Recommend me some inexpensive but good ski googles. I was looking at Oakley O Frames, good? crap? I’m new to skiing so don’t know anything about them.

Not sure what lens colour either.

My wife got some Giro ones, they are really good. I’m gonna nick em.

oakley are good and cant actually be good value for money as so many places sell them you can normally get a good price

its all about fit and what you like the look of…try these guys

http://www.eyewearoutlet.co.uk/

recently had good expierence with them buying for the misses and they tend to be some of the cheapest

if possible try the ones you want on in a shop first as online pics dont show sizes very well..e.g the stockholm is basically a girls only goggle as its tiny!

Lenses, generally speaking:

If you intend to ski in bright sunlight then you need to go for reflective type.
If you will wear glasses in bright sun and only use goggles in flat light then you need something with a low light lens (oakly permission i think) these tend to be orange of yellow in colour.

Some set of goggles will come with a few sets of lenses that you can easily pop in and out to change.

Loads of stuff in TKMax recently.
Don’t look at the label, get something that fits comfortably (with your helmet on)

In my humble opinion, if possible, you really ought to have 2 pairs of goggles.

A orange/yellow tint for when the weather is yucky (whiteout, flat light, dull or even just those last runs in the evening).

A darker/mirrored tint for when it’s really bright.

I’ve spent most of my life skiing and snowboarding, used to live in the Italian Alps, spend lots of time in Scotland (weather permitting!), North America and anywhere within an hour of Geneva (one of my best mates lives there, very handy!). I also worked in a ski/snowboard shop as a student and was a test dummy for K2/Ride and Salomon. So I’ve used a fair bit of kit over the years.

Being up on 7th Heaven in Whistler on a bright day and you’ll need as dark a tint as you can get.

Being up on Glencoe on any day of the year and anything like that will make you feel like you’re blind.

If you are skiing on any big mountain, the light can change significantly depending on where you are on the mountain.

Personally, I like being able to switch goggles as conditions change. Changing lenses is a hassle, especially if you are wearing gloves.

Rather than buying a £100 pair of Oakley’s (the extra lenses cost almost as much as the goggles), get an orange pair of Smiths for £30ish and then pick a mirrored pair for around £50-70, lots to choose from.

If you want a “one pair does it all”, buy an orange tint, don’t go mirrored.

And remember, ALL goggles will steam up if you stick them on top of your head, or stop when you are hot. Don’t rub the inside with anything other than their case (you’ll rub the anti-fog coating off), just start skiing/riding again and they will clear.

If you want a “one pair does it all”, buy an orange tint

Agreed – I bought some DSOs years ago, they look ‘old’ compared to most now, but because the orange lens is so good I see no point changing them.

Cheers Peter, that’s really helpful. Gotta love this forum sometimes 😀

Any recommendations for googles with orange lens?

Anon do some nice kit for reasonable prices.

I spent a long afternoon trying on almost (not Oakley for some reason) every pair of goggles in Queenstown. What I learned was that just ‘cos they look good doesn’t mean they fit! I found only Spy and Anon are wide enough not to have the foam sitting over the edge of my eye in a really uncomfortable manner so I would advise trying some on.

And remember, ALL goggles will steam up if you stick them on top of your head, or stop when you are hot. Don’t rub the inside with anything other than their case (you’ll rub the anti-fog coating off), just start skiing/riding again and they will clear.

This is very true, do not put your goggles on your head, especially if your beanie is covered in snow.

Or if you want (in the words of Simon Pegg) a

Badass helmet made in the UK that makes you look like imperial special forces black opps

you could try ruroc.com. I just saw that on twitter last night and they do look interesting, not cheap mind…

Agree with peter – except the lenses on my Electric EG1 lenses take seconds to swap and are really easy, so I just carry spare lenses. Less bulk to pack and carry. The snow goggles used to come with both lenses, think they still do. Some brands (Oakley Crowbars) are really hard to swap in comparison though.

2 lenses are essential though – even last week with the bright blue sky, cloudless weather we had, I started and ended the day on low light but swapped for mirrors during the day.

Might also be worth picking up some Bob Heath visor spray from your local motorbike shop.

In my humble opinion, if possible, you really ought to have 2 pairs of goggles.

Depends when you’re going to wear goggles. Personally I’ll wear glasses unless the weather is bad, hence only need goggles with a low light lens.

Googd selection of Giro here

Meant to add; I tend to wear my Anon for the 10 minutes the sun is out at Glenshee then put on my clear Spy goggles I got for mtb years ago. I keep meaning to get another lens for the Anon so I don’t have to carry a pair of goggles in my pocket when I’m not wearing a pack – the lens pops out of them pretty easily.

Saying that I did manage fine with the tinted lens for night riding in Qtwn – floodlights on top of the snow cannons and chair pylons and a DJ at the bottom of the slopes *wants to go boarding now*

Any recommendations for googles with orange lens?

I’ve owned a few pairs of these….

Smith Cascade – £29.99

Smith have been making them for years, it’s a nice solid goggle that also works well with a helmet.

I also use them for walking/climbing in blizzard conditions.

Depends when you’re going to wear goggles. Personally I’ll wear glasses unless the weather is bad, hence only need goggles with a low light lens.

Yeah definitely. If you are a skier and are comfortable wearing sunglasses on the slopes (some people aren’t, and I can’t snowboard with sunglasses on at all), then just buy an orange tint goggle and a pair of sports sunglasses. Also avoids the dreaded goggle suntan mark!

I can’t snowboard with sunglasses on at all

Why not? When I last did lift assisted skiing (which was admittedly quite a while ago) I split my time between boarding and tele, hence my comments apply to both of those.

Why not? When I last did lift assisted skiing (which was admittedly quite a while ago) I split my time between boarding and tele, hence my comments apply to both of those.

I’ve tried loads of different glasses, but regardless of the shape, my eyes water. Also, I wear a helmet these days and goggles seem to sit more comfortably than glasses with my helmet.

Plus, I think i’m just used to wearing goggles now, and feel a bit naked/unprotected when I’m wearing glasses. Just personal preference really, but I do have a lot of mates who prefer the feel of goggles (and a similar who find glasses better!)

It’s a bit like “which brakes for snowboarding?” 😉

Glasses don’t keep the wind out, so make my eyes water badly too – then the tears leave salt deposit on the lenses.