Smith Riot Goggles ($100): $50
Smith Drift Goggles ($75): $35
Backcountry.com currently has some great deals on Smith Women’s goggles. Certain colors of the Smith Riot are currently on sale for as low as $50, which is half the standard retail price of $100. This is a great deal if you are interested in having goggles that allow you to switch out the lenses, and these do come with a second yellow lens (a decent option for nighttime or cloudy days, but nothing special) in addition to the lens that is pictured. Not bad for $50. Additional lenses can also be purchased separately if you like to have different options for different conditions.
The pictured lenses below are good for sunny days, and they’re Smith goggles, so you can be assured that they are good quality. These goggles have cylindrical lenses, which curve around your face to reduce eye strain and allow you to use your peripheral vision, and they also have two layers of foam to reduce fogging, plus a flexible frame to fit comfortably around your face. They also pair nicely with Smith helmets, of course, and Smith lenses do a great job of emphasizing contrast to help you spot bumps and ice on the slopes.
The Riot is not their top-of-the-line goggle, of course. Those usually cost around $200 or $300. The top-of-the-line goggles usually have spherical lenses, and the different lenses attach easily via magnets. As mentioned above, the Riot has cylindrical lenses, and they have to be snapped into place.
If you’re looking to go a little cheaper, check out the Drift goggles instead. They are usually priced at $75, but certain colors and lenses are now on sale on Backcountry for as low as $35. These are on the lower end of Smith’s line, but they still have everything you need in a google.
They are actually very similar to the Riot, but the Drift goggles only come with one lens, and the lens cannot be removed, so you are stuck with whatever lens you choose.
When selecting a lens, pay attention to the VLT (Visual Light Transmission) rating of the lens. The VLT rating measures how much light is allowed to enter the google. If you mainly ski or ride on bright, sunny days, you want a low VLT rating, such as 12% (usually a darker lens) to make sure that your eyes are protected from the sun. If you mainly ski or ride at night, opt for something that allows more light in (typically a yellow or orange lens) or a clear lens so that you are able to see what you’re doing out there.
For more information on Smith’s Riot lenses, check out their replacement lens product page here. (This is also where you could opt to buy a third lens if you need something beyond the two lenses the goggles come with.)
The same lens information for the Drift goggles can be found on the Drift product page on the Smith website, though there are fewer lens options here, and they are not as fancy as the options available for the Riot Goggles. (That’s not to say these lenses are bad though––I highly recommend the Blue Sensor Mirror lens.)
When you head to the Smith site, you’ll see that certain Drift color and lens combos are also on sale from them directly, so check those out too for more options. As you can see below, most of these come with the orangey lens, which is listed as having a VLT rating of 36%. That makes them pretty flexible lenses that you could wear during the day time or the night time; however, they will not be perfect for either of these conditions and will be best during evenings and on partly cloudy days.
If you’re picky about visibility or spend a lot of time on the slopes, choose the Riot so you have more lens options and flexibility.
Otherwise, save $15 and choose the Drift goggle with a lens that matches the weather you experience most often.
Or, if you don’t care about lenses or money, and you just want to look cool, pick the color combo you like best.
SNOWTHRIFT 