Alex,

You and I have the exact same issues, I have to wear glasses while skiing, contacts are horrible while skiing (have tried). Over the years I have tried many types of OTG goggles, none work all that well, I should say, they work fine until it starts snowing, sleeting, or raining then your glasses will fog badly or the google themselves. 
 

Last season I had spent serious time looking into sport glasses with RX inserts, almost bought a pair of Rudy Project then I took a good look at the RX Optical Insert and quickly decided against it. It is very cheap and flimsy, and will certainly fall out if you ski bumps or take a fall. My doctor (Opthamologist) a sport medicine expert, said I should look at Adidas Eyewear, after seeing the quality of material and the robustness of the RX insert I bought a pair and skied all season in them and was very happy until I was skiing in a snow storm and yes they fog up.
 

I just bought the OSBE Proton Senior last night at the Boston Ski Expo, I have no idea if it will be better than OTG goggles but I'll find out. The product seems very well made and the visor system works well and easy to change lenses. The additional lenses are not cheap at $50/each, the helmet comes with a gray and a yellow lens.

Look into the Adidas model called Adivista L  

http://www.adidas.com/Eyewear/content/products/10203/adivista-L

I will let you know how the new helmet works out, planning on going skiing within the next two weeks.

Update,

I have been out three times with my new OSBE helmut and visor, works well, but one weird thing I have found out... if it is cold out breath thru your mouth, not nose or they will briefly fog up.  The helmut itself is very comfy and does a great job keeping your protected and warm. I'd say buy this if you have eyeglass, contact skiing issues, it is just not worth having a miserable and dangerous time on the slopes.

Enjoy

Hi

I recently bought the OSBE helmet with visor and find it really comfortable, good in both warm and cooler conditions, however the wind does get under the visor when u are going at any speed causing a certain amount of eye-watering.  I wore sunglasses underneath it (as was wearing light-enhancing lense on a very sunny afternoon - another draw-back - you need to choose lense first thing in the morning!) which helped a bit but still quite windy.  Think you may need to try another option - sorry.  Loved the fact you can flip the visor one handed tho whilst on the move.  

I long ago learned the secrets to skiing with glasses and regular goggles.

I bought a very small set of glasses frames from my optometrist to use expressly for skiing - under my goggles (absolutely regular size goggles and never a bugeye OTG model). I spray and wipe down my skiing glasses with "Fog Buster" in the morning, and then ski all day without fogging. The only trick is when I walk out of the lodge I put my goggles on moments before I go outside, and upon returning to the lodge I leave my goggles on for about 30 seconds after I walk inside.

I ski all conditions, around 60 days each season, and am never bothered by fogging. I use very light tinted goggles since the light is often flat in New England (at least in the afternoon). There are several goggles that I like the tint of, and all of them have behaved the same as respects being fog-free with my glasses underneath.

I have been using my OSBE Helmet and Visor since November and just love it with my RX glasses, this was the best $200+ bucks I have spent. The trick to help eliminate any fogging on really cold days (sub zero F) is to breath thru your mouth, not your nose, it make a difference. I can't see a damn thing without glasses and contact suck while skiing. I have tried ALL THE OTG googles and they all suck. I'm so pleased with this new helmet visor system, it is also warm and comfortable.

ChrisfromRI, what is FogBuster made of?  Neither waxy stuff like Cat Crap and Smith goggle wipes have helped; neither does FogTech (silicone plus surfactant that is supposed to spread moisture across the lens surface). 

And those of you who say contacts suck for skiing, why is that?  I've got chronically dry eyes but thought that the goggle microclimate, which makes my eyes feel much less dry, would be great, so long as I can get over putting stuff in my eyes.

My vision problems are driving my nuts.  My Rx sunglasses work well in clear conditions except for some fogging on the lift & standing still out of the wind, but at least I can see when I'm skiing.  My problem is the other 80% of ski days when it's foggy at the top or a whiteout everywhere or in flat light.  Rudy Project inserts didn't help at all; the inserts fogged up and as for fragility, the inserts fell out and disappeared in a low-impact partial yard sale when a clump of skiers tore up the hill behind me, and were lost forever.  More than $200 down the drain on that attempt.  I checked out the Adidas inserts online, but the insert holder looks just as frail.

