Haslam was born in Ontario, Canada, on Christmas Day in 1980. While living in Singapore with his parents, Haslam and his brother saw a foreigner skateboarding down the city streets, which inspired 13-year-old Haslam to buy his first skateboard from one of the city’s two sports shops. With the limited skateboarding scene in Singapore, Haslam practiced tricks with his brother and learned by watching old skating videos from the 1980s.
By age 17, Haslam was back in Canada, but this time he was in the skate-friendly city of Vancouver where he had access to his first skate park. Perhaps it was the isolated beginnings in Singapore that forced Haslam to develop his own flat-ground style, which incorporates classic freestyle moves from the sport’s early days. As a dedicated Almost team member, Haslam has starred in many of their self-produced skate videos like the Cheese and Crackers mini-ramp feature, which has become a cult favorite of skaters everywhere, and Almost: Round 3, which brought Haslam into the mainstream. Haslam is known for riding with a goofy stance, which earned him a place in the GvR or Goofy Versus Regular competition sponsored by etnies. Haslam has also been incorporated as a playable character in the Skate series of video games produced by E.A. Sports. Chris Haslam resides in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond, B.C., where he plays bass in a metal band known as Kobra Triangle. Haslam is sponsored by Almost, Independent Trucks and Clothing, Momentum Wheels, Globe, and many other companies.
Chris Haslam's Career Highlights
In addition to his famous skateboarding videos for Almost, Chris Haslam has earned his place among the top pro-skaters as a Gravity Games gold medalist and top finalist at the Globe World Championships, and Triple Crown, and Mystic Sk8 tournaments all in 2003. The quickly-rising skateboarding star won the Reader’s Choice Award from TransWorld Skateboarding as well as the highly-competitive Vs 411VM tournament, which is also voted on by fans. Chris Haslam's technical ground tricks and funny, laid-back personality make him one of the sport's heroes.
