Doting dad transforms stairs into climbing wall for son who wants to be a professional rock climber

A devoted father has converted the staircase in his house into an impressive climbing wall for his son to practise his rock climbing. Michael Mason, 37, spent £700 making the special climbing structure for his son Leo, 10, who is passionate about rock climbing and dreams of becoming a professional rock climber when he is older.

Diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at the age of seven, Leo uses the unique climbing wall which has built into the stairs of their three-bedroom terraced home several times a week. An amazing video showcases Leo ascending the stairs by skillfully navigating the homemade climbing surface.

Talking about his son's reaction to the climbing addition, dad-of-two Michael from Cumbria shared: "When I built it, he thought it was much better than what he thought it was actually going to be."

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He added that the climbing wall is particularly beneficial on quieter days when they haven't been climbing or hiking outdoors: "It's used for the down days when we don't do that big of a climb - we put the mattresses down and he's off."

Despite not using it as often himself, Michael confesses that his son is already out-climbing him: "I don't use it as much as Leo - he's already a lot stronger than me climbing wise."

The outdoor pursuits have reportedly helped reduce Leo's tics, often aggravating his condition, with Michael explaining how addressing stress, sleep, and lack of exercise has made a significant difference: "The biggest things are stress, lack of exercise and lack of sleep - we eliminated the stress with the school side of things which reduced his ticks."

However, the challenges persist in some aspects.