Bob Smith, Inventor of Fog-Free Ski Goggles, Dies at 78 As an orthodontist, Bob Smith knew how to correct a problem. And as an avid skier who tackled the mountains near his home in Alta, Utah, he recognized something in 1964 that needed fixing: ski goggles. The primitive goggles then in use were prone to condensation and fogging. So Dr. Smith and his wife, Jean, sat down at their kitchen table and began tinkering. Dr. Smith's design of 1965 inspired the goggles that are in wide use today, with dual-pane lenses and foam vents that prevented fogging, freezing and condensation, allowing skiers greater visibility and access to more extreme terrain. Dr. Smith, whose design became the backbone for Smith Optics, died on April 18 at his home in La Quinta, Calif. He was 78. The cause was heart failure several days after a pacemaker had been implanted, according to Tag Kleiner, marketing director for Smith Optics. The goggles are "a lot like a storm window, " Mr. Kleiner said. "When you have warmth inside and cold outside, you have dead air space that acts as an insulator," he added. Without that you get fog and condensation. Dr. Smith sold the goggles to other skiers, sometimes for lift tickets. By 1967 he had struck a distribution deal with Klaus Obermeyer, founder of the Obermeyer ski apparel company, and in 1969 he began producing and selling goggles under the name Smith. Dr. Smith's design is now the industry standard, though some skiers still prefer sunglasses. Smith Optics sells its products in 50 countries and reports annual sales of more than $100 million, including hundreds of thousands of goggles, sunglasses and helmets. Smith Optics also makes goggles for motor sports, law enforcement and military use. Smith Optics claims to have a 45 percent share of the ski and snowboard goggle market in North America. Robert Earl Smith was born on May 12, 1933, in San Carlos, Calif. He attended Stanford but left for the San Francisco College of Dentistry after three years. He joined the United States Army after graduation and worked in dentistry in Wiesbaden, Germany, in 1957 and 1958. He spent weekends skiing at Kitzbühl, a nearby mountain. In 1960, Dr. Smith opened a private practice in Marin County, Calif. In 1964 he married Jean Huntington and moved to Utah. She survives him, along with two sons, Andrew and Colby, and four grandchildren. Dr. Smith sold Smith Optics in 1991. Mr. Kleiner said the company continues to innovate. Smith was the first to add a tiny fan inside goggles to reduce condensation further, he said. The company is now testing goggles with a digital display that includes a readout of mountain conditions, locations of friends, and the title of the song playing on the skier's MP3 player.