Cumbrian climber first to conquer 'Mirror Wall'

Leo leads a pitch on the Mirror Wall. Credit: Berghaus

A Cumbrian climber has become the first person to scale the middle of the Mirror Wall - a colossal vertical rock face in a remote corner of Greenland.

Leo Houlding led a team of five through Arctic conditions to reach the summit of the 1,200m tall Mirror Wall, which is four times the height of the Shard, in London.

ITV Border can now show some of the photos from his climb:

Setting up camp isn't easy. Credit: Berghaus
Leo Houlding and Joe Mohle having breakfast. Credit: Berghaus
Leo and team on the summit of the Mirror Wall. Credit: Berghaus

Leo climbed the wall with Joe Mo?hle, Matt Pickles, Matt Pycroft and Waldo Etherington.

They had to deal with illness, terrible weather, crevasse falls on a glacier, and supplies that were ravaged by polar bears, before the team even reached the foot of the wall.

They lived in a hanging port-a-ledge for the 12 nights it took, and faced a race against time to complete the ascent before the weather closed in.

The Mirror Wall is a massive granite ‘big wall’, taller than the Dawn Wall on El Capitan in Yosemite that was famously climbed earlier this year.

It is located beyond the Edward Bailey Glacier in eastern Greenland.

The size of the wall. Credit: Berghaus