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Choosing a pair of goggles is one of the most important decisions you can make as a bad decision can ruin your experience. As someone who has had plenty of experience of making mistakes with goggles I finally thought I had found the perfect goggles for me. The M3 goggle from @anonoptics - Pictured below.
This goggle came out at the start of the 2016-17 winter and was an updated version of the M1 and M2 goggles that had introduced the idea of magnetic lens changes to us. As someone who often neglected changing my lenses due to the often fiddly or awkward processes involved an easy lens change seemed like a great idea. Furthermore after riding for a couple of seasons in Canada I had become prone to frost nip on the tip of my nose. The M3 had what I thought would be the perfect solution to this problem MFI (Magnetic Facemask Integration). Essentially the goggles came with a facemask that could be attached to the goggle magnetically meaning it would always stay in place. My research was done and I processed my order.
The M3 seemed like a great deal. Included in the box was one goggle frame, two lenses and a facemask. The lenses in my package were black for bluebird conditions and yellow for low light/cloudy/whiteout conditions. They really were the most simple and easy lens change system on the market and this allowed me to change lenses on the chair or as conditions changed on the ride down. I was pretty stoked on these goggles. The facemask with MFI was also great and honestly this was the reason I enjoyed being in the goggles every day. It was great to have such an easy way to protect both against the cold and the sun depending on conditions. The flexibility to move the facemask up and down on the fly and adjust to perfect position with just one hand made this the ultimate piece of gear.
So with all this positivity it may come as a surprise that I will never wear them again. On a bluebird day I never had a problem but when the bad weather hit they just did not stand up to the conditions. Below is a video of the day that my Anon M3 goggle lens was ruined.
So what specifically went wrong, well as you can tell from the video it was a damp day in Samoens in the Grand Massif and despite riding with waterproof hood and a helmet the goggles couldn't help but get hit by the rain. This in itself shouldn't be a problem, I have snowboarded in rain many times, nearly daily when working on the beginner slopes at Thredbo in Australia and yet these goggles allowed water into the lens. I was pretty annoyed but despite not being able to use this lens for the rest of my trip I contacted Anon and their customer service was great. They reassured me that it was a faulty lens and sent a new one in the post. Once again a happy customer.
Having recieved my replacement lens I headed back out to the Grand Massif this time to Lez Carroz for some spring laps. The weather was mostly sunny but as is common at this time of year on some of the lower slopes there would be rain. And again the same issue occurred. Water seeping in between the lens which would making riding in this lens untenable. Sadly this was the final straw for me and without dramatic improvements to the lens quality I am not sure I would invest in Anon again. Something that is a real shame given the Sonar technology they have now released and the upgraded M4 goggles. I just cant afford to take that risk with a new pair.
I'd love to know what you think of anon goggles, or is there another goggle brand that you swear by? Comment below or contact me on my via the social links. If you found this useful please share so everyone is aware.