Anyone who’s watched Cody Townsend’s The Fifty series, which documents his multi-year attempt to climb and ski North America’s 50 most iconic ski lines, knows he’s a big fan of large-lens sunglasses—not the type of giant, round-lens glasses commonly worn by celebrities, but outdoor-focused, wrap-around glasses that look like goggle lenses without the goggle frames. Townsend says he’s adopted these large glasses for several reasons. For starters, they keep out more of the sun during his 12-hour days on the skin track. And because they’re big enough to shield his face on most descents, they make for a lighter and less cumbersome option than goggles.
Townsend isn’t the only one choosing glasses over goggles. If you show up to your local ski area before work, you’ll find plenty of uphill skiers wearing large-lens glasses. Same thing out in the backcountry. When it’s not hammering snow, skiers love to wear glasses instead of goggles.
For years Townsend wore various models of large-lens glasses from Smith, one of his sponsors, and this year he launched a Smith model of his own design called the Pursuit….
