Kris Holm
Check out Kris Holm's new photography contest called "Capture the Moment." Enter to win here.
We met Kris at Telluride Mountainfilm in 2003. At the time he had a film, Into Thunder Dragon that was showing at the festival. Heck, they guy can ride a unicycle like no one you have ever seen, play a violin, walk his dog while on his uni, and he is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Ya, he's Canadian. He even had the patience to teach the toads how to ride our very own uni. Who wouldn't want to be his friend? Kris Holm is one of the worlds most experienced mountain unicyclists (MUNI) and is the best-known unicyclist. Kris has ridden since 1986 and is considered one of the early mountain unicycling pioneers. He is the founder of competitive unicycle trials (unicycle obstacle riding) and was the 2005 European, 2002 World, and 1999 North American unicycle trials champion. He also held the unicycle sidehop world record from 1998-2004. Kris's unicycling has taken him to 14 countries and he has appeared in numerous movies, television and magazine features. He is inspiring in what he has accomplished.
This year we teamed up with Kris to help support the Evolution of Balance Award. Mountain unicycling might seem like one of the most unlikely things you could do. Perhaps it is. But, it depends on your perspective. It’s only about as unlikely as whacking a ball into a distant hole, or people tackling you as you run down a field, or sliding down snow on sticks. At second glance, maybe there is something to this sport - something that has made several hundred thousand people take it up in the last few years.
This grant was launched to support one-wheeled riders seeking creative mountain unicycling adventures with cash, uni gear from Kris Holm and some sweet duds from Horny Toad. Picking a winner is always incredibly difficult. This year’s winners are Gracie Sorbello and Matt Burney. They headed off in July for a self-supported ride along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, which extends about 2750 miles from Banff, Alberta to the Mexican border. The route is off-road for 95% of its length, crosses the Continental Divide at least 28 times, and includes over 200,000 feet of elevation gain. The plan was to take about 3.5 months for the trip, starting early July 2009. It was a hugely ambitious trip, but they did it! Their trip ended on September 17th, check out details here. She raised awareness and funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The Evolution of Balance Award will be offered annually to support the spirit of true adventure in mountain unicycling!
One-wheeled happiness, as Kris says, “Unicycling is a sport for individualists and adventurers who love the challenge of balance, the environment we ride in, and the idea that we can do more with less.” Kris Holm Unicycles is the World's first cycling company to commit 1% of sales to environmental conservation through One Percent For The Planet.
Link up to learn more about Kris and his one-wheeled adventures:
Home page
The Unicyclist Community
Evolution of Balance Award
Evolution of Balance Award Winners
