Dr. Robert Smith

An insatiable passion for skiing Alta Ski Area’s extreme and deep powder conditions is at the core of one of the sport’s significant inventions: the fog-free goggle. The creative genius behind that passion and invention was Dr. Robert Smith, a native of San Francisco, born in 1933, and one-time orthodontist. His invention was born in 1960 on his kitchen table where he and his wife Jean used dental tools, foam, and glue to develop their early models. 

Today Smith Goggles’ “Thermopane” concept uses two lenses and a sealed space between them to solve the problem of warmth from the face fogging the goggles. In the 1970s the Smith Goggle of Sun Valley, Idaho, and Clearfield, Utah was the largest selling ski goggle in the country. A quiet, humble, and generous man, Smith gave freely of his time and flying talents to numerous worthy causes. But his most notable contribution is that which he brought to skiers and snowboarders throughout the world: comfortable, fog-free goggles.