Every month, SLUG Style features a distinct and unique member of the community and asks them why they do what they do. Exploring more than just clothing, SLUG Style is an attempt to feature the people who give Salt Lake City flavor through personality and panache.
Chris Garcin hails from a place called Party Mountain, a ski resort where it is perpetually 1993. Party Mountain is always stocked with Bud Light, abounds in hot tubs and straight skis, has a giant fireplace and, most importantly, highly functional sports eyewear. He is the face behind local company Pit Viper Sunglasses. Chris Garcin came down from Party Mountain to tell SLUG what it’s like there. After that, he’s heading home for a ski race to win the resort back from “the anonymously evil, Wayfarer-wearing, Italian sunglasses executive known only by his last name—Lorenzo,” says Garcin.
Click images for captions
“Pit Viper is adjustable military design,” says Garcin. “The optimal blend of style and performance. We’ve got three adjustment points: the turbo adjustment, the earpiece adjustment (or ‘the E-Spot’), and the nose bender.” Photo: Tyson Call @clancycoop
“The lenses come in two different styles,” says Garcin. “Smoke, and mirror; smoke and mirrors.” Garcin says Pit Viper sunglasses are impact and shatter resistant, and one gets the feeling he has tested this out himself. Photo: Tyson Call @clancycoop
“The ideal night on Party Mountain is definitely hot tubs and a lodge with a big fireplace,” says Garcin. “Typically we’re hanging out at the Peruvian at Alta—we call it the P-Dawg—and usually that is a pretty good spot for operating at Party Mountain. But in my perfect world Party Mountain is our own resort, untouched by corporate interests.” Garcin was careful to reiterate that there would be hot tubs, “lots of hot tubs.” Photo: Tyson Call @clancycoop
Party Mountain, the inspiration for all of Garcin’s Pit Viper designs, is in a perpetual state of 1993. “Have you ever even heard of Jonathan Taylor Thomas? Saved By The Bell? Yeah, ‘1993’ is actually the model name for our most popular pair of sunglasses. Everybody is always talking about the 80’s—but we’ve moved on to the 90’s.” Photo: Tyson Call @clancycoop
When asked who wears Pit Viper sunglasses, Garcin says, “Usually its the kind of person that is not too concerned with what other people are thinking about them. They just want people to know that they are here to have a good time. I think that is just kind of what our brand really reflects. Something where we’re not taking ourselves too seriously. We’re here to have fun, and we will get radical if necessary and beyond that we’re gonna have a beer, hang out with you and we’re gonna have a good time.” Photo: Tyson Call @clancycoop
“[Pit Viper] really focuses on the fun of skiing and snowboarding—being on the mountain having fun rather than trying to push the progression of the sport,” says Garcin. “So you’ll see us a lot in retro gear, throwback skis (we’re skiing on 200cm straight skis) and doing spread eagles rather than triple backflips because that’s whats fun and we don’t need to scare ourselves. Photo: Tyson Call @clancycoop
“I think that probably Goose would start wearing [Pit Vipers] first and then Maverick would get jealous,” says Garcin. “But I definitely see them winning the volleyball match in Pit Vipers. Yeah, it’s a shame about Goose. I feel bad for him.” Photo: Tyson Call @clancycoop
Chris Garcin is a modern businessman who isn’t afraid to go full turbo. Photo: Tyson Call @clancycoop
Your donations allow us to share underrepresented stories for FREE!
!["[Pit Viper] really focuses on the fun of skiing and snowboarding—being on the mountain having fun rather than trying to push the progression of the sport," says Garcin. "So you'll see us a lot in retro gear, throwback skis (we're skiing on 200cm straight skis) and doing spread eagles rather than triple backflips because that's whats fun and we don't need to scare ourselves. Photo: Tyson Call @clancycoop](https://www.slugmag.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Call-Pit-Viper-SLUG-Style-4.jpg)
!["I think that probably Goose would start wearing [Pit Vipers] first and then Maverick would get jealous," says Garcin. "But I definitely see them winning the volleyball match in Pit Vipers. Yeah, it's a shame about Goose. I feel bad for him." Photo: Tyson Call @clancycoop](https://www.slugmag.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Call-Pit-Viper-SLUG-Style-8.jpg)