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1600 Hits
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74.01% Score
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4 Votes
Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
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Lat/Lon:
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30.37580°N / 98.12119°W |
Activities:
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Sport Climbing, Toprope |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
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Overview
The first (or last) developed wall at North Shore, Unleashed Wall is one of the most underappreciated and least-frequented walls at North Shore, probably because it is a hassle getting to and from it and because it is far from the popular North Shore Walls.
Because these routes are among the newest at North Shore (the oldest were bolted in 2012 and the current youngest went up in 2016), there is plenty of sharp, sticky limestone. However, you also will encounter choss and dirt. I've broken rock off while climbing here, and there are some "good" holds that seem ready to go.
There are only 5 routes here, but 4 of them are 5.7-5.9, making this a great warm-up wall and a great place to take newer climbers. It pairs well with The Dude Wall just a few bushwhacky minutes away.
A 30m rope will cover you for all the routes here and for just about anything at North Shore, for that matter.
Getting There
Trail Split-- go right for all but Matrix, Dude, and UnleashedReimers Ranch is located off Hamilton Pool Road about 6 miles west of its intersection with Ranch Road 12. It is about 45 minutes west from downtown Austin.
Once through the entrance station, drive to the end of the road (around 4 miles from the entrance station), following signs for "North Bank."
The main access trail starts by the trash bins. By the disabled spots there is a trail that provides access to nice rappel rings set in a safe location that give you access to Unleashed Wall. Hike south and look for a faint use trail. If you approach a drainage, you have gone too far. A note about the rappel rings: there often is a pile of scat on or very close to them.
It is also possible to make a Class 3 scramble down rocks near the rappel rings.
Alternatively, take the main trail down and bear left near the junction shown above. From here, it's about 5 minutes to Dude Wall, but the hike over to Unleashed entails a short, unpleasant bushwhack that might leave you itchy the rest of the day.
Routes
From left to right:
- Beggar's Bargain, 5.8-- FA and BB Adam Mitchell. Adam is a cool guy and deserves a lot of credit for the work he has done bolting and maintaining routes around here, but this one is a sandbag unless he found a sequence no one else seems to have or unless a hold or holds have broken since he put this up. I've solo-led this route, and I've climbed it with two different people who are strong 5.9-10b sport leaders, and they both find this route hard for the grade (as do I). This is not a good warm-up unless you are a solid 5.10 sport leader, and it is not good for a new leader.
- Sit and Stay, My Ass! 5.7-- Adam Mitchell. Way easier than Beggar's Bargain, reinforcing the idea that the latter is sandbagged.
- Jesse, BCDE, 5.8-- (Best Crag Dog Ever) FA and BB Rona Distenfeld. Rona started climbing just shy of 50, and it didn't take long for her to become a solid 5.11 leader. I've climbed with her a few times, and she excels on crimpy stuff and has great footwork; she makes me look terrible. Rona's routes tend to be well-bolted and user-friendly, and this one is no exception; it has four bolts while Adam's on this wall have three each. Thus, this might be the best warm-up or new-leader route here even though it's not the easiest by grade.
- Frisbee Addict, 5.9 PG-- Adam Mitchell. The local guidebook says to start just left of a big tree, but you actually start just right of it. Starting up is the crux. The PG comes in near the anchors as you get close to the tree.
- Poco's Piss, 5.11b-5.12b PG-- FA and BB Russell Mayes. Two bolts. I haven't climbed this one, and I have no idea what determines the grade. The rappel rings above let you descend this route and check it out.
 Beggar's Bargain, 5.8 |
 Jesse, BCDE; 5.8 |
 Frisbee Addict, 5.9 |
 Frisbee Addict, 5.9 |
 Rappel Down Poco's Piss |