I used to work within the camera department in film and TV. I loved the camaraderie within a good crew, with everyone pulling for the same objective. I loved the creative output, and the recognition of a good shot or a job well done. But there were parts of the job I disliked. The egos, the live broadcast stress, the feeling of your work being constantly judged. So I decided to move away from London, back to my home village in Scotland, to have a break from the industry. I hadn’t realised that this would be me stepping away fully, and embracing a new line of work.

I’d got back into climbing while living in London, and as I worked on a morning TV show, i spent a lot of my free afternoons bouldering in quiet climbing centres. This was a great release from the stresses of work. But when I moved to a different show, one with normal 9-5 hours, suddenly the climbing centres were too busy to have a nice time, and my escape from stress-filled me with more stress. I’m sure this is one of the contributing factors in my move from the city.

Back at my parents house I was picking up odd jobs here and there. Gardening, evenings batch-cutting at a local laser cutters, and occasionally bits of camera work. I’d head into Glasgow to climb at the Glasgow Climbing Centre, occasionally on the ropes but mainly bouldering, and would always smile and chat to the people on reception.

I happened to see a Facebook post from the Climbing Centre saying they were looking for new staff, so I applied with my film and TV CV. Somehow, this was interesting enough to bring me in for an interview, despite the lack of qualifications or instructor experience. I was pointed in the right direction to become a climbing instructor, went and got my qualifications, and before I knew it I was running regular climbing classes!

Working at a climbing centre is cool. Free entry to climb in your spare time, surrounded by experienced climbers to learn from, and getting to be part of people’s first steps into the sport. I loved it! I would jump on as many shifts as I could, take any training and work towards any available qualifications, and generally go headfirst into the job. I’d climb before or after my shifts, and as a result, my climbing improved massively. I also got myself into a good team of staff who were keen outdoor boulderers, showing me how to approach different rock styles and how to read nonexistent feet. It’s safe to say the first few years were magical!

I worked my way up through the company, becoming an experienced instructor and then a duty manager for the centre. But with this, I took on more responsibility. I was having to de-escalate customer complaints, manage late or absent staff, and was first on the scene for various customer incidents. All this made the job feel more and more like work. And when your hobby involves having to stay at work after work, you begin to not want to do your hobby.

COVID didn’t help things, and the further I progressed within the company, the less I climbed. I still loved the sport, but would avoid climbing at the centre, instead going to other centres in Glasgow where I didn’t feel responsible. Even then, my interest had truly ebbed. I moved to a position within senior management, and took great pride in the work I was doing, but I really did miss having climbing as my outlet.

Six months ago, I decided to step away. The appeal of working in a climbing centre had faded, and I was ready to enjoy the sport again. My wife and I went on a couple of climbing trips, pushing ourselves on sandstone boulders and limestone sport climbs, enjoying the break from indoor climbing. When we returned, I felt rejuvenated, and the enjoyment of climbing had fully returned. I began climbing at the centre again, enjoying the social side of the building without the responsibility.

Stepping away from working in climbing has been the best thing for my climbing. Sure, I now have to pay to climb inside, but that makes me want to climb outside much more. The people I met and the experience I built up while at the centre is unreplaceable. But falling in love with my favourite sport all over again has been the best.