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Speed and style are the two biggest bullet points on the rap sheet of Chris Miller’s near three decades of professional skateboarding. Born in California in 1967, Chris honed his skills on the unforgiving concrete of the legendary Pipeline Skatepark in Upland, California before becoming the National Skateboard Association’s amateur series vert champion in 1985. Turning pro in ’86 for G&S, Chris took a cue from teammate Neil Blender and went on to draw all of his own board graphics–igniting a DIY approach that would later lead him to launch his own brands at the dawn of the ’90s, including Adio, Holden, Planet Earth and Signal. From ’86 through ’92, Miller consistently placed among the top 10 in pro vert contests worldwide–winning a dozen or more contests outright–along with being featured on four Thrasher covers and three TransWorld Skateboarding covers.
If other pros pushed hard to advance the technical scope of the sport, Miller would take every new trick variation and advance it to its furthest potential and most fluid conclusion. Having birthed Planet Earth skateboards in 1990 as the first true environmentally conscious skateboard brand, Chris was also able to transition his outside interests with a natural talent for running his own businesses. Between 1998 and 2005, his shoe brand, Adio, grew from a start up to one of the five major skate footwear brands. Chris is currently the chief creative director of NBC’s Alli Sports and still finds time to compete in select contests. Over the past decade, Miller has won eight out of 10 times in the masters division at the Vans Pool Party.
