 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
I am hoping to purchase a pair of Oakley goggles for my skiing holiday this year. Over the years I have had various cheap goggles that haven't lasted long due to being pretty rubbish. I've decided to invest in some Oakley ones that will last me for years to come. I haven't quite decided between the airbrake and splice but am currently leaning towards the airbrake due to the ease of changing lenses. I have been in situations where conditions have changed in minutes and all of a sudden your goggles are no use so the airbrake is probably the way to go.
In terms of lenses I would ideally like a general lens that can be used in normal and bright conditions since I wouldn't want to be changing all the time. The second lens I would like to be for low light but more importantly fog. I often find that when the clouds come over the top of the mountain can be very foggy making it hard to see. Are there any lenses that are good for this?
I know that the goggles come with set combinations but would be interested to know what you think are the best from the Oakley range for the two purposes.
Many thanks in advance,
James
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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jw2014, hi vis yellow for poor light, not sure anything will help in true fog though
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Choose your frame based on your budget and the style you want, either will perform superbly. As for Lenses, I ski a fire iridium lens (18% isn) visible light transmission (VLT) which is a superb lens for medium to bright light, it is contrast enhancing to allow better reading of the terrain
For low / flat light I personally use the High Intensity Persimmon, but the basic Persimmon Lens is a great (and cheaper ) option as well, both about 63% VLT with the HI version having an iridium coating for better absorption of blue light to enhance contrast again..
Lots of people rave about the HI Yellow lens for low/flat light, I haven't used it but the amount of people using it can't be all that wrong.
Back to bright light, My wife has the emerald iridium and loves it and I bought black iridium for the Kids and their XS O frames which they like too.
All in all, most people end up with a favourite, look at Oakleys site, pick a colour you like that is described as a contrast enhancing lens and you won't go far wrong.
Just to throw one more thing in before I go, I was talking to an Oakley salesman recently who suggested the G30 or VR28 as a good all round lens for low to bright light which could be a cheaper option to start with, haven't tried it though.
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Thanks for the quick reply. The hi via yellow seems to be the most popular choice for low light. It's a shame there's nothing for foggy conditions although using the low light lens might help?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thanks pauls248 for the detailed response! I totally agree with you on the frame. I have pretty much chosen the airbrake on looks and practicality and then will probably end up buying lenses on top of that as the ones that come bundled with the white frames don't seem like the best options. Although they do sell the black frame with fire iridium and hi yellow which may be a good option.
The fire iridium was one of the colours I was looking at so it's great to hear you like that as well. Do you use that for most of your skiing? I'll certainly check out the hi persimmon as another option to the hi yellow as well.
On another note what do you do when it's very foggy?
Many thanks,
James
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| jw2014 wrote: |
On another note what do you do when it's very foggy?
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Go to the bar!
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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
| jw2014 wrote: |
On another note what do you do when it's very foggy?
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Go to the bar! |
"Use the force, luke"
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thanks for the replies! I find it amazing nobody has come up with a specific lens for fog... maybe the bar is the best idea  I just read that yellow was quite good for fog so maybe the hi yellow would be the best option from Oakley? I just contacted Oakley about this so it would be interesting to see what they advise.
Many thanks,
James
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jw2014, yeah well, I do use the hi vis yellow in foggy conditions...to help me find my way to the bar 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Haha good plan! How do your hi yellows do in the fog? Better than a more general lens?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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jw2014, To be honest I'm not sure what you are getting at. Hi Vis yellow are about the best thing for low light - that is they let in more light than those lens designed for brighter conditions so of course they are better than a more general lens...but in true fog I don't think anything would be as effective as you seem to be looking for
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jw2014, The Airbrakes are really nice - my partner has a pair and the ability to swap lenses can be very useful in changeable weather. He chose the ones that came with persimmon and fire iridium, and seems pretty happy with the choice, though obviously gear hoarders can collect the full set
They're too big for me, unfortunately, so I have 2 pairs of Oakley Stockholms with persimmon and emerald iridium lenses. The emerald is darker than the fire, but I have light blue eyes so it works well for me. Fire iridium will be fine if your eyes are less sensitive. The Internet Opticians usually carry a good selection.
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You know it makes sense.
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Yes it seems as though I was looking for something that doesn't quite exist However it's good to know the hi vis yellow would be better than my current lens. Thanks Scarlet for recommending The Internet Opticians, there prices are the best I have seen so will probably end up buying from there. Its good to know your husband likes the goggles! I don't usually wear large goggles but since I've started wearing a helmet this year I'm hoping they will fit correctly
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Thanks for all the great advice yesterday! I've been doing a bit more research and was thinking about getting the White Airbrake with Black Iridium and Persimmon lenses for this season and then upgrading the Persimmon to Hi yellow next season. From what I have read the Black Iridium is the best for general use (everything apart from low light and fog). I was originally thinking the fire iridium but apparently when the light drops its far to dark. Do you agree?
Another more worrying thing I read was that some people have had fogging issues with the Airbrake. I can't find out if this is a common problem. Anyone know anything about this?
Many thanks in advance,
James
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Poster: A snowHead
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jw2014, I use black iridium for mid to bright conditions . They are fine
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks for all your help holidayloverxx I'm pretty sure I've decided on lenses now so just want to be sure the goggles won't fog up. Hopefully if I get the right goggles they will last for many years to come... until some new technology comes out that I can't live without 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Hi, just to add my 2 pence worth, I have just bought some Oakley Canopy goggles with the fire iridium lens's which brighten up low light, and reduce glare in the brighter times. The huge lens give amazing peripheral vision, and it will fit with most helmets, however, before you order your goggles, I would take your helmet into a shop to try them on with the potential goggles that you're thinking of and then go online and order them if you need to.
By the way, Trekwear.co.uk had the cheapest Canopy's in black with fire iridium I could find at £99 down from £140.00, and I also managed to get a further 10% off with the voucher code: JANSALE which is valid until Jan 31st, so it might help you out as well with other goggles.
Good luck with your choice.
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Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I can't find a shop near me that stocks these so I will have to order online. I am able to return the goggles if they don't fit and I would still have time to order another pair. I have read that they fit well with the Poc Receptor (which I have) so I'm hopeful Thanks for the link I'll check it out
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I have the airbrakes and they are THE BOMB! I got ones that came with fire iridium and VR28, and, um, because I decided if I was having nice goggles I wanted the PERFECT goggle set I bought a pair of HI Yellow lenses too. This was a god send as I have spent quite a few days in total white out.
With the HI yellow you will need to be dam sure the blizzard isn't going to lift as if there is any light at all they basically burn your eyes (slight exaggeration). I use the fire iridium on bluebird days and the VR28 on patchy cloudy/changeable/north facing slops in woods kinda days. I will carry spare lens if I'm going to be out all day and forecast looks changeable.
Fire iridium isn't amazing when the light drops too much, but the lenses are still good and you get decent contrast.
I haven't had fogging issues - well, they fog up for an instant if I end up breathing on them when i've go a buff pulled up and I am all hunched over doing up my bindings - but they un-fog in an instant. Doesn't happen while riding, only when hunched over.
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jw2014, make sure the airbrake are the correct size for your face, they are designed for a larger face. i use the crowbar with standard persimon and vr50 pink for brighter days. reason i didnt go for a total dark lens on bright days is the end of the day often gives a lot of shadowing when the sun goes down which with a dark lense would accentuate the darker shaded areas and i didnt want to ski in the dark. mrs MM has the Hi yellow for low light days and loves them.
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