Flat light goggle question

[Tony S]

Now any rose in the tint gives me floating pink clouds.

And that is a problem???

Ellsworth did say something during that conversation that I agree with 100%: “I hate it, it’s my least favorite thing… I would far rather ski crap snow with good light than really good snow in bad light.”

Yup. Totally agree. Well, depending on how crappy the crap snow is. Maybe his eyes are aging in the same way mine are. (I can say this because the predictable KG sermon has already been delivered to another poster.)

 

[Scruffy]

And that is a problem???


Yup. Totally agree. Well, depending on how crappy the crap snow is. Maybe his eyes are aging in the same way mine are. (I can say this because the predictable KG sermon has already been delivered to another poster.)

What? That seeing is over rated--feel the terrain Yeah that works for some of us, certainly not my wife--believe me, I've tried.

 

[Tom K.]

Smith’s own Storm Yellow flash will be better although for really bad flat light nothing really helps, you have to soldier through it.

My low-light lens of choice (at 65% VLT), seconded by Anon’s (now discontinued I believe) Storm.

Smith also makes a plain “yellow” lens at 69% VLT that I bet would be good, but dog help you if the sun pops out!

Note: I’d bet my local area experiences more foggy days than just about anywhere else, with Grand Targhee running a close second.

 

[KingGrump]

Yup. Totally agree. Well, depending on how crappy the crap snow is. Maybe his eyes are aging in the same way mine are. (I can say this because the predictable KG sermon has already been delivered to another poster.)

You shudda been at Mammoth early part of the first week with us. No vis, cold and really crappy snow. Nobody quitted. Nobody died. Well, none that we noticed. We kept losing McCoy Station from the top of chair #2. Everyone kept skiing. No quitters.

TBH, if it was just Mamie & I, we would have bagged it. With the peasants around, can't show any sign of weakness.

 

[DebbieSue]

You shudda been at Mammoth early part of the first week with us. No vis, cold and really crappy snow. Nobody quitted. Nobody died. Well, none that we noticed. We kept losing McCoy Station from the top of chair #2. Everyone kept skiing. No quitters.

TBH, if it was just Mamie & I, we would have bagged it. With the peasants around, can't show any sign of weakness.

I was one of those peasants. Silly me . . . I thought skiing Mammoth in May would involve lots of sunshine. The nice people at Mammoth sprayed blue lines to mark the route. I felt like a racer, zoom zoom. I'm a slow controlled skier, so it wasn't much of a problem. I appreciated that Andrew Grump led a group down of mostly orderly, mostly women

 

[DebbieSue]

I choose goggles to match my bibs! I'm an ophthalmologist, so I know what's important.
My Oakley prism hi pink have 46% VLT. Being a New England Skier, I need contrast more than I need light block.
I have only one pair and I don't swap lenses, since I don't like gizmos.
IMO the purpose of goggles is to protect your eyes from wind, precipitation, branches, and poles. If you wear contacts you need them to prevent tearing and blinking your contacts out.
Wanted to love the demos below . . . Celeste is such great name, but alas, I'm an edger and there really wasn't enough powder.

 

[Philpug]

You you noticed in this discussion there is a big Uvex banner after the fist post. I am very sensitive to flat light and lack of snow contrast and more often than not i will err to a low light lens unless it is full cloudless day and there are no trees. I didn't realize the contrast the Uvex Evidnt Attract CV was able to create until I took it off, looked at the snow and put it back on. WOW. While Uvex doesn't have much tecnical information on the site, it is one fo the best lens I have looked though.

 

[Paul Lutes]

Lol I don’t think he meant that sort of “drive by feel”. If you cannot make out the lift pylons no lens out there will help improve the visibility and is time for packing up and going home.

Fair point. I'm confident we all rely on some "feel" feedback from our skis for conditions immediately beneath us, but, for me my reflexes have slowed down to the point that I rely more and more on my vision in the near to mid distances to have enough time to set up properly. This is essentially just geezer whine - raging storm days use to be my favorite time and low viz wasn't a big deal. I'm insanely jealous of old eyes that can still handle low light

 

[Tom K.]

I choose goggles to match my bibs! I'm an ophthalmologist, so I know what's important.

 

[Tony S]

Okay, question: What are the pros and cons of cylindrical (Phil's pic) vs. spherical (DebbieSue's pic) lenses?

 

[Tom K.]

Okay, question: What are the pros and cons of cylindrical (Phil's pic) vs. spherical (DebbieSue's pic) lenses?

Caveat that this has nothing to do with optics, but it's a lot easier to remove rime ice from cylindrical lenses using one of those little goggle squeegee things.

But it's a bugger with either!

 

[DanoT]

Okay, question: What are the pros and cons of cylindrical (Phil's pic) vs. spherical (DebbieSue's pic) lenses?