OTG goggles are useless; they provide ventilation from the bottom of the goggle, which means my breath fogs my glasses up unless it's windy or I'm skiing steep terrain, whether or not I'm breathing through  my nose, especially with my balaclava.  At this point the only idea I've has is to block the bottom vents to see if taking my breath out of the equation helps.  If it does, I'll just put tape over them (duct tape, anyone?).  If that doesn't do it, I could drop $250 on an OSBE helmet on the off chance it would work, but not unless I could return it if it didn't. 

Sigh.  At least I now know I'm not the only one to struggle with this.

*uses contacts for skiing with zero problems*

Quote:

Originally Posted by litterbug 

ChrisfromRI, what is FogBuster made of?  Neither waxy stuff like Cat Crap and Smith goggle wipes have helped; neither does FogTech (silicone plus surfactant that is supposed to spread moisture across the lens surface). 

 

And those of you who say contacts suck for skiing, why is that?  I've got chronically dry eyes but thought that the goggle microclimate, which makes my eyes feel much less dry, would be great, so long as I can get over putting stuff in my eyes.

 

My vision problems are driving my nuts.  My Rx sunglasses work well in clear conditions except for some fogging on the lift & standing still out of the wind, but at least I can see when I'm skiing.  My problem is the other 80% of ski days when it's foggy at the top or a whiteout everywhere or in flat light.  Rudy Project inserts didn't help at all; the inserts fogged up and as for fragility, the inserts fell out and disappeared in a low-impact partial yard sale when a clump of skiers tore up the hill behind me, and were lost forever.  More than $200 down the drain on that attempt.  I checked out the Adidas inserts online, but the insert holder looks just as frail.

 

OTG goggles are useless; they provide ventilation from the bottom of the goggle, which means my breath fogs my glasses up unless it's windy or I'm skiing steep terrain, whether or not I'm breathing through  my nose, especially with my balaclava.  At this point the only idea I've has is to block the bottom vents to see if taking my breath out of the equation helps.  If it does, I'll just put tape over them (duct tape, anyone?).  If that doesn't do it, I could drop $250 on an OSBE helmet on the off chance it would work, but not unless I could return it if it didn't. 

 

Sigh.  At least I now know I'm not the only one to struggle with this.

Dry eyes here too.  Contacts were useless while skiing. They would dry up as soon as I got up to speed.  The air flow thru the goggles was plenty to dry out my contacts to the point that I couldn't see at all without adding eyedrops or removing the contacts.  Tried several times with no luck.

 

Regarding air flow thru goggles at speed causing dry eye issues with contact wearers - Look for goggles with low and/or regulated air flow features. Vents on the front of the goggle (lens surface and/or front of frame openings) will flow increasing amount of air as speed increases. Top & bottom vents on the goggles experiences less fluctuations in speed related air flow.

I segregate my goggles not only by tint but also by air flow. Low air flow for colder days. YMMV.

I too had issues as a wearer of glasses and did loads of research looking for options on how to ski and see where I was going!

I came across these Osbe Helmets and have to say the service I received from the company was first class. I ordered a helmet online using their website www.osbeusa.com and when it arrived it was a little too tight, I called them up and they were more than happy to exchange it for a bigger size as I hadn’t worn the helmet.

I notice you are in Utah, have you tried going into one of the stores that stocks this product and asking if you could try it? Cole Sports in Park city is listed as a retailer, just a thought.

Have to say for me it’s worked out perfectly and resolved all my issues as I am unable to see without my glasses as a bonus I love the way the helmet looks. One very satisfied customer. 

