When it comes to skiing at night, snow goggles are a must. Not only do they keep your eyes warm and protected from the elements, they also provide a great field of view. This has led to an ever-increasing question: "What are the best snow goggle lenses for night skiing?" It is essential to select the correct lens, because the incorrect one can make it difficult to see in the dark. Most snow goggles are optimized for daytime conditions, while night snow goggle lenses provide clear visibility in varying nighttime conditions. To determine the best night ski goggle lens option for you, watch the video below or continue reading!
Night Skiing Lenses, What You Need to Know
1. What Color Lens is Best for Night Skiing?
2. Lens Tint Technologies
3. Best Snow Goggle Lenses for Night Skiing
3.1. Oakley PRIZM™ Snow Clear
3.2. Zeal Persimmon Sky Blue Mirror
3.3. SMITH Chromapop Storm Yellow Flash
3.4. ANON PERCEIVE Cloudy Night
3.5. Spy Happy™ LL Yellow
What Color Lens is Best for Night Skiing?
The answer to this is primarily about VLT (visible light transmission) because night skiing is when you’re likely to experience the lowest light conditions possible. Read more on what you need to know about VLT. Our top picks feature a varied range of VLT because not all mountains offer the same conditions for night skiing. If your mountain is exceptionally well-lit, opt for a lens with a lower VLT percentage. They often improve color and enhance contrast. If you want a lens that gives the highest visibility and you don't need any color or contrast enhancement, some brands offer untinted lenses.
Lens Tint Technologies
On our list of best snow goggle lenses for night skiing, we have Oakley PRIZM™, SMITH ChromaPop, Anon PERCEIVE, SPY Happy™, and Zeal. They greatly improve your ability to read the ins and outs of the snow and allow you to better scope your line. This reduces the risk of accidents, so you can shred with major confidence.
So, how do these lenses work? They fine-tune the wavelengths of light that make it through the lens. Colors are either amplified or softened to suit different snow conditions. Here’s more about the top snow lens techs.
Best Snow Goggle Lenses for Night Skiing
Oakley PRIZM™ Snow Clear
Oakley PRIZM™ Snow Clear Replacement Lens
Shop Oakley Snow Goggles
PRIZM™ Snow Clear is not actually ‘clear’, despite its name. It has a bubblegum pink-like base color. It is the darkest lens on this list, with a VLT of 64%. Despite its VLT, you still get the benefit of impressive PRIZM™ color-enhancing technology. So, if you’re a die-hard Oakley fan, this is the night skiing lens for you! Oakley also offers a simple clear lens with the highest VLT of anything else on this list at 90%. This is a great option if you don’t mind skipping out on color-enhancing tint technology to optimize your optics in the snow.
Zeal Optics Persimmon Sky Blue Mirror
Zeal Optics Persimmon Sky Blue Mirror Replacement Lens
Shop Zeal Optics Snow Goggles
Zeal Optics is a brand that doesn’t get the love and attention we think they should. They make top-quality goggles with a unique selection of lenses. They specialize in polarized lenses and, more surprisingly, photochromic polarized lenses. The Persimmon Sky Blue Mirror has a persimmon base tint and comes in at a VLT of 65%. If you are looking for the clearest Zeal option and don’t care about having any tint tech, they also offer a clear option at a VLT of 80%.
SMITH ChromaPop Storm Yellow Flash
SMITH ChromaPop Storm Yellow Flash Replacement Lens
Shop SMITH Snow Goggles
SMITH’s lowest-light lens is ChromaPop Storm Yellow Flash. Our Sports Opticians have tested it in some serious whiteout conditions! With a VLT of 65%, it makes for a great night-riding lens. It has a yellow base color and a subtle yellow flash mirror on the front of the lens.
Anon PERCEIVE Cloudy Night
Anon PERCEIVE Cloudy Night Replacement Lens
Shop Anon Snow Goggles
Tyler’s favorite night skiing lens is the PERCEIVE Cloudy Night. This is Anon’s lightest tint with a VLT of 72%. You get a lot of light to your eyes while still benefiting from the PERCEIVE night goggle tech. Anon's Cloudy Night tint enhances the visibility of the snow without overwhelming your color receptors in the way that so many other snow google tints do.
Spy Happy™ LL Yellow
Spy Happy™ LL Yellow Replacement Lens
Shop Spy Snow Goggles
The last and lightest night goggle lens on the list is SPY Happy™ LL Yellow. SPY’s LL (low light) category of lenses are great for night skiing. SPY Happy™ focuses on blue light control to allow as much beneficial blue light in as possible. It is fine-tuned specifically for snow. You get the most possible light to your eyes while still benefiting from a contrast-boosting and color-enhancing lens.
GET PRESCRIPTION SKI AND SNOWBOARD GOGGLES ONLINE AT SPORTRX
SportRx makes ordering prescription ski goggles easy. When you shop with us, you get video guides and tooltips throughout the build process as you customize the perfect pair. The answers to all your questions are at your fingertips, and if you want to chat with an expert—Contact Us. We’ll put you in touch with one of our friendly in-house opticians who can help you build your prescription snow goggles.
The coolest thing about buying from us? You ditch risky online shopping thanks to the See Better Guarantee. Try out your goggles. If you’re not satisfied, send them back. Get a full refund, exchange, or credit towards a better pair. And return shipping? Covered. Get your pair of prescription snow goggles at SportRx today!
