Dave Birkett

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Dave Birkett

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Dave works as a stonemason (when he is not rescuing sheep from the high fells!).

Some highlights of Dave's acheivements:

Year	Type	Route	Grade	Style	Crag	Comments
2006	Trad Route	Return of the King	E9 6c	first ascent	East Buttress, Scafell	Now available on DVD see below.
2005	Trad Route	Divided Years	E10 7a	second ascent	Buzzard Roost, Mournes
2005	Trad Route	Siege Perilous	E7 6b	second ascent	East Buttress, Scafell
2005	Trad Route	The Darkest Hour	E8 6c	first ascent	Dove Crag	An independent start to Dusk til Dawn
2005	Trad Route	Nowt but a Fleeing Thing	E8 6c	first ascent	Cam	Now available on DVD see below.
2005	Trad Route	Eulogy Direct	E8 6c	first ascent	Raven Crag, Langdale
2004	Trad Route	Breathless	E10 7a	second ascent	Tophet Wall
2004	Trad Route	Dawes Rides a Shovel Head	E8 6c	first ascent	Raven Crag, Langdale
2003	Trad Route	Fear of Failure	E8 6c	first onsight	Dove Crag	Possibly the first E8 onsight in the UK
2003	Trad Route	Death Arête	E8 6c	first ascent	East Buttress, Scafell
2002	Trad Route	Welcome to the Cruel World	E9 7a	first ascent	East Buttress, Scafell	Al Phizacklea on hearing the news "But that's it, that's the Big One!"
2002	Trad Route	Just Another Lonley Day	E9	first ascent	East Buttress, Scafell	The name, rather sadly, refers to the lack of climbers Birkett encountered on his several visits to the crag.
2000	Trad Route	Talbert Horizon	E9	first ascent	East Buttress, Scafell
1999	Trad Route	Impact Day	E8/9	first ascent	Pavey Ark, Langdale
1999	Bouldering	Stefan Grossman	7a/b (Font 8a)		Langdale Boulders	The arête above the wall on the top boulder.
1998	Trad Route	New Horizons	E8 6c	first ascent	East Buttress, Scafell
1994	Trad Route	Caveman	E8		Catherdral Quarry
1992	Trad Route	Hellish			Bowder Crag
1992	Trad Route	Bleed in Hell	E8 6c		Bowder Crag
1992	Trad Route	Caution	E8		Gillercombe Buttress
1992	Trad Route	If Six was Nine	E9 6c	first ascent	Iron Crag	Remains unrepeated
	Trad Route	Peppered Boursin	E7 7a	first ascent	Bright Beck Crag, Langdale
		Disorderly Conduct	E8 6c	second ascent	Reecastle, Borrowdale
	Trad Route	Drifting Too Far From Shore	E8 6a, 6c	first ascent	Rubha Hunish

Divided Years Repeated. Dave Birkett has just returned from Ireland where he has made the second ascent of John Dunne's E10 7a, Divided Years. This was the second E10 that I have been on with Dave. The first was Breathless on Gable Crag and although I couldn't do the two hardest moves (one on the start and one on the crux near the top) I did manage all the rest of the moves and I thought that the climbing was about equivalent to F8a+. The crux on Breathless requires good "Gritstone" conditions to hold the horrendously sloping edges. Whereas the crux on Divided Years involves a much longer and more sustained sequence of powerful moves in the middle of which a huge amount of effort is required to move your right hand between three poor holds that are only three inches apart. Divided Years follows a crack that takes as much gear as you want, the issue is being strong enough to be able to hang on one hand long enough to clip anything! The entire crux sequence is so tenuous that clipping is out of the question. Despite climbing through the technical crux three times on his second day Dave would fall while trying to stick the desperately baggy handjam that only leads to better holds after a huge cross through. This was our first trip to Ireland and it was so successful thanks to the superb hospitality of local activist Eddie Cooper who not only put us up in his home in the Mournes but Eddie also gave us a guided tour of some of the fantastic and accessible climbing on Fairhead. Bob Dickson also provided some tremendous advice and general Mournes info. Dave returned a couple of weeks later and despatched the route on his third attempt. See the stunning pictures in Octobers issue of Climber Magazine out 8 September 2005. Reported 17th August 2005

Dave preparing to tackle Divided Years, John Dunne's E10 7a in Ireland

Breathless Dave Birkett makes second ascent on Tophet Wall. Dave Birkett has repeated the line first climbed by John Dunne "Breathless E10 7a is on Great Gables Tophet Wall in the Lake District. This is possibly the hardest traditional route in the world." John Dunne 2000.

Breathless 26m E10

A death-defying route up the "huge wall" between Supernatural and Incantations, above the traverse of Tophet Wall. The climbing is merely E8 to the good hold but then increases steadily in difficulty, with the final move being the hardest. Start at a belay as for pitch 3 of Tophet Wall.

(7a). Climb the thin crack (2 blade peg runners) to a good hold (2 good peg runners). Climb directly to an obvious loose block (very poor thin blade runner), then climb the unrelenting hard and dynamic upper wall to a 7a crux final move. Don't fall off! John Dunne, 26^th June, 2000

Reported 28th June 2004

Nowt but a Fleeing Thing E8 6c Dave Birkett trusting his gear at Pembroke! Dave Birkett climbing Breathless


Dave Birkett onsighting Fettish for Fear E7/8 6b	Dave Birkett onsighting Fear of Failure E8 6c	Dave Birkett onsighting Vlad the Impailer E7 6b


Mary Jenner making short work of Herbie F7c+	Dave Birkett enjoying the Climb of the Century F8b	Dave Birkett repeating Wicked Gravity F8b

Set in Stone - Profile of Dave Birkett - £18.99

Set in Stone is the award winning climbing film from Alastair Lee and David Halsted about the Lakeland climber Dave Birkett. Lots and lots of excellent climbing footage and spectacular scenery panoramas of the Lakes. Beautiful music, interesting interviews. This film really is a work of art and something you will watch again and again. It includes Birkett on the first ascent of 'Return of the King' (E9 6c), Dave's latest addition to Scafell's East Buttress, as well as many other modern Lakeland test pieces such as the extraordinary 'Nowt But a Flee'in Thing' (E8 6c) on Cam Crag, Wasdale Screes; a stunningly evocative line. Other highlights include the legendary 'If Six was Nine' (E9 6c) on Lakeland’s esoteric Iron Crag; a route climbed 14 years ago and which remains one of the country’s most formidable climbs. Plus Birkett recounts how he made the hardest traditional ‘on-sight’ ascent in the world at Dove Crag: the aptly-named 'Fear of Failure' (E8 6c).

Buy online at Posing Productions