Oh my, loving this helmet how did I not see this thread.   I have always wondered about using a built in goggle, but my concern was wind blowing under the lens and then drying my eyes.   One way to avoid this would be to run a full-face model like I already do....I wonder if they have these ski helmets in full-face model

BTW for all of you using contact lenses,   I too suffered from drying contacts when I skied fast on especially dry days or when I was just tired after a long day.   I recently changed to a different lens type that allows far more oxygen to my eye, this has dramatically reduced the dry eye condition, so you might want to look into a new lens brands, they are constantly coming out with better lenses.

I just recently picked up an OSBE helmet and after skiing it for three days have found it to the answer to my vision challenges while skiing.

I need to wear glasses while skiing and none of the goggles,  glasses,  wipes, drops, cloths or anything else I tried worked for me.  Not even my trusty old Bolle mountain bike racing glasses with the prescription inserts.

The OSBE flat out works and fogging problems so far have been non existent.  The helmet allows a very wide view when the visor is down and tearing has not been a problem in temps down to 10 degrees F while skiing at speed.  The visor seal keeps enough wind out to be effective, it is not a complete seal like a goggle provides but it is enough.  Flipping the visor up and down as needed is very handy and there are no more goggles popping off my helmet and flopping around.  The visor can be changed for another color in about sixty seconds once you have done it a couple of times  unless you drop one of the parts.

The color selection on the company website is impressive and the colors are even more striking when seen in person.

The OSBE website sizing chart put me in the middle of the small size which really surprised me. My GIRO G9 is a large.   I called the US distributor and asked if the sizing chart ran small and was told that it was true to size.  So I ordered a small and although it fit, it was very tight and  I did not think I could wear it even an hour without having real problems.  I called the distributor and returned it for a medium without any problem.  The medium was also snug (as a helmet is supposed to be if it is to protect your head), but I felt I could live with the fit and it has proven to be fine even after  a full day of skiing.

Although I was worried about spending this much money on another  experiment, it turned out to be a great success.  Also, the OSBE US distributor offers a thirty day return policy if the helmet doesn't work out for you (check their website for the details).

I highly recommend the helmet if you have to wear glasses,  YMMV.

I agree 100% that this helmet with visor looks very cool - certainly like nothing else on the mountain that I've seen!  It reminds me somewhat of the old Robotech series in the 80's!  (LOVED that show!)  :)  I know that this company has a dedicated following (quite possibly coupled with a healthy marketing campaign), but I would like to remind fellow Epic members who are in need of prescription ski eyewear, that there are other ways that your vision can be corrected - and that your local ski shop is, in almost every case, not the place to attempt to achieve this correctly.  A certified/licensed optician who specializes in ski/sport eyewear is always your best solution to achieve optimal results both visually from your prescription eyewear, but also functionally in terms of durability, true anti-fog / anti-glare, durability, optically correct visual systems etc.

There is a massive difference in over-the-counter optical solutions when compared against personalized custom digital eyewear.  The cost is also likely to be slightly less than a solution such as Rx glasses and a helmet/visor scenario - again with a generally greater likely hood of better vision, comfort and durability.  As always, there is no one single answer that will meet everyone's needs, but certainly don't discount the power of a skilled  optician anymore than you would your favorite boot fitter.  Their skill and knowledge can easily make the difference in mediocre vs. astronomical quality vision.  Spend a little time looking at all the options that exist today in wrap compensated sports eyewear, and I except more than a few might be surprised at exactly what can be done.

With all that said - I'd love to see some pictures of you guys wearing your Helmets and visors in this thread - they do look cool!

Cheers,

Brian~

Very interesting discussion. I wear glasses but just take them off when I ski (I need them for distance vision!) butI was looking at Dainese V-Jet Touch Ski helmets online and find out (a) they do not sell them in the USA and then (b) saw these OSBE proton and other OSBE visor-based helmets. 

Main question I have is that regular goggles do keep the cold out, especially when its very cold and I wonder how does the VISOR do that? Since the ind will come curling through the bottom unless there is some sort of sealing mechanism.

Any insight you folks might have to offer is invited. Am a bit mystified. 

Also, anyone knows why Dainese says on their website that their main World Class helmets are not certified for sale in the USA?

