Last year, Summit goggles came to our attention here at Crystal as a cool, forward thinking and fresh new force within the industry. Their ‘thing’ is magnetic lenses, so you can swap out your goggles as and when the weather changes – you literally just pop them off the front and then replace as appropriate. The dream, right? So when they got in touch asking if we’d like to test a couple of pairs, we jumped at the chance to send them all over the world with folks from our office and collect their feelings on Summit goggles as they went. Here are some of those feelings.
Reviews
Amy from the Marketing team:
My own ski goggles have been through the mill. Two seasons’ worth of wear and tear plus one relatively careless owner does not make for a scratch-free lens. So I packed the brand new Summit Betsy’s with eager anticipation, especially keen to try out the swappable magnetic lens. Once out of their case and unwrapped, the goggles were easy to attach to my helmet and adjust to fit my face comfortably.
Our ski day started bright and sunny so I opted for the CAT 3 lens, perfect for filtering out the rays and I had no issues with the goggles fogging up. Then mid-afternoon brought the clouds, and with them the snow. This weather change happened while I was up on the mountain and halfway down a run, but it was so easy to change the lens to the low-light option. The best feature of these goggles is definitely the magnetic lenses – no more taking two pairs of goggles up on the mountains with you or second guessing what the weather’s going to do. They help you get the most out of your mountain time.
Dave from the Retail team:
The easiest interchangeable lenses system I have used. Quick and simple, zero fogging and a solid build quality. The large lens offers protection from the wind, snow and sun. Your contact lenses are going nowhere with Summit goggles. Summit Goggles are made with performance in mind – you can take these anywhere on the mountain and have great visibility thanks to the easy change magnetic lens system. Welcome to the future!
Ellie from the Marketing team:
The Tongy Summit goggles are a dreamy bit of kit for a skier.
The magnetic lenses are a genius idea, making it easy to change the lenses anywhere at any time. Two sets of lenses are notoriously fiddly to handle, especially in the harsh conditions that the mountains can throw at you. Introducing the Tongys – with their magnet-rimmed lenses it makes it a simple process to swap them over – whether you’re on a chair lift, midway through a run, or having a spot of lunch.
I got to properly test the capability of the lenses too, as the three days in Nassfeld were a mixed bag of both sunshine and snowfall. Theres nothing better than being able to jump on the opportunity of riding in fresh snowfall without feeling the struggles of visibility that comes with it. The lowlight lenses give everything a sun-kissed tint and are sharp at highlighting the unexpected lumps and bumps on the piste.
And I know what youre thinking – with great lenses comes great style compromise. But not with these steezy goggles. They have a super sleek design with bright, stylish colours to coordinate with the rest of your gear. The big, trendy frames let in tons of light – great for visibility and a chance to capture that cheeky mountain reflection shot that everyone loves.
Easy peasy, nice and steezy.
James from the Purchasing team:
On 9th December 2018, I tested the Summit Xpose II Bullseye goggles. I was in Italy and the sun was out so I opted for the regular lens. The magnetic lens change system meant that I could easily change to the low light if needed later.
The bits I was testing for:
Face Fit: Did the goggle let in air that dries out your eyes specifically, did the magnetic lenses let air into the goggle when travelling at speed?
The Lens: Does this provide better visibility in good light conditions?
Comfort: Does the goggle provide comfort all day on the mountain?
Style: Yeah, but do I look awesome?
What I found:
Face Fit This was the biggest surprise. The goggles didn’t let in any air. In fact, once I returned to my more well-known goggles brand after testing, I found that they let in lots more air and my eyes really felt it.
The lens As expected. I cant rave about this as the lens was exactly as good as you’d expect. It did provide good visibility, but then again, so do so many others.
Comfort Yes, yes and yes. By the end of my test day, I was still very comfy so was definitely impressed with the level of comfort these goggles provided.
Style Perfect match to my helmet and no gaper gap. Mirrored lenses and a very cool goggle shape made me look way more awesome than I actually am.
All in all, I’m impressed with the Summit Xpose II goggle. The all-round performance was great, but what stands out is both the easy magnetic lens change system and the price point. Summit are both cheaper than more famous brands and the same quality, not to mention they’re British.
Michael from the Purchasing team:
The lenses were good, I pretty much only used the sun lens which was good in most lights anyway. Good visibility without too many blind spots and no issues with steaming up, although it wasn’t that cold when I tested them.
The real winner is how easy it is to change that lens. Thats what puts them a country mile ahead of their competition. The only downside is that the spare lens is bigger as it has part of the goggle rim on it, and therefore it doesn’t sit in the pocket quite as easily as some of the other quick-change lens options. Oh and the case is massive – all that’s really required is a goggle bag (which they provide) with another slot for the spare lens (which they don’t)
Tom from the Marketing team:
Tested the Summit Xpose II Bullseye goggles in Austria amid flurries of fresh snow and shocking visibility. The low light lenses provided a much-needed improvement in depth perception and made finding and dodging mounds and moguls at least possible, if not easy. The snap-on, snap-off lenses are a massive convenience and while the spare lens case is a bit bulky for a pocket, bang it in a backpack and you’re good to go in any conditions.
So there you have it – the votes are in and the verdict is good: Summit goggles are sick. If this plucky British start-up has caught your imagination, you can pick up your very own pair over at www.summitworldwide.eu
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