GOGGLE LENSES EXPLAINED: ADAPT TO YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Interchangeable lenses are becoming a common feature on more and more goggles. Light levels can change very quickly on the mountain and the effect that has on visibility can be dramatic.
Low light caused by cloud can prevent you from being able to see contours and undulations in the terrain. This makes the snow appear completely smooth, which can be very disorienting, especially if you’re a less experienced skier trying to build your confidence.
Making Things Clear:
Different lenses help you to adapt to the changes in light, enhancing the shadows and brightening contours so you don’t have to cut your day short if the sun goes in. There are lenses available that will help you to deal with almost every level of light exposure and most goggles come equipped with two lens options that are designed to handle the most common conditions.
LIGHT BRIGHT
Snow is a reflective surface and bright sunlight means a lot of glare, so you need a bright light lens to counteract it. Bright light lenses vary from brand to brand so look out for dark tints like copper and dark grey; lenses with a mirrored finish will reflect the light, enhancing the effectiveness of the tint.
MEDIUM LIGHT
On those changeable days where it isn’t gloomy but you haven’t been blessed with clear skies either, a green, rose, gold or amber tint (among others) will help you deal with varying light levels. Every brand has its own range of lens tints that have been specially tailored to provide better visibility in variable conditions; ask in-store for more information.
LOW LIGHT
Heavy cloud, fog and snowfall can cause very low light levels making it difficult to see bumps and contours in the snow. Low levels lenses often have a yellow, gold, amber or rose tint, which filter out the blue tones of the snow, emphasizing the shadows so that you can see bumps and undulations in the terrain.
Interchangeable Lens Systems:
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To make it easy to change your lenses when you’re on the move, the brands have come up with some ingenious quick change systems to keep things simple. Most goggles like the Oakley Airbrake and Smith I/O use a clip mechanism that allows you to easily release the lens from the frame to change it, while others like the Anon M1& M2 use magnets to connect the lens to the frame, allowing you to literally pop it off.
What is the Point of Spherical Lenses?
Oakley Flight Deck Goggle
A spherical or domed lens offers a number of benefits. It provides better all-round peripheral vision, cuts down on the edge distortion that you can get with a flat lensed goggle and is less prone to fogging, allowing more space for the air to circulate between the inside of the lens and your face.
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