NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Wonderful images from Kilted Yoga star and adventurer Tristan Cameron-Harper
Meeting Tristan Cameron-Harper is akin to coming face to face with a rugged and bearded version of a Duracell bunny, writes Stephanie Abbot. He tells me that two nights prior to our chat, he was camping in the middle of the Highlands with his beloved pooch Nacho – a dog Tristan rescued from the dog meat trade in South Korea just over a year ago – when they were lucky enough to witness a spectacular meteor shower across the night sky.
‘This meteorite comes out of nowhere, breaks up into five pieces, goes bright green and it was the craziest experience of my life. I’ve never seen anything like that, it was quite spectacular. I was shooting some amazing shots of the milky way and it was the first time I was able to do that in Scotland because it’s usually cloudy or there are lights from cities nearby,’ Tristan says with audible excitement.
Tristan’s enthusiasm for the outdoors has led him on countless adventures both at home in Scotland and further afield in Peru, Canada, the Alps, Norway and Spain. His instagram feed is an enviable collection of images from his various escapades and reads like a manual on the ‘how to’ of outdoor adventure.
You may recognise Tristan as one half of the burly duo who featured in the Kilted Yoga video – showing two chaps practicing a spot of yoga in the woods, wearing nothing but their kilts. Released by BBC Scotland’s The Social in February 2017, the cheeky video has notched up 66 million views.
An ex-professional ice hockey player in Canada, Tristan is also the current Mr Scotland and runs The North Blog through which he showcases his adventures and places a particular emphasis on highlighting all that Scotland has to offer. On top of that he works with various brands including Tiso, Trespass and Tomatin.
‘My weekly schedule is pretty much catching up on all the work I’ve not been able to do becuase I’m on the road, editing photos, video and then meeting with clients. A lot of my clientele is Scotland-based because I’m really passionate about helping Scotland thrive and raising awareness, getting people more clued up on what’s happening here. I do a lot of mountaineering and mountain guiding, taking people that are not as experienced, giving them the confidence to go out in the hills’.
And it seems that Tristan has no plans to ease up on his busy schedule. ‘I’m meant to be going to Mongolia,’ he says. ‘One of my goals is to shoot for the National Geographic in the future so I want to start going to places in the world that are not really well documented. I want to immerse myself in the local culture and the communities, so I can learn about their way of life. Not only living with them but also bringing that back to our culture and really making people aware that we are so privileged with everything we have.’
Speaking to Tristan is an inspirational experience – and one which could be just the push a person needs to finally bag that first Munro, explore a bit more of Scotland or embark upon a completely new adventure.