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Ketchum, Idaho, March 17th, 2005 - Smith Optics is delighted to announce that
its popular and category-defining Slider series has earned the 2005 Backpacker Magazine Editors'
Choice Gold Award. Among the annual Editors' Awards, the Gold Award is the most prestigious, only
bestowed upon products that go the extra mile in delivering performance over the test of time. The
honor was presented to Smith Optics and announced within the industry at the January Outdoor
Retailer tradeshow, and is broadcasted to consumers at large in its April issue of Backpacker
Magazine.
The Smith Slider Sunglass(TM) was introduced ten years ago and is the product that Smith Optics is
renowned for world-wide. Currently encompassing seven models in the Smith Optics line, the series
was born with the Slider 01 in 1995. The 01 has sold hundreds of thousands of units to date globally,
and continues to sell through strongly at retail, far outpacing competitors comparable products.
The must-have interchangeable Toaster, over its 8 year history, is Smith's best-selling sunglass
model of all time. The most recently introduced, and now best-selling Sequel, along with sibling
model the District, has set a new standard for interchangeable-yet-street-friendly style. Smith has
a range of Slider product to fit any outdoor athlete at every level. All Slider product is
sold with three sets of interchangeable lenses and sixteen more options are available for each
model.
The Backpacker Editors' Choice Awards, bestowed annually since 1993, honor the products that
Backpacker editors have chosen as the best of the year based on months of trail testing by teams of
highly experienced hikers and climbers. The Editors' Choice Gold Award singles out products that are
proven, time-tested favorites. Each winner redefines its product category through outstanding design
and/or performance. Only two Gold Awards are given out each year.
"We went to greater lengths, and greater distances, than ever before to determine this year's Editors'
Choice winners," said Executive Editor Jonathan Dorn, who led a team of editors on a 10-day expedition
to New Zealand as part of the testing criteria. "We did extensive field-testing and put these products
to the test in as many conditions as possible, because backpackers rely on our authenticity and that
of the information we provide them."
Gold Award-winning Smith Sliders are available in quality outdoor, sporting and optical specialty stores
across the globe. To find a retailer near you, visit our retailer finder at www.smithoptics.com.
Based in Sun Valley, Idaho, with a Southern California office located in San Clemente, Smith Optics, Inc.
was founded in 1965 with the creation of the first goggle featuring a sealed thermal lens and breathable
vent foam. Today, Smith is as well known for its diverse line of fashion and performance sunglasses as
it is for its goggles. From Smith's distortion-free Tapered Lens Technology to the versatility of the
Slider Series, with its patented, interchangeable lens system, the devotion to excellence, innovation
and style is what has made Smith goggles and sunglasses the choice of action-sport athletes worldwide.
Smith products are sold in more than 50 countries through sporting goods and specialty stores. For
more information visit www.smithoptics.com.
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