While Spy’s new Ace EC goggles garnered a great deal of press at last month’s Outdoor Retailer trade show in Denver, the company wasn’t the only ones with high-tech eyewear to show off. In fact, Oakley was on hand to unveil a new pair of ski goggles, which offer many of the same features and benefits of the competition, with a few added touches of its own.
The Oakley Prizm React is a new set of ski and snowboard goggles that eliminates the need to change lens while on the slopes. Using special electrochromic lenses, these goggles can alter the level of tint that is applied to the glass simply by pushing a button. The transition takes about seven seconds to complete and there are three different settings to choose from — light, medium, and dark.
The electrochromic lenses work in conjunction with Oakley’s Prizm technology to create a better goggle for use in the snow. Prizm is a proprietary product that has already been lauded for its ability to provide more contrast, allowing skiers to more accurately read the terrain around them in a wide variety of lighting conditions. The addition of the electrochromic features now gives them the ability to adjust the tint on the lens as well, providing more flexibility as those same lighting conditions change throughout the day.
The shift in tint comes when a small electric current is sent through the lenses themselves. Power is provided by a rechargeable battery, which unlike similar products, is actually stored inside the frame of the goggle itself. Two glove-friendly buttons make it easy for the wearer to shift tints in whatever direction they need, going from light, to neutral, to dark and back again within a matter of seconds. Oakley says that the battery should last about a month of typical use before requiring a recharge.
The Oakley Prism React goggles are expected to ship later this fall and will carry a price tag of $299. That makes them competitively priced with even standard ski goggles that lack the technology found here. Considering this is like getting three pairs of goggles in one, it is tough to see why skiers wouldn’t want to add these to their gear list.
Find out more on Oakley’s official website.
