Best Goggles for Stormy Weather

Had a scary (but still good!) day at the Bird my last day in SLC, March 29. A storm had come in, bringing with it low light and some pretty hard snowfall (hard in both amount of snow and the type of snow...it wasn't nice and soft at all...) My Oakley A-frame vents, due to their design, I learned later, got clogged pretty quickly with snow and ice. They fogged up, of course, but then to make matters worse the fog froze, rendering me nearly blind in worsening conditions. At our last run around noon, right before they closed the Tram, I got seperated from my party and had to make my way very slowly down the mountain. Visibility was so poor that I would get vertigo every few turns and would have to stop.

 

So, in an effort to avoid any such problems in the future, I want your suggestions on the best, storm-proof, bomb-proof goggles you've ever used! I've already gotten suggestions to try either the Smith Phenom goggle or the Oakley Wisdom goggle. Whichever frame design I end up getting, I'll make sure to get one low-light lens and one sunny lens, so don't focus too much on particular lens. Give me your best, storm-proof frames!

Well, don't assume that the problem was the goggles.  Both your hat/helmet and face warmers can cause the fogging problem on any goggle.  Even the best ventilated goggles will have problems if the bottoms are covered with a face warmer and/or the tops covered by a helmet or hat.

 

This is a typical problem here in the mid-Atlantic, where locals bundle up like Eskimos any time the temperature drops below 50F.  I see a lot of people with fogged goggles just because they have done something to block proper ventilation.  Never had that problem myself, even when hiking/touring and working up a sweat in the middle of a snow storm.  I've used dozens of goggles over the years, some expensive, some cheap.

 

So, bottom line, focus on the entire hat / helmet / goggle / face-warmer combo.

Duly noted, and a great thing to keep in mind, but that was not the case in this situation. I only wish it were that easy!  My helmet does a good job of keeping me warm without covering the top vents in the slightest, and the bottom of my face was not covered at all–just a neck warmer. The combination of falling snow and powder on the slopes was what managed to block the both the top and the front vents on the A-frames, and my friend mentioned that there might be something inherent about the design of the As that caused the fogging. What goggles are you using, skier219?

I am using Smith Prodigys right now, have RC-36, Sensor, and Yellow lenses for them.  I like them a lot -- good fit, good shape, excellent optical quality. 

 Like skier219 said, the Smith Prodigy is a great goggle, and the Turbo Fan version will handle almost any potentially foggy situation.  I use the Sensor lens for flat light and the RC 36 for brighter days

That Turbo Fan seems funky! How's it powered, by watch battery? I wonder how it holds up in cold and wet conditions. 

 

So far it seems like we've got votes for Smith Prodigy, Smith Phenom, and Oakley Wisdom. Anyone else want to weigh in?

 Prodigy for $47 on www.tramdock.com/ right now!

 

Two AAAs, and works as advertised, though the above mentioned helmet-covering-vents admonishment applies to the fan intake (located on top of the goggle facing upwards) also.

 

I have been using a Smith turbo for years.  They work great in the worse conditions. Even with a helmet covering the upper fan vent you can still get  air circulation. 

 My problem now is I lost the lid to The battery pack. It looks pretty funky wth silver duct tape covering the batteries.

+1 on the Prodigy.  wore mine at Sugar Bowl on a couple of total whiteout days this year and loved them.  really the only issue was that i was using the stock RC (36 i think) lenses on a really, really flat day and visibility was rough -- no complaints on the goggles, just need to pick up an extra set of lenses for them.  on a somewhat weird note, i actually used the rose lenses night skiing at Squaw in a snowstorm and i could see just fine!  i was quite pleasantly surprised, to say the least.

 

one caveat: fit is everything.  i have a narrow face and the Prodigy fits me great.  if you end up with a pair of goggles that everybody raves about but they don't fit your face right, you're going to be miserable.

 

Thanks for all the replies so far. Does anyone know what the Army's ski division uses? Or what's the most popular goggle for mountain expeditions/polar expeditions? Figure those must be some robust goggles...

 

Also, this guy's kinda silly and a bit of a gaper, but he's got an intriguing solution to fog, using Band-Aids! Anyone ever try it?

