RIP Bob Smith
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ryano
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Icon and Ski Bum Dr. Robert Smith Dies at 78
Founder of Smith Optics revolutionized goggle technology.
By
owder Magazine / Posted on April 24, 2012
Words: John Stifter
If you think your goggles fog too much now, you should have been a skier before 1965. That’s when an orthodontist named Dr. Bob Smith created the first double-pane goggle with a sealed thermal lens and breathable vent foam, which dramatically reduced foggy goggles on the slopes.
The innovative founder of Smith Optics, Smith died on Wednesday, April 18, in Palm Desert, California. His wife, Jean, of 48 years was at his bedside. The 78 year old had a pacemaker implanted a few days earlier to combat a slow heartbeat. Complications ensued and he did not survive, according to his son, Drew Smith.
In an exclusive interview that appeared in the December 1981 issue of POWDER, Dr. Bob, as friends referred to him, explained how he conceived the idea of a double-lens goggle while working in dentistry for the U.S. Army in Germany and making weekend ski trips to Kitzbuhel, Austria. “In skiing powder, snow would get inside the goggle through the vent holes, and the humidity would go way up, and, with a single lens, the temperature would be transmitted right through the lens and, of course, the thing got foggy right now. So the double lens stops that cold air transmission through the lens so that the inner lens gets a chance to warm up.”
Once he got a patent for open-cell foam used for venting, he employed the help of dental students back home in Northern California to glue the pieces together. He produced the goggles by hand with his wife and friends around the kitchen table, using dental tools to build a double-lens goggle with breathable foam that he’d trade for free lift tickets at Alta and Jackson Hole. Soon thereafter, he sold them to ski shops for $20. In 1967, Smith appeared in Dick Barrymore’s The Last of The Ski Bums, showcasing his new goggle technology while skiing powder at Jackson Hole.
“Absolutely, his invention had an impact on our sport,” said president of Smith Optics Ned Post, who worked with Dr. Bob years later at Scott Sports. “Our mission at Smith today is to make the great days better through quality eyewear. In that sense, Bob was the beginning of that philosophy. He was passionate to improve his vision on the hill, and he had a great passion for skiing powder.”
“He needed to see on the hill, so he made it happen,” said Drew Smith, who noted that upcoming memorials in Ketchum are currently being planned. “His drive and passion for skiing is second to none. He had a lot of ‘Smith’ kind of days.”
Founder of Smith Optics revolutionized goggle technology.
By
owder Magazine / Posted on April 24, 2012Words: John Stifter
If you think your goggles fog too much now, you should have been a skier before 1965. That’s when an orthodontist named Dr. Bob Smith created the first double-pane goggle with a sealed thermal lens and breathable vent foam, which dramatically reduced foggy goggles on the slopes.
The innovative founder of Smith Optics, Smith died on Wednesday, April 18, in Palm Desert, California. His wife, Jean, of 48 years was at his bedside. The 78 year old had a pacemaker implanted a few days earlier to combat a slow heartbeat. Complications ensued and he did not survive, according to his son, Drew Smith.
In an exclusive interview that appeared in the December 1981 issue of POWDER, Dr. Bob, as friends referred to him, explained how he conceived the idea of a double-lens goggle while working in dentistry for the U.S. Army in Germany and making weekend ski trips to Kitzbuhel, Austria. “In skiing powder, snow would get inside the goggle through the vent holes, and the humidity would go way up, and, with a single lens, the temperature would be transmitted right through the lens and, of course, the thing got foggy right now. So the double lens stops that cold air transmission through the lens so that the inner lens gets a chance to warm up.”
Once he got a patent for open-cell foam used for venting, he employed the help of dental students back home in Northern California to glue the pieces together. He produced the goggles by hand with his wife and friends around the kitchen table, using dental tools to build a double-lens goggle with breathable foam that he’d trade for free lift tickets at Alta and Jackson Hole. Soon thereafter, he sold them to ski shops for $20. In 1967, Smith appeared in Dick Barrymore’s The Last of The Ski Bums, showcasing his new goggle technology while skiing powder at Jackson Hole.
“Absolutely, his invention had an impact on our sport,” said president of Smith Optics Ned Post, who worked with Dr. Bob years later at Scott Sports. “Our mission at Smith today is to make the great days better through quality eyewear. In that sense, Bob was the beginning of that philosophy. He was passionate to improve his vision on the hill, and he had a great passion for skiing powder.”
“He needed to see on the hill, so he made it happen,” said Drew Smith, who noted that upcoming memorials in Ketchum are currently being planned. “His drive and passion for skiing is second to none. He had a lot of ‘Smith’ kind of days.”
Trawltopilot
Member
thoughts and prayers to him and his fam
*TURBONERD*
Active member
Wow, RIP. Hadn't heard of him, goes to show how little I know about our sport.
![pho[tog]rapher](/data/avatars/m/89/89875.jpg?1745610574){kind=avatar}
pho[tog]rapher
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ski in peace.
steezy.stew
Active member
SIP!
lukewalnuts
Active member
RIP
Smith Optics
Member
Bob Smith was not just an innovator that made a huge impact on skiing, he was also a big time shredder. His son told me that he would get so frustrated on powder days because the goggles back then sucked and would constantly fog, effectively ruining a great day. So Bob decided to make the great days better and created the goggle technology that all manufacturers use today.
Check out this video of him slaying deep powder at JH back in 1967
http://www.smithoptics.com/lounge/Smith+TV/&vid=46844
Check out this video of him slaying deep powder at JH back in 1967
http://www.smithoptics.com/lounge/Smith+TV/&vid=46844
lukemeahan.
Active member
RIP