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Groundbreaking is the word that Jason Aronson, one of the founders of Zirkel Optics, likes to use when describing the new eyewear company, rooted in sustainability and cutting-edge technology, that will soon call Steamboat Springs home.

Next month, team members Aronson, Dominik Spuller and Justin Reiter will make it official when they open a new office on Captain Jack Drive on May 1. The new eyewear company will use 3D Selective Laser Sintering printers to create sports performance eyewear using plant-based material.

“The common thing that brings all three of us together is we’re all into backcountry skiing, snowboarding and mountain biking,” Aronson said. “You know, outside of being business partners we’re all really good friends.”

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Aronson has worked for companies including Oakley, Chrome Hearts, Salt Optics, DITA and Masunaga, and Spuller, and spent years with Rolf Spectacles giving the company an edge. Together they have 40 years of experience in the eyewear business, and have joined forces with Reiter, a longtime Steamboat Springs resident who excelled as a world-class Alpine snowboarder with the U.S. Snowboarding Team from 2005-2017 winning ten national championships and competing in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

³§¾±²Ô³¦±ðÌý Reiter has coached several top-level athletes including  and worked with Red Bull ASP while helping her to manage her career and development. He has maintained most of his sponsor relationships since retiring, working as an ambassador for Big Agnes, Yeti Cycles, Point 6 Merino and Topo Designs.

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“My involvement with Zirkel was born out of a chance meeting and shared passion for the outdoors. Five-ish years ago, then stranger and now friend and business partner Jason Aronson, serendipitously moved into the town house next to mine,” said Reiter, who is now brand director and team manager for Zirkel Optics. “We started chatting about the outdoors and specifically mountain biking. Once he pulled the trigger on a Yeti sb150, we began to ride together — bikes in the summer and snowboards in the winter.  His concept of Zirkel Optics was often a topic of conversation as was his desire to create something locally owned and inspired.”

Originally it was Aronson’s passion that sparked Reiter’s interest in being a part of Zirkel Optics.

“Intense passion and dedication are an everyday occurrence on the World Cup where people live and die by the conviction to their dreams,” Reiter said.  “It is rare outside of the athletic environment to find such raw drive. Jason has always carried a unique intensity surrounding this dream, which sparked my interest. That spark, combined with Dom’s accomplished hands-on perspective and our product’s unique position in the marketplace, motivated me to join the team.”

When the Zirkel Optics teams opens its office next month, Aronson’s hope is that this business will become the next in the line of notable outdoor manufactures with ties to Steamboat Springs.

The company produces its products using plant-based Zirtek materials with advanced 3D printing technology. The designs are being done by a Colorado-based designer in Golden. The plant-based material comes from India where it is grown on land that does not compete with any food sources. Parts are produced using 3D printers in Poland and those parts are then shipped to southern California where they are assembled. Zirkel has also enlisted the talents of an adaptive skier from Basalt, for the art used on Zirkel Optics packaging.

Later this summer, Zirkel will release a sunglasses collection featuring unique frames and top of the line lenses created by well-known German lens producer Carl Zeiss. Then in November, Zirkel Optics will unveil its line of snow goggles that Aronson said will provide unparalleled clarity, protection and environmental responsibility.

The advanced Toric lenses at the core of these goggles offers an expansive field of view and distortion-free vision. Made from 61% renewable bio-based materials, the lenses will deliver exceptional performance while also significantly reducing the ecological footprint, which aligns with Zirkel’s mission to create products that are kind to the planet, and effective on the snow.

The goggles feature a user-friendly magnetic quick-change system, enabling skiers and snowboarders to easily switch lenses to match changing light conditions. This innovative system exemplifies Zirkel’s dedication to convenience and adaptability, and ensures that users can stay focused on their performance rather than their equipment.

Aronson said the brand will embody the spirit of the athlete-owned and operating ethos of the company that produces products that excel across various outdoor sports, including backcountry touring, mountain biking, fly-fishing, trail running, backpacking, skiing and snowboarding. 

“It’s going to be a premium product. It’s going to be well thought out and very well engineered,” Aronson said. “We’re doing something very different … we’re not just putting a name on it and doing a bunch of marketing. It’s going to be a super innovative project, and we will have a global reach.”

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