 

possible practical joke alert! who knows if this guy's serious!?

Edited by reducedfatoreo - 4/16/2009 at 04:42 pm GMT

SO how come the packets they come in dont expand??? Also note he covered the vents with the plasters so this would make fogging worse

 

On divers masks the way to make sure they dont fog it to make sure the glass is uber clean. Washing up liquid or raw potatoe works well

 

On ski goggle there is a anti fog coating. This woill work well for ages provided you NEVER EVER TOUCH IT. Moment you touch, wipe it, its gone for good

 

Paint ballers have the hardest time, cos not only are they active but the temps are far higher so more moisture. Their sectret, again NEVER touch the lens

http://www.airsoftgi.com/product_info.php?products_id=3001

If they make you ski like him it's worth a try! 

 

 

Yeah, right? Dude's got the best hockey stop I've ever seen in my life! 

 

 

Heh, looks like with this design I could make something similar with a few parts from RadioShack! Have you ever tried this, comprex? All I'd need is some neon pink duct tape to affix it to my goggles!.

 

 

Clarify that to -- never touch it *wet*.  You can touch it when it's dry, no worries.

I think the bandaids might be worth a try.  Also, since nobody should be able to see the bandaids on the inside of your goggles, only you would know how ridiculous it is.  It could hardly look any more nerdy than a fan on your goggles (not saying it doesn't work, but pocket protectors work pretty well for their purpose).  And he intended to cover up the vents since he wants an increased pressure.  Besides, all it could do is not work and you'd be out the 50 cents in bandaids and rubber gloves. 

 

The dude in the vids has a bunch more that are pretty funny (in a lame sort of way) as well as informative. 

By my tally we've got these recommendations:

 

•Smith Prodigy

•Smith Phenom

•Oakley Wisdom

 

and I've found on my own research:

•Smith I/O

 

Any other good ones? Any others to stay away from? If we get enough answers I'm gonna try and get a wiki going or at least a few review writeups.

Hi,

Have just found this site (via your thread on goggles for bad weather).

Did you ever get an answer about the I/O's and how good or not they are?

A heavy snowing/blowing day a couple of years ago, I went alone and grabbed the wifes goggles off the car mirror....they were Bolle vermillion....aka pink/rose.  I had always been a scott heavy uv or  yellow/amber for low lite or the oakleys rainbow aka alabama cop for the really bright days....long story short I have my own vermillions for the really low visibility days and I tried a couple and the Bolle's work the best...
2 cents
bty oreo, nice Pcar....have you ever tried the Piper ski racks? the car tracks better when its blowing and you're really rolling and they look very good...

Yep, yellow lens in the Smith Prodigy's is my storm day goggle.

Smith Phenom's rock; made to go with Smith helmets, recommend a goggle helmet system if you are starting from scratch.

Quote:
Never got an answer, but I bought a pair and will be testing them out this season. If all goes well I'll get a few more lens options, too. Once I get out on the snow and into some bad weather I'll post an update either here or in the review section of the site.

I have a pair of I/Os and was in a couple of big snow days with them.  No problem with their performance.  My biggest problem was figuring out the right lens for storm/flat light days.  A lot of people like the sensor mirror in those conditions.  The sensor didn't really work for me.  I stayed with the ignitor mirror almost exclusively.

I use the Electric G2 goggles and haven't had any problems with them so far, but I would agree with skier219 in that it is more about the set-up around your goggles. The first day it was cold enough to require a face-mask (-10 C or below) my goggles fogged at the beginning. The goggles are oversized, and I didn't take that into account and my face-mask covered right up to the goggles, causing my breath to fog the lenses when going hard. I have adapted how I set it up now, and it is fine.

My brother on the other hand uses some old Smith's (we are talking like 4+ years old, and not expensive when they were new) and they work fine for him as well, as long as he sets up right.

Add a fan to any goggle for $60.00 :

http://www.habervision.com/product/12013.aspx

I've just picked up a pair of the Phenoms with the sensor mirror lens,  so I'll do the same:

Though I'm not skiing 'till January.

I've just picked up a pair of the Phenoms with the sensor mirror lenses, so I'll do the same
though I'm not skiing untill January.