INTERVIEW WITH AIRHOLE AND SANDBOX’S MAX JENKE
INTERVIEW WITH AIRHOLE AND SANDBOX’S MAX JENKE
Even if you never owned an Airhole facemask or a Sandbox helmet, you are probably aware of what those brands are and seen the products at the mountain. Behind these top of the line helmets and masks is Max Jenke, a former pro snowboarder who decided to venture in the business side of things after his professionnal career. After seeing him in iconic videos like Return Of The Wildcats, it was interesting to talk to the man about the business side of snowboarding, bringing product ideas to life and what's good about Airhole and Sandbox.
KEEP SCROLLING TO READ OUR FULL INTERVIEW WITH MAX JENKE!
Before jumping into the details about Airhole and Sandbox, let's talk about your snowboarding background. When and how exactly did you get into snowboarding? The addiction started when i was 12, so 1991’ish when a neighbourhood friend took me up to Mt. Seymour. It took that one day on a Blacksnow board from Costco to shape my life in every aspect. Snowboarding consumed my complete attention – studying videos of Craig Kelly and Keith Wallace in movies like Board with the World, evolving to Hard, Hungry and Homeless and Road Kill.
Board with the World
I was so lucky to have such supportive parents, driving the whole family up to Mt. Seymour or Cypress (our local mountains) every weekend, rain or shine, driving to local competitions throughout BC. I appreciate that effort now, especially having a family of my own now. Snowboarding defined me and I loved everything about the community it came with – it's been said so many times but back then if you saw another snowboarder, you linked up and became friends. Those friendships developed into the next stage of my snowboarding journey, some still going strong 30 years later.
You once were a pro snowboarder. What were your sponsors and what would you say is the biggest achievement in your snowboarding career? I was relentless in my pursuit of being sponsored – hanging at the local shop for hours eventually led to snowboard trips with the shop where i first met a young Scott Serfas who had just picked up a camera to shoot photos of his friends snowboarding. That led to a job at Option Snowboards during my summers at high school, board sponsor, and trips with Rob Dow who took me under his wing and really set me up with the opportunity to be a pro rider. Spending time with Rob meant riding with his room mate Devun Walsh and that crew eventually became the Wildcats. The late 90s were really special – snowboarding was starting to get hype – we were just a bunch of kids traveling the world, snowboarding, filming, partying. It was insane being 19 and having these incredible opportunities and the support of sponsors like Dub, Iris, Northwave, etc. to do it all. During that time, I was lucky enough to film a part in Lil’ Bastards, Kingpin’s Destroyer, and all the Wildcat movies.
Lil’ Bastards
Destroyer
Return of the Wildcats
Amongst that I got some covers and interviews – Blunt Magazine, Transworld Snowboarding, Snowboard Canada, etc. Do you still ride on a daily basis? Still riding and loving it more than ever. I have one more kid to get on a snowboard and then our whole family can share a gondola ride and slide down the mountain together. I aspire to get into the mountains more with our riders, customers, and friends. The addiction is still there – snowboarding energizes me.
What made you decide to switch to the business side of snowboarding and start your own brands? In 2000 i had just signed a contract with World Industries to ride their boards but three months in, they canceled their board line. I was lucky enough to get a golden parachute and spent the winter trying boards from every brand. Nothing really worked for me, technically but also brand wise nothing really represented the my values and interests. I had an opportunity to make some boards in Oregon and wrote a business plan at university so i thought – why not?! You started Endeavor in 2002. Was it your first brand and did you have any experience in the snowboarding business before starting it? Endeavor was the first brand and still exists as the foundation of our snowboarding company. We had really no idea how to start or run a brand but we had the energy and enough education that we believed it would be straightforward – LOL. We made some samples, showed them in Las Vegas out of our sales rep’s (shout out Carter and Stevie) World Industries hotel room to a japanese distributor, got an order and hit the ground running! By this time I was 21, I had accomplished the things I wanted to do with riding and multiple ACL injuries pushed me to really commit to building Endeavor as a brand. It was a creative outlet, working with friends and with products I love which is why it continues today, 21 years strong!
How did Airhole and Sandbox came into the picture? Airhole is legendary pro riders Chris Brown and Kale Stephens idea - they had cut holes into bandanas so that they could breathe out of them, preventing goggle fog. Kale sewed up some samples on his grandma’s sewing machine and the guys started wearing them. Our Endeavor team had been working with factories in China and we knew we could make this product, plus we thought it was so rad. So we all got together and Airhole kicked off in 2006.
Kale Stephens
Chris Brown Video Part
Super grass roots launch but all the homies wore Airhole, especially because the masks worked so well. Shops got on board and within a couple of seasons, the brand was popping. Sandbox was also founded by a pro rider. In 2008, pro rider Kevin Sansalone was making films under the name Sandbox. When he was filming in the park at Whistler, helmets were mandatory but everything available didn’t look very cool. Kevin created the first model - the Classic - which had minimal aesthetic with a brim that fit perfectly with his goggles. Every rider he was filming in the park rocked this helmet and over the next 10 years Sandbox solidified itself as snowboarding’s only rider and owned helmet dedicated company. In 2018, Kevin wanted to explore new opportunities (guiding at Baldface Lodge) so we (the Endeavor team) jumped at the opportunity to bring Sandbox in alongside Airhole and Endeavor.
Kevin Sansalone
What makes an Airhole facemask different from another type of face mask? Airhole’s advantage is the single breathe hole - our rider can exhale breathe through the airhole which prevents the mask from being wet from breathe condensation and prevents goggle fog. The result is a dry, warm face so you can ride longer. Covering your exposed face ensures your entire body stays warm. The second advantage is in our fabrics - there’s a fabric for everyone. Waffleknit grid fleece for riders who run hot and need heat management, polar for your everyday rider, and micro fleece for the riders who need that extra warmth. This season we’re stoked to have a Polartec collection featuring premium Sheatling Sherpa fleece and Power Dry fleece which not only stays warm but also offers superior moisture wicking.
How about Sandbox Helmets? What makes them special according to you? The Sandbox Classic helmet is the snowboarders’ helmet - its clean aesthetic, visor, and fit are undeniably for the rider who wants snowboarder style and protection. The Icon is our unique skate style helmet with clean aesthetic and low profile. Both silhouettes are offered in MIPS, alongside unique colours and graphics - this really sets Sandbox apart from the rest.
Sandbox originally started as a video production company. What are the main video projects you put out? We have some projects we’re hyped to support this year.
DOPE’s DONKEY PISS
Big Mountain “On Our Two Feet”
Airhole has a massive team. How many riders in total are on? Any plans to add new ones? Any rider who wants an Airhole is part of the family! We’re super stoked to have a young crew representing in the videos above: Brin Alexander, Jadyn Chomlack, Jack Dougal - to name a few. We’re also hyped on our collaborations with creators Tyler Ravelle and Mason Mashon, as well as hooking up a signature like with pioneer Russell Winfield.
Legendary! Thank you Max for your time. If you are ever in Montreal, hit us up and let’s go shred!
