I’ve been looking for years for a good pair of goggles that work in flat light or “white-out” conditions. This blog will be different from our others as we’ll keep updating it with the googles we try and also want input from our readers.
I’ll start by saying that I’m over 50 and have been an avid snowboarder for most of my life. I know my eyes are not “young” but come-on…no one has figured this out? With all the big bucks in the industry, no one? In talking to my friends, we all have the same issue and would send a lot to solve this issue.
The industry appears to realize the issue but their solution is to sell you several pairs of googles to see which work for you. This must be their solution or why haven’t they:
• Put the VLT rating (amount of light the lens lets in) right on the box? You can’t find it anywhere, and I don’t need to mention the level of experience store employees have with each manufacturer.
• Set up demo units. Why are these guys not out on major mountains on “white-out” days? You could try them on and take a run with them. If great, buy them, if not, keep looking.
• Provide fitting rooms. You can go in and try different googles for light conditions that are managed in the room. Maybe even go so far as have prescription goggles specifically for your eyes.
With that said…Smith, Oakley, Jublo are you listening? What googles have I tried so far and what has been the result?
• Oakley Line Miner goggles with high pink iridium lens with 46% VLT. Nice goggles for everyday use but no good for flat light. $150.00
• Oakley Flight Deck goggles with high pink iridium lens with 46% VLT. Didn’t work either. $200.00
• Jublo Aerospace goggles with Reactiv Photochromic / Cameleon lens. Good for every day, bad for flat light. 15-40% VLT $244.95
• Glade Challenger googles with a burnt orange lens which they recommend for low light. Didn’t work either. 30-84% VLT $89.99
• Dragon X1S Lumalens Photochromic with yellow lens. Not very good for flat light, but better than the rest here. 16-76% VLT $240.00
A new addition here is the OUTDOOR MASTER Pro Classic Ski Goggles. Extremely affordable at $45.99. I used them with the Yellow replacement lens that is 91% VLT which is only $29.99, and they worked amazingly well for me. I also tried the clear 99% VLT. I preferred the yellow as it just gave a slightly more definition. everyone's eyes are different, but compared to the expensive options above, give these a shot first!
If you have any recommendations, please add to comments or send them to info@malooracks.com
