A TOP ice climber has introduced some home comforts to his training regime - by building a 12ft wall in his garage.

Great Britain's Harry Holmes decided to erect the structure when he became fed up with travelling 45 minutes to use facilities at York's Red Goat Climbing Wall.

The 23-year-old of Nafferton, East Yorkshire, was selected to represent his country two years ago after impressing scouts at competitions while at the University of Edinburgh.

However, the lack of cliff faces covered with snow and ice in his village meant he was often forced to travel far and wide to find somewhere suitable.

He said: "We had some wood kicking about on our farm, so myself and my dad built the structure and cladded it with plywood.

"I put normal climbing holes on it and can use my crampons and ice axe on it."

At 8ft wide and 12ft tall, it's not something you would usually find in a household garage, but the convenience of having it in his back garden means Harry can train 24 hours a day.

He added: "It's brilliant because I can climb whenever I want.

"If I wanted to go to York it would be a 45 minute drive, but this is a lot more flexible."

Harry has competed all over the world and recently returned from a competition in South Korea.

In 2014 he finished second in the British Series, was third in an open Dutch event and picked up a bronze medal in a World Cup competition in Buxton.

He will aim to build on his success when he flies out to the World Cup series in Switzerland on Wednesday to take on other climbers to see who can go the furthest in a set time limit.

He added: "I enjoy the competitions.

"It's very different from normal ice climbing and competing for your country is really enjoyable."