Trying To Decide On Ski Goggles

[soldier9599]

(tl;dr: Please suggest two lenses, polarized one for bright sun and non-polarized for flat/low light, and frames that can swap lenses easily.)

Hey everybody! Long time Oakley fan but first time poster here. I'm a pretty serious skier and I'm looking to finally get a decent pair of goggles, so of course I look to Oakley. I know this post is long, but I'd really appreciate it if you could help me get the best goggles because I ski a lot and want nothing less than the best! Absolute musts for me are polarized lenses and frames with which you can easily swap out lenses (I am buying two). I have a fairly large head (7+5/8" - 7+3/4" hat size) so roomier frames would be ideal. Anti-fog and aesthetics are mostly insignificant. Splice frames seem like my best choice because they are the only ones that satisfy easy lense swapping and polarized lenses as well as fitting larger heads. Should I consider any others?

For bright sun, I want something that blocks out a lot of light (all of my sunglasses are 9% black iridium polarized), but is also polarized and cuts down on glare and improves contrast. Among all available snow lenses, I am leaning towards the 19% Fire Iridium polarized with the 14% VR28 polarized in a close second. Dark Grey polarized and High Intensity Amber polarized don't seem as ideal. What do you guys think?

For flat light, I want versatile lenses (probably not polarized) that will function well in low light heavily overcast to blizzard conditions, as well as medium light mostly cloudy/flat conditions with no direct sun. Depth perception and contrast with are vital, while glare reduction and moderate/mild tint are also relevant. The 63% High Intensity Persimmon seems ideal. 83% High Intensity Yellow also seems viable but I don't have a feel for how these tint levels compare. I do realize brightness perception is logarithmic so it probably won't make a huge difference, but I'd appreciate it if anyone could shed some light on how they compare. Any other lenses you might recommend for this?

Any opinions or testimony on anything I've mentioned would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read.

 

[washi me sensie]

dont know anything about ski goggles but welcome to the forum bro!

 

[del518]

I have the Airbrake with a Fire lens and a VR28 lens. The fire I use for bright sunny days and the VR28 I use for cloudy/overcast days. Changing the lens is a piece of cake as their is a little lever on the side of the goggle that allows for an easy swap.

 

[Oakster]

****Oakster's take on polarized goggles:
On the snow, it's just bright as heck but it's not generally glare. On the hill, where you'll get most of your glare is on groomed runs where there is ice. Ice is something most people want to see. I personally see the extra money being not only a waste but also a negative.

Also, I find a brown based lens much better to wear all day long vs a grey based lens.

For bright conditions, both Fire and Black are great. (black is brown based in goggles, unlike sunglasses)

For low-light lenses, I LOVE H.I. Yellow and it can be worn at night as well. H.I. Persimmon is great for overcast, but not quite as bright if you're night-riding.

I would also recommend Airbrake as having lenses that can be swapped in 2 seconds regardless of temperature is great. Most goggles will stiffen up in the cold and swapping lenses in the cold, or when you're in a hurry, or on a moving object like a chair is brutal. Airbrakes are AMAZING!

 

[Juleye Exclusive Eyewear]

Also make sure to buy one of the more expensive goggles. If you go for the cheaper ones you wil not have the plutonite lenses, but ordinary lexan ones. There definately is a big difference in lens quality between those two. The lexan are actually flat pieces bent into shape.

 

[Jupiter]

I also agree with not buying a polarized lens. You'll have trouble seeing icy patches which is definitely a problem on groomers. If you've got the money, pick up a nice pair of Airbrakes. I too have a pretty big head and they fit great. My pair has a Blue Iridium and Persimmon lens and swapping them out when light conditions change is a breeze.

For dark days, you can't go wrong with Fire or Emerald Iridium. For low-light / night skiing, grab a HI Yellow.

 

[soldier9599]

Thanks for all the help! I never would have guessed that about polarized lenses, but it does make sense. I read up and it seems common, and people also have problems with terrain texture using polarized so I'll save the money.

What color does the Fire Iridium look like from the inside? Is there any reason I should get Black Iridium instead of Fire or vice versa? For the other lens it seems like HI Persimmon might be more well rounded but HI Yellow is better for flat/overcast/snowy conditions, which would be perfect to have if I already have one for bright conditions. Would you agree?

I'm thinking Airbrakes with Fire Iridium and HI Yellow. If you have so much as the slightest idea that it's not the absolute perfect combination please convince me! One more thing I was wondering is what you do with your spare lenses. I always ski with a small backpack so I have room in there, but I don't want it to get crushed or scratched by my camera, lunch, a tree, etc. What do you suggest?

 

[del518]

I would go with HI Yellow as your second lens it really does brighten things up. The Airbrakes come with a microfiber bag for the second lens so you could throw that in your backpack which will help from the lens getting scratched.

 

[Jupiter]

I like that combo. Most of the kids in the park these days don't buy goggles for their functionality, but rather for how they look. Fire and HI Yellow is an excellent combo. I just went with blue iridium/persimmon because it matched my gear this year

 

[soldier9599]

Very true. Everyone I know has such fancy looking ski outfits, but I don't care. I don't mind looking good, but if I'm spending my hard earned cash on performance gear it better perform. Plus no one sees me any way; I prefer bumps, trees, bowls, chutes, etc. and rarely go in the park and avoid crowded groomed runs.

I comparison shopped looking at Smith I/O and Dragon APX, and the Airbrakes definitely seem like the best choice. From what I've read it seems nobody can compete with the HI Yellow lens. The Smiths did seem like the one set of frames that could swap lenses just as easily, but their sensor lenses just don't seem as ideal. Unless I try them on and something else fits way better with my helmet looks like I'm picking up some Airbrakes!