Spherical lenses are more expensive, offer more air space between the lens and your eyes and thus are less likely to fog up. During the manufacturing process the lenses are shaped by stretching equally in all directions, thus distortion is eliminated (or just reduced??) by maintaining the same lens thickness that one looks thru.

The cylindrical lens is less expensive to manufacture and best suited for those with minimal lens fogging issues. The cylindrical lens is shaped by bending in one direction only and this results in a lens thin spot at the bend point which could result in having to look thru different lens thicknesses and resulting distortion.

Smith make their own lenses and thus have the ability to make the lens thicker at the bend point so that when the flat lens is stretched into a cylinder sort of shape it stretches and thins to match the thickness of the rest of the thinner non bent part of the lens. Result: no distortion due to looking thru a uniformly thick lens.

 

[DebbieSue]

Optically speaking, I believe spherical lens offers “less distortion” but as mentioned by many, so much of our visual experience is related to individual anatomy, individual aging/pathology, and individual psychology. Spheres are harder to wipe, but we shouldn’t be wiping. The cylinder distortion would be greatest with downgaze or upgaze, but we should be gazing straight ahead. Again, goggles are to keep our eyes safe and comfortable.

 

[salvatore]

Shred's website is not very good in telling you the VLT ( visible light transmission ) of each lens unfortunately. I made the same mistake and bought a pair for my wife that was too dark. She loved them however for sunny days, and noted to me that the clarity was better than her other sunny day goggles. So I went back to their website and found the VLT of the lenses and then got her another pair of goggles with a higher VLT for flat light, and she is happy with them. Also they have some very high VLT lenses that are not their CLB ( contrast boosting tech ) lenses, so be carful not to buy them, as the whole point what they bring to the table is their CBL.

Here's the link to the lenses. If you mouse over the thumbnail pics of the lens for the different models of goggles, you should get a popup that tells you the VLT. CBL Sky Mirror has a VLT of 45% ans is good for east coast low light.

Spare Lenses

Go from VHS to HD with ShredWide™, for the largest field of vision in the game and Contrast Boosting Lens™ 2.0 and Contrast Boosting Lens™ technology for unparalleled vision in ALL conditions, developed with the MIT Sport Lab. And Click Here to shop the Contrast Boosting Lens™ 2.0 line, as seen...

shredoptics.com

The lens by itself is sold out in my particular frame model, but of course I can buy a new model that comes with two lenses. Funny how that works.

I guess I'll also be ordering some Uvex Evidnt Attract CV to try. Let's add to the collection!

I'll start sending you all my "nope, didn't work" to put in your museum.

 

[salvatore]

You you noticed in this discussion there is a big Uvex banner after the fist post. I am very sensitive to flat light and lack of snow contrast and more often than not i will err to a low light lens unless it is full cloudless day and there are no trees. I didn't realize the contrast the Uvex Evidnt Attract CV was able to create until I took it off, looked at the snow and put it back on. WOW. While Uvex doesn't have much tecnical information on the site, it is one fo the best lens I have looked though.

It looks like you have the purple/ruby-green on in the picture, correct? What is the tint like on that model? Warm?

You are correct about a lack of information on the site. White/silver-yellow; black/red-orange; arctic/sapphire-green; purple/ruby-green... not the most technical of descriptions!

"Hey, what does that taste like?" "Mmmm, tastes like yellow. Definitely yellow."

 

[Tony Storaro]

Okay, question: What are the pros and cons of cylindrical (Phil's pic) vs. spherical (DebbieSue's pic) lenses?

Mainly looks and marketing talk in my experience.

 

[Rdputnam515]

For me the Carl Zeiss Sonar Orange has been the best flat light and low light lens I have ever tried. My wife loves hers too. They are just a real PITA to find.

I am curious about UVEX though.

 

[Miller]

I got the chance to demo next years Oakley goggles They have a new lens coming out Prizm Iced that is replacing the Pink Prizm. I used it on a overcast and lightly snowy day. I was generally pleased with it. I also got to try out next year's Line Miner Pro which uses a magnetic single lens. The clarity was amazing. I have always been under the impression that dual lens are better at reducing fogging, but the Oakley Rep said it is not an issue. I didn't have any fogging while using it, but I didn't have any fogging with my normal Oakleys that day either. Found some more info:

Oakley Snow Goggles 2024/25 Preview - Boardsport SOURCE

BoardSport Source presents a preview of Oakley Snow Goggles 2024/25 Preview collection by conducting an interview with a member of the team behind it

www.boardsportsource.com

 

[Gina D]

I use clear lenses in flat light. What is the science behind a high tech lens being better than no lens at all?

 

[DanoT]

I use clear lenses in flat light. What is the science behind a high tech lens being better than no lens at all?

Smith's Chromapop technology enhances contrast and makes colours pop.