About

Chris McMorris

I grew up in the Isle of Man, where I very much enjoyed life. However, I couldn't wait to get out into the wider world and at the age of 18 I came to Edinburgh to study Applied Sports Science with Outdoor Education at the University of Edinburgh. Throughout my studies, I looked at the training methods of elite athletes and gained key knowledge about how to apply the principles of training across a large variety of sports. Sports psychology was also a primary topic; looking at mental preparation and how to cope with the pressure of competition. Over the four year course, I experienced a huge variety of outdoor activities and I was introduced to the magical place that is: Scotland.

After graduating in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science with Honours (BSc Hons), I struggled to decide on a career. I had been advised that there were not many graduate positions in the sports and leisure industry. Discovering that this was indeed the case, when looking for a job myself in the summer of 2006, I realised that I would have to pursue a job in another field. I have always had a keen interest in computing, particularly servers and the Linux operating system. I studied hard and successfully gained the CompTIA Linux+ certification which secured a Linux System Admin job at a well-known data centre in Edinburgh. After 6 months I realised that the long hours sitting at a desk, late nights and the lack of free weekends were not for me - surely there was more to life than this?

I then secured a job in IT Support at George Watson's College in April 2007 that opened the door to numerous opportunities. Watson's has enabled me to work part-time as an outdoor educator and instructor as well as utilising my IT skills. Since 2007, I have helped run the school climbing club with regular (twice weekly) visits to the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena (EICA), the occasional trip to Alien Rock and numerous competitions. Watson's has produced a number of top climbers in recent years, including Robbie Philips and Jonathan Field. Most recently I have been focusing on coaching climbing to promising youngsters and it seems this is where my real passion lies. I have also been focusing on my personal climbing, particularly outdoors on natural rock and snow & ice. In November 2012 I successfully gained the Single Pitch Award; this has allowed me to take my coaching goals forward on a more formal basis.

As well as climbing, I am a keen hill walker, mountain-biker, writer and photographer. I have assessed and supervised The Duke of Edinburgh's Award at all levels (Gold, Silver and Bronze) and I am a fully accredited assessor. I have a great passion for the outdoors and teaching people the skills to enjoy our surroundings to the full.