Name: Dave Birkett
Hometown: Lake District
Sport: Climbing
I'm a full time stonemason born and bred and based in the Lake District, centre of the universe. I live down the road from my uncle Bill who is reasonably famous but not as famous as Grandad Jim Birkett who was really famous as the first man to climb Extreme. I've climbed for many years and the longevity of my climbing career is the thing I am most proud of. I climbed my first E9, If Six was Nine in 1992 at the age of 24 and now, 20 years later I am still climbing as hard.
After shoulder surgery in 2011, thankfully I still feel able to climb well but I don't think I'll ever be able to hit a running cat with a stone ever again.
I've climbed many routes that have been graded E10 or harder but I still don't believe I have climbed E10 and this remains my goal.
