Picture this: you’re 2000 metres up a mountain in the Italian Alps. You’ve never skied or snowboarded before. You don’t know if the goggles are meant to go under or over your helmet, and you’ve got no idea what all the various vents in your jacket are for. This was the situation I recently found myself in, surrounded by snow as far as the eye could see while navigating the slopes in Livigno, a ski resort on the Swiss-Italian border. 

Thankfully, as I scrambled up the mountain – moving sideways, like a goat – the dome of an enormous grey igloo revealed itself. Above the door read a word that any seasoned alpine adventurer will know very well: Oakley. Unlike me, the American sportswear brand isn’t new to snowy terrains or mountainous landscapes; in fact, it’s been selling ski goggles for more than four decades. 

It wouldn’t be surprising to spot the Oakley logo on the slopes, after all, the brand has become to winter sports what Mr Zog’s Sex Wax is to surfing – an essential. What is surprising, however, is the scale and physics of the temporary igloo-shaped pop-up that stands before me. For instance, how the hell did they get it up here? The Oakley Outpost, as it has been named, sits at the base of the Oakley Flowpark, a purpose-built terrain created especially for riders of all abilities to show off their tricks. 

From my mountain position, standing in the outpost’s doorway with an ice-cold Corona, I watch as professional snowboarders launch themselves onto rails and boxes, pirouetting magnificently through the air. I’m taken back to my teenage years, sneaking off to the local village skatepark with a stolen can of my dad’s beer, blushing as the boys skated circles around me. 

Mostly, those shredding down the Livigno mountains have been skiing and snowboarding for as long as they could walk, and occasionally, the odd Olympian drops by. And for good reason: uncoincidentally, we’re here at the same time as the 2026 Winter Olympics. This year’s Games, Milano Cortina, are split predominantly between – you guessed it – Milan and Cortina. However, Livigno has become the unofficial third Olympic village, host to the snowboard and freestyle competitions. 

At one point, Swiss Olympic skier Mathilde Gremaud glides down to the Oakley Outpost, where she enjoys a glass of champagne, and everyone sings her “Happy Birthday”. She pops her gold medal down on the table while she tucks into a slice of birthday cake. Naturally, she’s dressed head to toe in Oakley’s brand new Aura collection (inspired by the athletes themselves).  

Caio Amato, Oakley’s Global President, is nearby, also taking it all in. “To be frank, we don’t care much about the medals,” he tells me. “We do celebrate them, but what really matters are the humans behind the goggles and glasses – their struggles, their vulnerabilities, their stories. If someone walks out of the Oakley Outpost and realises that performance can also be human, vulnerable, emotional, or even rebellious, then we’ve done our job.” 

Moments like this one, not only remembering but celebrating Gremaud’s birthday, while her shiny new gold medal is plonked beside her, summarise the Oakley attitude. Once you become a part of Team Oakley, you accidentally become part of an extended family that will push you to be the best you can be, but cares about you above anything else. “When an athlete stands at the top of a mountain on the biggest sports stage in the world wearing Oakley, that’s not exposure, that’s trust,” says Amato. 

Oakley athletes have to trust that their kit will protect them, even in the most extreme situations. “At the 2026 Winter Olympics, we witnessed one of those moments in sport that freezes time. Milliseconds between glory and real, life-threatening risk – a brutal crash involving Kamila Sellier [the Polish short track skater who suffered a facial injury]. Razor-sharp blades at a maximum speed. It could have been a fatal tragedy, but it wasn’t. And that is the greatest achievement we can have as a brand, to support athletes when they need it the most.” 

Of all the achievements Oakley could list from this year’s Olympics – the Outpost, the Flowpark, the countless athletes who stood on the podium wearing the latest Oakley kits – Amato describes the almost-tragedy with Sellier as his greatest achievement. “My biggest highlight was when I could speak to Kamila after the accident and we celebrated her life together.” 

As for me, a first-time-skier who never quite managed to put her balaclava on correctly, my worries seem minute in comparison to the Olympians risking their lives for their sports. That being said, it can be hard to let go of that seed of doubt when you’re so new to something – it’s pretty scary when you’re used to ambling around Victoria Park and suddenly find yourself halfway up a mountain. Luckily, like any good guiding light, Oakley will push you out of your comfort zone but still be there to catch you when you (inevitably) fall.