Name:  Max Uvalle-Warbington

Where are you from: Bend, OR

Sport of choice: Snowboarding

Interesting fact about yourself: I'm related to the late king of the wild frontier, Davy Crockett. 

What inspired you to partner with Save A Brain?: Our brains are important!!  I have had at least 3 concussions, all very scary, and with a helmet on every time. Without it on who knows where I would be today.  I love my helmet so much and I thank my parents for keeping me in it when I was young and resistant. Helmets are important!!

We as snowboarders are strapped into our boards, thus, we whiplash really hard.  No matter how good we get, we never stop hitting our heads on both the snow and a long list of other unfriendly surfaces. I want to spread the word that head injuries are a constant and pretty much unavoidable risk you sign up for when snowboarding (especially if you are trying to go pro).  

The number one thing you can do to help prolong the health of your brain while still getting extreme is just put on a helmet the next time you go shred and never look back.  I see a future where there is no pressure from anywhere in snowboarding to not wear a helmet.  When I was coming up, the filming side of snowboarding was very anti-helmet and I used to just accept it.  F*ck that, thank god I never took mine off.  I didn't listen to the washed up "legends" of snowboarding who would brag about how many concussions they have had, or filmers who wouldn't bring out the camera if the rider has a helmet on.. This type of hate used to happen a lot, those kooks are on their way out. 

I was able to find a path in snowboarding brain bucket and all.  I am now living my dream life as a pro snowboarder, one who wears a helmet in every clip or photo you see of me!  It's time for the new wave of helmet positive pros and role models to come in and change the status quo in snowboarding.  I mean lets be honest.. No one wants to smack dome & split their head clean open. Lets all put a helmet on so this will not happen to you and in turn your friends won't have to deal with your (fully preventable) terrifying, bloody head wound :)  

Being a part of a movement like Save A Brain feels great and I hope we can save a bunch of brains!  

Peace, Love, Tre Squad