Snowboard Gear
The Eyes Have It: A Snowboarding Goggles Discussion
Everyone wears goggles. They are essential when snowboarding. Goggles keep wind, ice and snow out of your eyes, they keep your eyes and the areas around them warm, and of course they protect your eyes from the harmful effects of the sun.
When I was in Banff last month I had two pairs of goggles with me, my reliable old Oakley’s and a new pair of Utopia Optics goggles which I recently picked up for about $22 bucks. Both worked fairly well, but both fogged at up some points too. My Oakley goggles had never fogged up before, so that was pretty disappointing. I think it may have been because my toque was under my goggles which allowed moisture in. I’m going to try wearing my hat on the outside to see if that helps. I realize now it’s not that easy finding a pair of goggles that fit nicely, are right size for your face, protect your eyes, and never fog up.
Here are a few tips I have picked up recently: You should wear mirrored goggles in sunny conditions to help reflect sunlight away from your eyes. You should wear flat light goggles in cloudy conditions to help you maintain a clear view that is not too darkly tinted. I find the biggest challenge is finding a pair of goggles which work really well for night skiing. Good clear lens goggles are very hard to find (I have a pair of Gordini’s which stink). I found that light orange or yellow tint seems to work fairly well at night. Somtimes I see people ski wearing only sunglasses. They might be polarized and protect against UV rays, but the wind coming in around the frames must sting like hell. I can’t endorse that.
For now I am going to stick to my Oakleys. I think they are A-frames, but I really don’t remember. If they fog up again, I’ll go shopping.
What goggles do you wear and why did you choose them? Is it style, fit, fashion, brand loyalty, value? Let us know.
Oh, I originally planned on giving this post the title, “My eyes! MY EYES!!!”, but that’s not journalistic enough for H.O. standards.
Discussion
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I have 2 pairs of Oakleys – Wisdom and Crowbars. Personally, I love them both. I’ve never had issues with fogging issues with either although they’re pretty scratched up with my abuse. Finding replacements for both have been a PITA though.
I wear a simple pair of tinted Scott goggles that have always worked pretty well and don’t fog if I wear them correctly.
With that said, they are suboptimal in low and flat light. I really need to find something that is more workable for the end of the day.
For my Asian face (lack of a pronounced nose bridge) I found that Dragon Mace’s and IS Type-R’s fit very well. Oakly Wisdoms are okay but not the greatest fit. Wrote more about it here…
http://blog.rideqi.com/2009/01/you-cant-ride-if-you-cant-see-take-care.html
Oakley A Frame with VR28 lens for bright conditions. Oakley Wisdom with high intensity persimmon for low light. I ski patrol at a north facing hill and the light is flat as hell in the mornings and late in the day. So I wear the Wisdoms to start, switch to the A Frame by around 11am, then back to the Wisdom at around 3pm.
Neither pair fogs if worn right.
My first pair of Goggles were some of the lower-end ones from Smith. They were pretty good and did the job but they got scratched and I needed a new pair.
So I got myself some IS Design R-Type goggles. They are pretty good and snowboard specific with vents designed for the sideways stance. The lens was a grey-yellow combination (I think) and at the time I was mostly riding at night so they were good. I still have these goggles as my backup/loan to friends who forgot theirs pair.
Then a couple of years ago I had some extra money and felt like a change so I picked up some Electric EG-1 goggles. The nice thing about them is that they have a dual lens. So there is a mirror on the outside and a rose on the inside. The mirror isn’t too over-powering and I find I can still use them in flat light and even in the dark. Also in the box was a complete second lens that was all rose, I haven’t used it yet but it was a nice touch. The only issue I have with the electrics is that they are a bit tight on the bridge of my nose and pinch the outside of my nostrils a bit. But I just have to shift them around a bit and then they are good.
Anon Figment
I’ve had them 4 seasons, haven’t fogged up once until this year…probably because the lens coating is gone…but they are the most comfortable pair i’ve owned.
I’ve got some Von Zippers currently and Spy goggles from before. To be honest, I choose for colour and not so much for function.
The Von Zippers were quite a bit more expensive than the Spy’s and I’m really happy with them. They don’t fog up too much.
Do you wear a helmet? I find helmets fog up goggles way less than toques
I don’t wear my helmet as often as I should perhaps. I really like the comfort of just the toque. Maybe I need a better and lighter helmet – I guess that’s the next article.
I picked up a nice pair of Oakleys over the summer for half off. Before that I had been using cheaper goggles that usually went for $50-60 a pop. The difference in quality with my new Oakleys is amazing. They never fog up or let wind in, where as I always had problems with my cheaper Smith’s, Etc..
girl usa
friends usa
I have used a pair of Spy goggles for over 10 years until this past weekend. They are black with a yellow lens, they ones that curve downward on the top, making you look like you have angry eyebrows. They don’t make that specific model anymore, but I they’re what put Spy on the map.
Anyway, I got a paid of Spy Zed goggles with a mirrored rose lens and extra persimmon lens last week on sale for relatively cheap($75). I used them at Northstar this past weekend and they were AWESOME! Obviously I have a bias for Spy, but I’ll end by saying I’m very happy with my new goggles.