STAVELEY climber Leo Houlding has successfully scaled a huge unclimbed rock face in the harsh Arctic wilderness.

Earlier this month the Gazette reported that Houlding and his small team had begun an ascent of the Mirror Wall, a 1,200m high granite cliff in Renland, north east Greenland.

Battling sickness, bad weather and route problems, the team faced a race against time to reach the summit before being picked up by helicopter tomorrow (Tuesday).

After days of radio silence, Houlding sent a short message to Berghaus, who are sponsoring the mission, this afternoon.

“We nailed it," it read. "The team has successfully climbed the Mirror Wall by the main face and descended safely. Such a huge wall - taller than El Capitan - and so blank and smooth that you can almost see your reflection.  Strategically simple, tactically highly complex - the month long process of gazing deep into the mirror looking for a way to the top is over and we found it.

“We are back in base camp.  The crew, little experienced in this game, have all excelled and not just survived, but thrived on the challenge. It has been a privilege to run wild with these strong guys out here in this grown up playground."