First presented in 1980 in honor of Dr. Bob Smith, an orthodontist, who started and designed the Smith Goggle Company. This award is given to the Fastest U14 Male at the Gary Black, Jr race.

In 1965, Bob’s determination to stay out longer on powder days led him to build the world’s first thermal-sealed goggle lens.  He began workshopping a way to prevent his goggles from fogging, testing the goggles in walk-in freezers and selling them out of his back of his car at the base of Alta.  After receiving a patent for the open-cell foam he used for venting, he began building his product in Northern California.  By 1967, he was selling them to ski shops, and his success kickstarted the mission of Smith Optics.  In 1978, along with his inventor, Michael A. McNeilly, they patented the Anti-Fogging Sports Goggle based out of Ketchum, Idaho.

Source: Sun Valley Magazine – Winter Issue 2023/2024

This trophy was in honor of all of his many contributions and sponsorships of the Sun Valley Ski Team, now called SVSEF.

Award recipients’ names are engraved on the Smith Goggle Award, which is displayed in the SVSEF Training Center at Warm Springs.