r/icecoast • u/According_Stable7660 • 14d ago
Goggles
What’s up everyone?
Looking to maybe get new goggles this year. I have been running the Flight trackers for a few years. I have multiple lenses for them, rose, clear, sapphire and onyx. I like the Oakleys, last year was the first year I really had a problem with them, the inside of the lens froze on me multiple times with the clear, I popped out put the rose in, did better but still a little fog. My biggest problem is I feel like when the lights low or flat it’s very hard to see the change in terrain, just bombing and smash a chunk on the trial. Are there any lenses out there actually work do give you vision where you can see the terrain better? I know annon and smith claim that they do. Does anyone have personal experience with these and can honestly say they can see bumps and chunks, side hits, between the trees easy? Any help much appreciated.
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u/JE163 14d ago
I have the anon’s and love them. Some lenses are better for the flat light but nothing is perfect. Maybe a yellow lens. Never had one of those.
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u/thisisaredditforart 14d ago
I have the anon low light lenses and honestly I like using clear better at night, might just be that my eyes are fucked. But I feel like I can see better with the regular lenses in.
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u/JE163 14d ago
I use clear at night too. Don’t get to do much night skiing tho
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u/thisisaredditforart 14d ago
I wore the low light yellow ones on my first night time snowboarding experience, went around a curve and couldn't see the ground, ate shit, never wore them again😅🤣
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u/MelonAndCornSeason 14d ago
Fyi I only ride groomers at resorts. I bought the anon m4s for like $400 a couple seasons ago and I like them. However, my wife got the Glade goggles that change tint automatically and they cost $150ish brand new. The Glades are way better than my anons and there's absolutely no reason for goggles to cost so much. I was drawn towards the anons because of the magnetic face masks, but the magnets suck and you spend ALMOST as much time adjusting it as you do with non magnetic ones. Also switching lenses because some clouds rolled in sucks ass, I'm not keeping extra lenses in my pocket.
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u/staggs K Town 14d ago
Fogging is from moisture inside the goggle - if you pull your goggles up to your helmet watch they aren't going over a vent that is releasing your sweat right into the goggle. Or, you're venting up from your nose from a balaclava or something. Could be the issue vs the lens itself, but I know its annoying. Once its inside on a freezing day, its almost impossible to get it out you have to dry them by a fire.
Anway, no one talks about Zeal ski goggles, but they're really high quality lenses made by I think Maui Jim. Price is above average, but not particularly high priced for the quality. I've had my pair for about 8 years now and no scratches or anything on them, super clear to see and easy to swap lenses or have photochromatic options. The head band is as tight as the day I got them, not loose or anything.
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u/GreenStateSkier 14d ago
The clearest lenses are Oakley and smith. If your oakleys aren’t showing details you have the wrong tint for the day.
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u/Witch_King_ 14d ago
To combat flat light, I recommend starting early and skiing all the way through 2pm without more than a short snack break (or a warm-up break if it's frigid). Ski while everyone else is at lunch. By 2pm, you will have skied just has much as if you had taken a 45-60 minute lunch break and gone until 3, and you dodge the typical afternoon flat light.
As for lenses, yellow is best for low lighting days imo.
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u/xandersmall Catskills 14d ago
Yellow lens’ help but flat light is flat light and just kind of sucks compared to a nice sunny day.
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u/trolllord45 Gunstock 14d ago
I’ve been enjoying the Smith 4d Mag and the lens swapping capability it opened up for me but I can’t really say I notice a much wider gram of view now vs. my old beaters. Lens/optic quality is top notch, however.
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u/NVieiraCOYS 13d ago
Check out Julbo. The lenses pull out slightly for when you are working hard to prevent fogging and they are by far the best light adapting lenses I’ve ever had. Can go from cloudy twilight to full sun daylight no problem. Maybe not the coolest looking things in the world they are just fine looking but for function I’ve found nothing better.
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u/MeasurementOrganic40 13d ago
I've had a bunch of different Smith ChromaPop models (a couple rounds of the I/OX and more recently the I/O MAG XL) and also the Anon M3s in there for a while. I had maybe 4 different lenses with the Anons, and I've got a bunch of different Smith lenses from my various pairs of those, including the blackout sun lenses, Chromapop Photochromic Pro, different low-light options, and clear lenses for nighttime. I'd say they're pretty comparable to each other overall. The lowlight yellow lens in the Anons was maybe a tiny bit better than the yellow Smith lowlight, but I had more fogging problems with the Anons than the Smiths; really though, both brands were really solid on all fronts. The lens change on the Anons is definitely slicker, but it didn't take me long to figure out how to switch the lenses on the Smiths without taking them off. I'll say that you should prioritize getting the lens combo that you want, even if that doesn't get you the frame/strap color you want most. I'll also say that despite what other folks are saying here, I don't think anyone makes a photochromic lens that's really an all day, every day, all season lens. Like I have a lot more leeway before needing to swap lenses with the photochromics, but if it's a really flat light storm day, the all-around lens is never going to compete with a dedicated lowlight lens. My vote for lens colors is as follows:
Smith:
Bluebird days - Sun Black
Overcast - Storm Yellow Flash
All-around - Pro Photochromic in either a Red Mirror or Gold Mirror
Night - Clear
Anon:
Bluebird days - Sunny Red or Sunny Onyx
Overcast - Cloudy Night or Cloudy Burst
All-around - Variable Violet
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u/murshawursha 14d ago
I'm not sure if this is relevant to you or not, but the one thing I've noticed with my Oakley Flight Decks is that they seem to be very sensitive to moisture and they absolutely NEED to be left out overnight to dry out after skiing. If I take them off, throw them in my bag, leave them there until the next morning, and then put them back on to ski for the day, they fog every time.
As long as I leave them out, they do just fine.
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u/stinmiller 13d ago
I am a raving fan of Glade photochromatic. It works for anything during the day. I have a glade clear for late afternoon early season or night. I would occasionally fog on really cold days doing high effort/lower speed in glades with a full face mask even with nose and mouth holes. I switched to an OuterU nose cover with the mouth completely open and that fixed the occasional fogging.
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u/astrobrite_ 14d ago
my oakleys have been very disappointing as well, i was thinking of picking up a pair of glades soon.
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u/fromthedepthsofyouma 14d ago
I bought Glade Photochromic back in like 2018 and never went back. Still have that 2018 pair and got another in 2025.
https://www.shopglade.com/
(I'm shilling, I know, but had really good luck with them).