Arnette Skylight Winter Goggles

I’m not a brand snob, but I do tend to gravitate towards a name that has done me right in the past. A few weeks ago I wrote about the Arnette Dropout sunglasses, of which has quickly become my go-to pair for everything from driving, hiking, to accentuating my style. So, as soon as the white stuff started to collect outside my backyard view of the Colorado mountains, I decided to give Arnette’s winter Goggles a try.

What I look for in a Goggle is versatility, as I like to do a variety of winter sports, including skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, sledding, and snowmobiling. However, when you’re talking about versatility in any sport, you are really looking at gear that should represent the bare minimum for your most extreme activity. I don’t like to do the bare minimum of anything when it comes to my playtime. However, I also don’t have a need for a GPS, or miniature fans located in my goggles, so moderation is always my policy.

I like as little obstruction to my view of the terrain as possible when I wear protective eye wear. I have even gone sans goggles, and lived with red eyeballs for the day, just because I felt like I was skiing with a dog cone around my neck. I now avoid flat lens goggles, and I gravitate towards ones that are “big and round,” similar to how Sir Mixalot prefers his butt’s.

Prior to the Arnette Skylight’s, my favorite go-to ski goggles were the Electric EG2, which offered a bubble of peripheral bliss beyond most others in my opinion. There is a fine line between goggles that are too large to fit your face and helmet, and too small to see where you’re going, but I think Arnette has found a good compromise with the Skylight.

The clarity of these anti-fog lenses are fantastic, which should come as no surprise, considering that up towards the top of your order receipt will be the word, Oakley. This is because Arnette features the same quality lenses as Oakley. The view through these goggles is crisp, clear, and glare-free in a variety of conditions, including full sun, low light (early evening), and dense trees. I would say that I can now see the deformities in the snow as much as 30 percent better than with previous goggles, and 50 percent better than just using my own eyes.

The Skylights are comfortable, featuring triple thick foam padding around the cheeks, nose, and brow. I like the extra space the padding provides between the lens and my eyes, which I think results in greater comfortable, more moisture wicking, and excellent insulation from the harsh elements. Despite all this space, these may not be a great fit if you wear prescription glasses, so keep that in mind.

The large vents across the top provide plenty of ventilation to maintain a comfortable pressure, while quickly dispersing of any steamy situations. The strap is silicone infused to keep it in place on just about any surface, including your head or helmet. The style is simple and classic, yet they differentiate themselves from the pack with a large variety of colors and lenses to choose from.