UKC

I'm buying some new ski goggles and I'm coming up against a problem. I want a set which will actually protect my eyes against all the sun baddies. With Sun glasses I use a cat 4 lens for days or in the high mountains. When I look at goggles online they often have lots of features listed, none of which are about how protective the lenses are. On the occasions that any figures are mentioned it generally comes with regard to the amount of visible light the lens allows through. Can anyone out there shed some light on this for me please? Or suggest a good goggle that would be protective enough for a few full days out at a time.

In reply to chris687:

Well if you do want to go for Oakley then all the lens info is here:

http://in.oakley.com/innovation/optical-superiority/lens-tints

Black Iridium transmit 10% and are perfect for bright days skiing......

Transmission rates for glasses are:

Category 0: 80 – 100%
Category 1: 46 – 79 %
Category 2: 18 – 45 %
Category 3: 8 – 17 %
Category 4: 3 – 8 %

In reply to chris687:

I bought Smith ios goggles which have interchangeable lenses and come with a low light and sunny ones. I used the low light ones in Japan thinking I would then change to the darker ones for sunny la grave but never bothered and didn't notice them being overly bright.

In reply to chris687:

All decent goggles (and all decent sunglasses) stop 100% of the UV so will protect you from the sun. A 'panda eyes' tan shows this well. The categories for sunglasses are for light transmission, not UV protection.
I buy goggles designed for low light conditions and use sunglasses if it's bright. The alternative is goggles with interchangeable lenses.

In reply to chris687:

I ski all day in any conditions and use Oakley Airbrake Goggles with interchangeable lenses, so can take 3 or 4 different lenses and easily swap them as conditions change.
There are others, but I have used these for 3 seasons, and can even wear spectacles with them ( although it's a tight fit).
There are some newer goggles on the market that have magnetic strips on the frame and lenses.

In reply to chris687:

I've been looking for a pair of goggles (my first) since getting ice blasted into my face on Pinnacle ridge last Sunday.

Went to my local Cotswolds, they'd sold out! On the off chance I popped into Mountain Warehouse (a shop I'd generally ignore).
They had some (own brand) category 3 lenses. Marked down to £15 from £39. Tried them on, checked I could see contours on an OS map and took them to the till. Came up at £10 and the man gave me a BMC discount!

£8.99 -at that price they're almost disposable!
Can't wait to try them out on the hill

In reply to chris687:

I love my Julbo goggles with variable photo chromatic lenses: they have several versions; Zebra light category 1-3, Zebra 2-4, and Chamelon 2-4 and polarised. No faffing around with changing lenses.