Empire: Authorized Airhole Dealer – Online at ThinkEmpire.com and In-Store.
Airhole is a Canadian technical face protection brand for snowboarding, founded in 2002 by professional riders Chris Brown and Kale Stephens. Family-owned and operated since day one, the brand has ...
Airhole is a Canadian technical face protection brand for snowboarding, founded in 2002 by professional riders Chris Brown and Kale Stephens. Family-owned and operated since day one, the brand has been B Corp certified since 2022.
The origin story is as straightforward as the product itself. Deep in the Canadian backcountry, Brown and Stephens were dealing with what every serious rider knows: wet masks, fogged-up faces, and gear that simply wasn't built for the conditions they were riding in. Working on Kale's grandmother's old sewing machine, they cut up discarded outerwear jackets, tested shapes, fits, and fabrics, and eventually landed on something worth protecting. The result was the patented Airhole Breath Hole, a ventilation opening engineered directly into ergonomically shaped masks made from technical fabrics, designed to manage moisture from heavy breathing and extreme weather.
Twenty-three years of pro rider design and iteration later, Airhole still runs the same way: a family operation, built from the ground up, developing products at the intersection of function and real-world riding experience. The masks and neck warmers are shaped for fit, sewn from materials chosen for performance, and informed by the same backcountry conditions that started it all. The brand's tagline says it plainly: Breathe Free. Ride Longer.
Since 2022, Airhole has held B Corp certification through B Lab, a rigorous third-party standard that measures a company's environmental and social performance against verified benchmarks. For a brand born from a love of the outdoors and built on low-waste prototyping, the certification reflects the way the company has always operated.
Empire is an authorized Canadian retailer carrying Airhole balaclavas, neck warmers, and snow accessories. Whether you're gearing up for resort days or backcountry laps, the full Airhole selection is available in Empire stores across Quebec and online at thinkempire.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Airhole?
Airhole is a Canadian technical face protection brand founded in 2002 by professional snowboarders Chris Brown and Kale Stephens. The brand is built around the patented Airhole Breath Hole, a ventilation system engineered into ergonomically shaped masks made from technical fabrics to manage moisture in extreme conditions.
Who owns Airhole and where is it from?
Airhole is a Canadian brand, family-owned and operated since its founding in 2002. It has held B Corp certification since 2022, meeting rigorous third-party standards for environmental and social performance.
Where can I buy Airhole products in Canada?
Airhole balaclavas, neck warmers, and snow accessories are available through Empire, an authorized Canadian retailer, in stores across Quebec and online at thinkempire.com.
What is the Airhole Breath Hole?
The Airhole Breath Hole is a patented ventilation opening built directly into Airhole masks. It channels moisture away from heavy breathing during intense riding or extreme cold, solving the wet-mask problem that standard face protection fails to address.
Empire: Authorized Airhole Dealer – Online at ThinkEmpire.com and In-Store.
Airhole is a Canadian technical face protection brand for snowboarding, founded in 2002 by professional riders Chris Brown and Kale Stephens. Family-owned and operated since day one, the brand has ...
Airhole is a Canadian technical face protection brand for snowboarding, founded in 2002 by professional riders Chris Brown and Kale Stephens. Family-owned and operated since day one, the brand has been B Corp certified since 2022.
The origin story is as straightforward as the product itself. Deep in the Canadian backcountry, Brown and Stephens were dealing with what every serious rider knows: wet masks, fogged-up faces, and gear that simply wasn't built for the conditions they were riding in. Working on Kale's grandmother's old sewing machine, they cut up discarded outerwear jackets, tested shapes, fits, and fabrics, and eventually landed on something worth protecting. The result was the patented Airhole Breath Hole, a ventilation opening engineered directly into ergonomically shaped masks made from technical fabrics, designed to manage moisture from heavy breathing and extreme weather.
Twenty-three years of pro rider design and iteration later, Airhole still runs the same way: a family operation, built from the ground up, developing products at the intersection of function and real-world riding experience. The masks and neck warmers are shaped for fit, sewn from materials chosen for performance, and informed by the same backcountry conditions that started it all. The brand's tagline says it plainly: Breathe Free. Ride Longer.
Since 2022, Airhole has held B Corp certification through B Lab, a rigorous third-party standard that measures a company's environmental and social performance against verified benchmarks. For a brand born from a love of the outdoors and built on low-waste prototyping, the certification reflects the way the company has always operated.
Empire is an authorized Canadian retailer carrying Airhole balaclavas, neck warmers, and snow accessories. Whether you're gearing up for resort days or backcountry laps, the full Airhole selection is available in Empire stores across Quebec and online at thinkempire.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Airhole?
Airhole is a Canadian technical face protection brand founded in 2002 by professional snowboarders Chris Brown and Kale Stephens. The brand is built around the patented Airhole Breath Hole, a ventilation system engineered into ergonomically shaped masks made from technical fabrics to manage moisture in extreme conditions.
Who owns Airhole and where is it from?
Airhole is a Canadian brand, family-owned and operated since its founding in 2002. It has held B Corp certification since 2022, meeting rigorous third-party standards for environmental and social performance.
Where can I buy Airhole products in Canada?
Airhole balaclavas, neck warmers, and snow accessories are available through Empire, an authorized Canadian retailer, in stores across Quebec and online at thinkempire.com.
What is the Airhole Breath Hole?
The Airhole Breath Hole is a patented ventilation opening built directly into Airhole masks. It channels moisture away from heavy breathing during intense riding or extreme cold, solving the wet-mask problem that standard face protection fails to address.
Airhole
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