Pit Viper is an American company based in South Salt Lake, Utah. The company designs, develops, and manufactures sports performance equipment and lifestyle pieces, including sunglasses, safety glasses, eyeglasses, sports visors, and ski/snowboard goggles, utilizing a 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s aesthetic combined with an irreverent, absurdist marketing approach.[1]
History
The company was founded in 2012 by Chuck Mumford, who began by modifying military surplus ballistic sunglasses (made in the early 1990s) and reselling them under the brand 'Pit Viper', based on a nickname he earned while skiing. He soon partnered with Chris Garcin to produce stickers for the glasses, and they began creating an online storefront and perfected the social media marketing approach for which they would become known.[2]
When the original military surplus glasses ran out, the company ran a Kickstarter in order to manufacture the glasses in-house.[2] The company met success and, in 2023, was estimated to employ around 100 employees with an annual revenue of around $40 million.[3]