aug 17, 2019 |
| Admins: | mattm, Matt Richardson, Tommy Blackwell |
Description
Scattered boulders near the world-class Urban Assault; located at the wall, downstream of the wall, and upstream of the wall. Many of these are riverbed boulders and will be underwater for part of the year, but there are plenty that are dry year-round. Depending on the rain that year, July through December is your best bet for the creek being dry. There are some classic boulders in this area that are previously undocumented, but have been on the circuit since the 90s. Many of the problems are V0-V1, with some up to V7.
Status as of 8-17-19: This page is a work in progress, as boulder problems are still being catalogued and pictures being taken and topos being drawn. Will update this until it's complete.
[Status 8-29-19]: I'm adding more stuff but it's hard! gimme a break damn
Status as of 8-17-19: This page is a work in progress, as boulder problems are still being catalogued and pictures being taken and topos being drawn. Will update this until it's complete.
[Status 8-29-19]: I'm adding more stuff but it's hard! gimme a break damn
Riverbed Bouldering
This one of those special climbing areas where the some of the boulders are submerged in the regular water level of the creek for part of the year.
It just happens to be Barton Creek, a beautiful part of our Austin habitat. Please be mindful of how you travel across this terrain, it is sensitive and we need to respect and preserve.
Some of the boulders here are underwater for part of the year (usually from Nov/Dec until May/June, depending on how much rain is received during any given year); best time to go is July-October if you can stand the white heat. This makes for some cool problems only available for part of the year, just like everyone's favorite V5, Whipping Post. You will have to brush/scrub/clean up a some of all of a problem in order to have the holds in decent shape, but once again, don't harm the environment.
During flood events, it's possible that all of the boulders could be underwater, even higher than the regular water level that we are used to seeing. If this is the case, you're hopefully not trying to run down to the greenbelt for a sesh anyway... That being said, just be smart. Use these links:
normies: https://www.facebook.com/groups/636147343144441/
nerds: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=08155300
For each boulder in this area, you'll see a sub-section in the description that explains how the boulder is affected by water in the creek.
It just happens to be Barton Creek, a beautiful part of our Austin habitat. Please be mindful of how you travel across this terrain, it is sensitive and we need to respect and preserve.
Some of the boulders here are underwater for part of the year (usually from Nov/Dec until May/June, depending on how much rain is received during any given year); best time to go is July-October if you can stand the white heat. This makes for some cool problems only available for part of the year, just like everyone's favorite V5, Whipping Post. You will have to brush/scrub/clean up a some of all of a problem in order to have the holds in decent shape, but once again, don't harm the environment.
During flood events, it's possible that all of the boulders could be underwater, even higher than the regular water level that we are used to seeing. If this is the case, you're hopefully not trying to run down to the greenbelt for a sesh anyway... That being said, just be smart. Use these links:
normies: https://www.facebook.com/groups/636147343144441/
nerds: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=08155300
For each boulder in this area, you'll see a sub-section in the description that explains how the boulder is affected by water in the creek.
Approach
Best way to approach is the Gus Fruh entrance off of Barton Skyway. Walk down to the creek, and head upstream staying on the same side of the creek as Barton Skyway. If the creek is dry, the boulder will be easier to spot if you hike in the riverbed, otherwise, use the regular trail to Urban Assault. After about 10 minutes of hiking, the boulders will start to appear. Some are impressively tall, some are horribly sharp, some are short n chossy (i love choss). If the creek is dry, you can approach from Seismic Wall, but it's a farther hike.
Urban Assault Sport Climbing
The best part of this area is that some of the longest, tallest sport routes in Austin are nearby. Check out the sport climbing, including Austin's 3-pitch adventure climb infamously known as Urban Assault.
https://www.mountainproject.com/area/107772150/urban-assault-wall
https://www.mountainproject.com/area/107772150/urban-assault-wall
The Season
Best times to climb out here are July through November. Other than that, the creek is usually flowing and then many of the problems will be underwater. Depends on rain that year though, if it's a drought like 2009-2014 then it'll be dry year round, if it's anything like recent years then the creek is usually flowing October-June.
Classic Climbing Routes at Urban Assault Bouldering
Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
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Photos
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