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Gerty Berwick is located to the left of John Dunne's 1987 testpiece The New Statesman (E8 7a) and is shown here chalked up after Ryan Pasquill's recent first ascent. The name comes from a signature chiseled at the base of the route. Photo by Jack Geldard / UKClimbing.com.

News Link: Ryan Pasquill has succeeded in climbing a desperate new route at the Ilkley Crag in Yorkshire, England. Gerty Berwick, at a "modest" grade of E9 7a was, until now, considered by many to be one of the last great unclimbed gritstone challenges.

Dunne, who witnessed the send at Ilkley on January 10th, 2009, said this in a report on UKClimbing.com: "The wall has been tried many times by climbers including Steve McClure, James Pearson, Steve Dunning and Jerry Moffatt to name but a few. My dedication to the route and the pedigree of the other climbers who have tried it demonstrates the quality and extreme difficulty of the route. Both Moffatt and Dunning thought it would never be climbed, making Ryan's achievement even more impressive."

Read more about Pasquill's ascent here.

Sources: Mick Ryan / UkClimbing.com

Date of Ascent: January, 10, 2009

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