John Bowers
John Bowers
 on 01/18/2021

Rob Kingwill is a guy who wears a lot of hats. Professional snowboarder, JH athlete, founder of the Shaper Summit (one of snowboarding’s top testing events), entrepreneur, and now the biggest supplier of face masks to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Rob’s newest venture into face masks was born out of seeing an opportunity to shift his already successful buff style neck tube business called AVALON7 into making COVID safe face masks for skiers and riders. We caught up with Rob last week to dig into how he shifted his business, the design process of his masks and shredding pow. 

1. First off, how has the season been so far for you? Shredding a lot of pow?

This season has been amazing so far at Jackson Hole for me!  It has been consistently cold, and the early season snowfall has made for a really good base.   It feels like we had to wait forever for winter to come back around, and it feels so good to be back in the mountains again.

2. Tell us about your facemasks. They seem to be everywhere in Jackson.

As soon as Covid19 really started to hit the US last spring I started thinking about designing a proper social distancing mask for my company AVALON7 to sell.  We have been making neck gaiters and balaclavas for skiing and snowboarding since 2005, and already had a super good platform to launch from.

I put every bell and whistle feature I could think of on my wish list for the new “Fitmasks”, and got to work making it happen.   I sat down at my sewing machine for 3 weeks trying to create an innovative and simple solution to how clumsy the earloops are on most masks, and how difficult it is to manage them when you need to wear them on your ears under your hat and goggles.  The ComfortFit system I designed has adjustable earloops made from Lycra that can expand and contract a huge amount by sliding through loops on the base of the mask, making it easy to stow when not in use without pulling on your ears.   The mask is also designed to hang around your neck when not in use, so the mask is always with you instead of falling out of your pocket on the mountain somewhere.   Add in 3 layers of quick drying fabric protection, a 3D pattern that fits snugly around your face, metal nose bridge,  and a filter pocket to add extra protection, and you get a social distancing mask that not only works great at the grocery store but outperforms everything else on the mountain as well.   I actually just like wearing them to keep my face warm on cold days, and sometimes I forget to take it off.

3. How was pivoting from making traditional neck tube style masks to COVID safe facemask?

I decided to take on the pandemic as a design challenge instead of something that I needed to be afraid of.   COVID 19 presents us with a whole new set of problems that need to be solved that have never existed before, and I love being challenged in new ways to try and make the world a better place.   It gave me the reason to make something new and awesome.   I realized early on that the regular buff style necktube masks we made weren’t going to cut it from a safety standpoint, and so I pushed hard to make something that would work really well, designed specifically to keep people safe, and look cool at the same time.  The new Fitmasks are definitely more complex to make than your regular necktube- lots more moving parts and I have just been trying to evolve and improve them with each iteration.

4. Tell us about the design and features of your mask.

      • Triple Layered: 2 layers of polyester/ 1 layer of polypropylene
      • Compartment for an optional fourth layer carbon filter
      • ComfortFit Lycra Strap: easy adjustability w/ ear loops and a strap that ties behind your neck for easy stowing when not in use.
      • 3D Pattern: Ensures a comfortable fit
      • Adjustable metal nose bridge

 5. You’ve partnered with JHMR to provide facemask to our staff. How many have you made for JHMR?  

I was super fortunate to partner with JHMR to make Fitmasks for their employees.   We produced around 1600 masks for staff and lift operations, many of them fully customized for the different departments.   My goal is to always make masks that are unique and beautiful, so that people feel empowered and want to wear them.   We also have done employee masks for Mt Baker Ski Resort and Grand Targhee, as well as doing a ton of designs for JHMR that are available to the public at Jackson Hole Sports.

6. What is it like seeing people in your facemask around the mountain?

Seeing the AVALON7 designs being used on the mountain really makes me feel good, because I know that the Fitmasks are going to properly protect the people wearing them and the folks around them as well.  There are a lot of people getting away with wearing single layer buffs or fleece, which really don’t work that well, so I’m very proud we were able to give people are really well designed option that look cool and work the way they are supposed to.

7. The graphics on many of your masks are inspired by the Tetons. Who designs the art for them?

AVALON7 was born in Jackson Hole, and we will forever be inspired by the mountains here and the people that live in them.  I am the lead designer for the brand, but we have an awesome crew of mostly local Jackson Hole artists that also design for us, including Kelly Halpin, Lynsey Dyer, Katie Cooney and Valerie Black.

8. Any recommendations on how to wear a mask while riding? What system are you running?

I wear my Fitmask in combination with my favorite winter face protection, which is an AVALON7 Mesh Necktube and balaclava.   The great thing about the Fitmasks is that the earloops expand so you can take the mask down around your chin and leave it still looped around your ears.   It is really difficult to constantly be putting the earloops on and off when you have a hat, helmet, gloves and goggles on.    I have also recently designed the AVALON7 Hinge system, which is basically a set of permanent buttons that you can add to your goggles or helmet straps, and then attach the Fitmask earloops to the outside of your kit.  This allows you to easily pull the mask up and down, as well as solving the issue of how the earloops get a little complex to manage if you are wearing a proper balaclava.   This system was invented by some of the JHMR snowboard instructors and seems to be working out super well for everyone.

9. What’s next for you and AVALON 7? Any big plans in the works for this season? 

We definitely have some big things in the works for this season, with the launch A7 Optics!   I’ve been prototyping our amazing new magnetic goggles for over 3 years, and we are finally ready to launch hopefully mid-February!    The goggles feature our Optimistic lenses which have amazing clarity and contrast enhancement and attach through our MagTek magnetic system so you can swap them out in a snap.  Following along the lines of our passion for unique art, the goggle straps will be limited edition and designed by the AVALON7 Collective.   The first 2 straps feature images of the Tetons, one designed by Valerie Black, and the other a photo of mine.   I’m super excited to see where this new project will take us!  They will be available at www.a7optics.com and hopefully at the Hole In the Wall as well.    

10. Where can our readers pick up/order an AVALON7 Fitmask mask?

You can get your very own AVALON7 Fitmask at JH Sports, Hole in the Wall or online at www.avalon7.com.