5 Best Goggles for Flat Light (Cloudy, Foggy & Whiteout Conditions)

For skiers and snowboarders, flat light can be a nightmare. You get to the top of the mountain only to notice that there’s strong cloud coverage and snow blowing around everywhere. Your visibility is compromised, and going down the mountain in such conditions can be extremely overwhelming.

At it’s best, it can make getting down the mountain slightly more difficult, and at it’s worst, it can lead to falls and vertigo. Luckily, a good pair of goggles go a long way in making skiing in flat light manageable.

Here are the top picks for the best goggles for flat light:

Image	Product	Where to buy
	Smith I/O MAG with ChromaPop Storm Lenses Wider range of peripheral vision with spherical lens 5x anti-fog coating and venting system	Check price
	Oakley Flight Deck With Prizm Hi Pink Large lens for a wide field of vision Triple-layer moisture-wicking foam prevents fog and sweat buildup	Check price
	Zionor Lagopus, Clear Rose Lens Ideal for those who wear glasses (OTG) Triple layer padding with a breathable area to prevent fog	Check price
	Outdoor Master PRO Light Green Lens Simple magnetic lens switching system Large spherical lenses for maximum peripheral vision	Check price
	Smith Squad Chromapop Storm Rose Flash Snow Goggles Simple magnetic lens switching system Large spherical lenses for maximum peripheral vision	Check price

Click any of the links to learn more about each goggle, or keep reading for the entire buyer’s guide.

What You Should Know About Flat Light

What is Flat Light & What Causes It

The notorious skiing condition known as “flat light” refers to when everything on the mountain looks white. Not only can it make it extremely difficult to see features in the mountain, it can also make it hard to see very far in front of you.

Flat light is caused by two things:

• An overcast sky, which washes out the light from the sun.
• Heavy snowfall or winds carrying snow.

Why Goggles Help

While there’s no way to fully reduce the lack of visibility that flat light causes, having the right pair of goggles can help bring forth some of the lacking detail. Colored lenses and wavelength filtering technology can add contrast to a completely white visual field. Goggles also serve as production for the eyes from the heavy snow blowing around the ski mountain.

Read Also: Smart Ski Goggles Made Simple

Lens Colors

There’s a spectrum of lens colors that work well in flat light. These lens colors are designed to create the greatest amount of contrast for the user while still providing a moderate amount of visible light transmission, or VLT.

For example, the ChromaPop Storm Lenses that come with some of the Smith I/O MAG options have 50% VLT. A true nighttime ski goggle will often be completely clear and have close to up to about 99% VLT. On the other hand, a goggle for really sunny days can have around 12% VLT — sometimes even lower.

There’s always give and take when choosing a lens or goggle for overcast whiteout conditions. On one hand, you can go for a brighter lens (such as a pink or yellow) that will give you a bit of extra contrast and brightness. On the other hand, you can get one a bit darker (like a darker tinted rose) which give you a bit less VLT for when the sun comes back out.

Lens Technology for Flat Light

There are two technologies worth mentioning when it comes to increasing contrast: ChromaPop and Prizm. These technologies were developed by Smith Optics and Oakley, respectively. Both companies are regarded very highly when it comes to eye-wear and lenses.

Goggles with these kinds of technologies work by creating visual conditions where your eye has the ability to see a greater amount of detail. They do this by filtering out certain colors that work against our ability to see those fine details. They also bump up the helpful colors to exaggerate those details even more.

To get a better understanding of how the technology works, be sure to watch the following video:

Additional Tips for Skiing in Flat Light

Aside for getting a good pair of flat light goggles, there are several other things you can do to make the experience easier and safer:

1. If your ski resort has trails with trees or other features, consider doing those trails. The colors of the trees enhances contrast and can improve your depth-perception abilities.
2. Consider moving to a lower elevation. Sometimes highly elevated trails have clouds and fog that you won’t find on the less elevated ones.
3. Use your other available body parts like your feet and poles to feel out the trail. It’s not as great as seeing, but you can get a sense of things like snow-depth and incline. This one takes some getting used to, but is something that really high level skiers use all the time. They’ll often refer to their poles as “cat whiskers.”

Best Flat Light Goggles Reviewed

Smith I/O MAG with ChromaPop Storm Lenses

First, it’s important to note that the Smith I/O MAG Goggles always come with two pairs of lenses. So don’t be alarmed if you notice a pair of darker ones when you check it out.

Visible Light Transmission (VLT): 25% and 50%

Why These Are Great

• The Smith I/O MAG have a spherical lens for a wider range of peripheral vision. Spherical lenses are typically considered superior to their cylindrical lens counterparts.
• Designed with a 5x anti-fog coating and venting system, it does a good job keeping fog at bay when used correctly.
• Has the Porex Filter mechanism, which helps regulate optical distortion caused by air pressure changes in the lens chamber.
• Has interchangeable lenses, so you only need to own one pair of goggles.
• Compatible with certain shapes/sizes of eyeglasses.
• Triple-layered face foam with DriWix for comfort and reduction in moisture build-up.
• ChromaPop technology for bringing out hard-to-see details in flat light.

Downsides

• Might be too expensive for some people.
• Some users don’t feel that the interchangeable lenses are easy enough to change.

Where to Buy: Check Prices on Amazon