Thanks in advance

I Bought an OSBE helmet at Christy Sports for my wife when I was in Colorado, she wears glasses. She loves the helmet, so much I bought one for myself. I wear glasses too. I bought mine from the the online store and had no problems, helmet was at my house in 3 days. On really cold days I wear a serius face mask. As long as you have your nose breathing out of the hole you have no problems. Also OSBE this year lined the Visor with foam. We called the factory they sent us a piece of foam and now no more wind at all. 

Great product  highly recommend it  worth the money!

Me in the facemask on the right   no fogging!  Very cool looking!

Hi All,

This thread was of help to me when I was researching eye coverage for my skiing trips.  So, I wanted to "give back" by posting my review of the OSBE Proton Sr. helmet.  It is below.  Enjoy!

I have been struggling for years skiing with a complicated glasses prescription. Due to very bad astigmatism, I cannot find any contact lenses that work well. So, I am stuck with glasses.

So, for years I have tried the over-the-glasses ski goggles. Those have their own share of problems. The major problems being that it's hard to find a good fit over my glasses frames, and they tend to pull my glasses frames off my face when I lift the goggle off. Also, OTG goggles restrict your field of vision somewhat.

Before this year's ski trip, I found the OSBE Proton Sr. helmet in a local ski shop and tried it on. I instantly liked the way it felt, and decided to take the financial risk not knowing how it would perform in actual snowy/cold skiing conditions. I am glad I did.

Overall, for glasses wearers, I highly recommend this helmet!! If you don't wear glasses, I think traditional goggles can still be a better solution in many cases. There is nothing I "hate" about the OSBE Proton helmet. There are many things I love about it and a few items that are only a minor annoyance, as follows:

Here is what I love about it:

* It fits great over my glasses frames; never any fit problems.

* It provides nearly 100% of my regular every-day field of view (as compared to goggles which greatly reduce your peripheral vision). This is great in order to have a better idea of what's going on around you in terms of other skiers on the hill, etc.

* It comes with two lenses - one dark and one yellow. Thus, you have a lens for every situation.

* The strap is high quality and comfortable.

* The helmet is comfortable and works great for my "glasses situation" all things considered.

* It is very easy to flip it up when you need the lens off your eyes; very easy with or without gloves.

* It looks cool, I think.

Here is what I think are only minor annoyances:

* On cold, wet days, it can fog up if you stop moving. However, as soon as you start moving again and get air flowing, it clears up instantly...just a minor, very temporary annoyance.

* Obviously, it does not protect your eyes as well as regular goggles. So, you might experience a little watery eyes as air flows in at higher speeds. However, I did not find this to be a major issue at all. I am middle-aged and my skiing speed has declined somewhat too.

* Changing the lenses is pretty easy, but be sure to watch out for the small parts that can fall out while changing the lenses. You'll need to reinstall those small parts for the replacement lens to attach properly.

In summary, if you are a glasses wearer who has struggled to find a good long-term solution to covering your eyes while skiing, this helmet is an EXCELLENT SOLUTION. For those glasses wearers, I heartily recommend this helmet. If you do not wear glasses, you may or may not need to spend the money on this helmet...just depends on your preferences.

Good luck!

In fairness, I have to tell you that if your past experiences with glasses and skiing were less than perfect, the blame should be leveled at your optician and not the goggle.  I can promise you that regardless of your Rx, I could fit you in a traditional goggle that will not fog, and have better Rx optics than anything you're likely to have ever worn previously.  And at a reasonable cost.  It takes some time to get things absolutely perfect - but as I've said before, if we spent half the time concern and money we do on a good boot fit in searching out a great Rx ski goggle option, you'd almost never hear about these problems.

Nothing against OSBE in the least.  But the goggles and the helmet you previously wore are getting an unnecessarily bad rap here if this is the only or "best" solution you've found.  Further, contact lens technology has made massive advances in the past 2-3 years, and what may have been a difficult fit before due to limited power ranges, material availability or comfort has for all intents and purposes today become routine.  This is where a great optometrist, skilled in cl fitting can be an immense help.

I see it every day.

Just sayin...  ;)