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The FA #45 - Arête Style Dysfunction
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- Grade: 5.13a
- Style: Sport
- The FAer: James Otey
- Location: The Dihedrals, Little Falls, NY
- Date: October 8, 2010
THE BETA
Arête Style Dysfunction, known previously by the simple descriptive name Black Arête, had been climbed on toprope prior to James Otey’s bolting effort, but it had never seen a proper ascent from the sharp end. After being referred to prolific central New York route developer Bill Griffith and his friend Gary’s Bosch, Otey set to work equipping the route and attempting the technical, crimpy, and very striking line.
HOW TO GET THERE
Enter Little Falls, New York. Thirty feet from the seemingly perpetually rumbling CSX train tracks sits a small cliff band that holds a variety of brutally technical routes on ultra-hard metacynite. The atmosphere is anything but tranquil, but for central New Yorkers wedged between Albany and Syracuse, it’s a place to pull hard and get psyched. The Dihedrals, where Arête Style Dysfunction resides, is on private land. The owner charges $10 to climb there, but is climber friendly. To get there, take exit 29A off the I-90 throughway, taking a right onto Hwy. 5 after going over the bridge. Take your first right on Bidleman Road, bearing right onto River Road. Follow this unmaintained road until you reach a concrete highway divider where you can park. The Dihedrals will be on your right.
