And even then, the lenses cleared quickly during breaks or whenever I looked up again. The only hiccups were during longer sidecountry hikes when I needed to look down consistently to find my footing. Combined with a Smith ski helmet with openings along the brim, I never had fogging issues while lapping the resort. The Smith I/O Mag’s venting system is extremely effective at generating airflow from all sides. In the end, both are great and fairly intuitive systems, but the Anon gets the slight edge for speed and ease of use. However, we do like the locking mechanism on the Smith goggles, which adds a little extra peace of mind (although we’ve never had issues with Anon lenses popping out, even during falls). Rather than having to take your goggles off and push to release a lens, Anon’s lenses can be swapped without removing the goggles-just twist the frame and pull the lens away. In short, the system is simple, reliable, and we never had any instances of accidentally skiing without the lenses fully secured (something we have done with both Giro and Oakley models).Īll that said, the Anon M Series’ lens-change system is still our preferred design. Reinserting is just as simple-the magnets really pull it into place-although we needed to push both levers to get it fully locked. To use, simply remove the goggles, push one of the side locking levers, and pull the lens away from the frame. But now, they have a class-leader with the Mag system on the I/O Mag Goggles. Their original I/O was (and still is) painfully slow and the I/O7 was only moderately better. Alternatively, the mirrored Everyday lens is a great pairing for resorts with more direct sun (or brighter cloudy days) and was fantastic for late-season backcountry use and inbounds spring skiing.įor a long time, Smith held off on releasing a true quick-change design for their lenses. Paired with a ski helmet with a slight brim (Smith’s recently discontinued Variance), I never found myself squinting in sunlight, nor did the lens feel overly dark. ![]() Given the wide range of conditions, I used the Rose lens most often-the tint let in enough light for those early-season days where the sun disappeared quickly and also performed well in dull settings when snow can often look washed-out. In the heart of winter, we experienced a lot of heavy snowfall, with low visibility for long stretches. ![]() Early in the season at my local hill, it was often bright for a few hours, but the sun dipped behind the mountains by midday. I opted for Smith’s Everyday Green Mirror (23% VLT) and Rose Flash (50%) lenses and came away very impressed by both. For comparison, we’ve found competitors like Oakley’s Prizm lenses can sometimes make objects look artificial (and certain tints, including both the Torch and Sapphire, make everything appear overly pink). Further, they also pick out details like bumps and crud incredibly well both on- and off-piste. And in truth, they are the biggest selling point of these goggles: the ChromaPop lenses have been our favorite design since they were released a few years ago by providing a great combination of clarity and natural color depiction. All told, the I/O Mag hits a nice sweet spot between a manageable size and all-around visibility.Īt the premium end of Smith’s offerings, the I/O Mag Goggles come with two lenses: one for sunny conditions and one for cloudy days with low light. If your number-one consideration is field of vision, look to larger models like Anon’s M4 and Smith’s own I/O Mag XL and 4D Mag, but the difference in performance is relatively small (and the bigger size can be uncomfortable for medium faces). It’s true that the padding and frame at the bottom were visible when looking directly down, but this never caused an issue for me. And finally, the lens’s high-quality build and spherical shape provided great, distortion-free peripheral vision both up and side-to-side. Additionally, the goggles never gave me the tunnel-like effect that’s common with older models and entry-level designs. ![]() The relatively low-profile design nicely balances visibility with allowing plenty of space for air to flow to reduce fogging. Medium-fit goggles are rarely leaders in terms of field of vision, but Smith’s I/O Mag immediately stuck out as a strong performer. To see how it stacks up to the competition, see our article on the best ski goggles. Below we break down our experience with the Smith I/O Mag. ![]() We put the I/O Mag through over 30 days of skiing and exposed it to a wide range of conditions, from frigid winter temperatures to wet spring snow. Within their lineup, the I/O Mag stands out as their most well-rounded design: it offers excellent optics and fit, comes with two lenses, and vents extremely well. Smith is a leader in optics, so it comes as little surprise that their snow goggles are some of the best on the market.
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