After being introduced to the snowpark on a family ski holiday at a young age, I found my passion for freestyle skiing and continued to pursue it daily at the Scottish dryslopes of Hillend & Bearsden. Through competing on the UK scene as a teenager, I was selected for the GB Park & Pipe team and have travelled worldwide competing at the highest level in Europa Cup and World Cup Slopestyle events for the last 6 years.
After a Covid forced year at home combined with my final year of university studies, I discovered my love for the Scottish backcountry and had an amazing foot-powered season, filming, building jumps and skiing lines in the Scottish mountains. After that season sparked the fire for all aspects of freeskiing, and especially on Scottish skiing projects, I moved away from the Slopestyle competition circuit and began to look at the mountains from a different perspective.
The last 2 seasons in the Zillertal valley and the freeride mecca of Tignes have been insane - the experiences I've had and the progression I have made, have made me so stoked for a life of touring missions in the backcountry.
Get to know Harris
Tell us about your successes so far?
Some of my top achievements while on the international slopestyle circuit included a top 30 finish at the Seiser Alm World Cup, top 10 at the Winter World University Games in Siberia, 3rd at the Kreischberg Europa Cup in 2019 and becoming British Slopestyle Champion in 2016.
However since moving away from the freestyle scene, I have found that filming and big mountain adventures mean much more to me. I am most proud of the Shed Boys edit we filmed during the late season in Cairngorm last year, which showcases what the Scottish backcountry has to offer.
What are you working on? What are your goals for the future?
This past season in Tignes, I have been filming some steeper lines and backcountry spine/jump spots so am looking forward to releasing some clips later this year.
And, since I've been old enough to realise how special and unique skiing in Scotland is, it has been my aim to show the world what can be done on skis in Scotland, in every aspect of the sport! With some exciting filming plans set in place for next winter in the Highlands, it's looking like it's going to be a fun one!
I'd love to bring a bit of freestyle/freeride flavour to the steeper lines in Scotland!
Why do you ski? What do you love about skiing?
For me, there is no better feeling in the world than landing a big hit, getting a big face shot on a powder day or skiing a big line as fast as possible.
No matter the day's mission, whether it's boosting about the mountains with your mates, hitting a new daunting feature or going on a long tour to a new peak/line, that free feeling of adventure that the mountains provide and the stoke from the crew is hard to beat!
Which Scarpa shoe is your favourite?
This season has been my first season on the 4-Quattro XT ski boot and I can confidently say it is the boot I have been looking for the last few years.
Having one boot to do it all is the best thing. I can boost big lines, jump off cliffs, carve fast on piste, comfortably go on long multi-days tours and bootpack steeps all in the same boot. The stiffness combined with the light weight and insane range of motion is what makes it.
Tell us about your best day skiing?
Ohh this is tough. There are way too many to pick one but a highlight was definitely the ski-bike adventure into the Braeriach Coires with the Scottish freestyle crew I grew up riding with.
An early start, blue skies, biking into a new zone, skinning up, skiing steeps, bootpacking out and boosting grass/spring patches of snow with the crew at sunset to finish. To do it all on home soil was special!
What do you do away from your sport?
Having just graduated Product Design Engineering last summer, I worked as a Designer & Maker for a campervan conversion company and plan to pursue that line of work whenever I'm not skiing. Vans and adventure go hand in hand!
Surfing, mountain biking and hiking/scrambling are also a prime summer activity for me!
It has been a dream to sail and ski around Norway and the Lyngen Alps for some time now. The couloirs and peaks there are on the bucket list for sure. And of course, Alaska too!
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