Re-inventing the Wheel

It's huge in America, the continent is crazy for it, and now Jason Auld is bringing street unicycling to Edinburgh.

Forget juggling clowns, a new wave of unicyclists can do anything BMX'ers or skateboarders can. "We use obstacles in the urban environment" says Jason, "setting up tricks down hand rails and grinding boxes; and there are spins and flips from stairways." Jason, who took up the sport at 14, was the first person in Britain to land tricks such as the 540 degree spin.

Now 19, he's part of local extreme sports team EHX, named after Edinburgh's EH postcodes. Based in Transgression Park, an urban free-sports centre at Ocean Terminal, EHX comprises some of Scotland's finest extreme performers. Their Youtube videos garner international press and now they're performing at the Cowgate for the Fringe Festival.

Between skateboarders and roller-bladers, unicycling will shock to spectators in the capital, who may write off the sport as a novelty. "One of the reasons I'm on a display team is that I'm trying to be the best that I can be" says Jason, tackling the problem head on: "It's not just cheap tricks, it's also pretty extreme."

For the Fringe shows, Jason hopes to land the world's first unicycle back-flip. The trick would place his name amongst the world's finest unicyclists, "I would die happy if I could do that!" he says laughing. For everyone looking for something new, it will be exciting to watch him try.

Here's a vid of EHX performing at Ocean Terminal, featuring Jason Auld: