Giro Onset Snow Goggles Review

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Giro Onset Snow Goggles

First Impression of the Giro Onset Snow Goggles:

The Giro Onset snow goggles have many features that I was excited to try out. When they arrived, I opened them immediately to find a well packaged pair of goggles that presented beautifully in the Giro box. My first impression was that these goggles looked great, even in the box! I chose the Black Icon band color with the Amber Scarlet lens, which has a Visible Light Transmission (VLT) of 19%-42%. This VLT is designed for mixed clouds which we can get in Colorado where I do most of my snowboarding.

I actually prefer a goggle that lets more light in as I think it helps my vision, and my eyes aren’t overly sensitive to bright light. I also noticed right away that the lenses were much larger than my current goggles, the Oakley A Frames. I was pumped to try out the larger lens that Giro boasts gives more peripheral visibility and a massive field of view than other goggles out there.

Giro Onset with Amber Scarlet Lens

Performance of the Giro Onset Snow Goggles:

I am a snowboarder of over 15 years, most of those being in Colorado. However, I have boarded in Europe and Canada where I got to ride from a helicopter! I’ve not owned too many pairs of goggles in this time, but I have put them to the test with tree riding, glaciers, sub freezing temps, spring temps, and even some sand boarding in the Great Sand Dunes here in Colorado! My first experience with the Giro Onset was a pretty good one. I have to admit I was wondering if the Onsets would win me over. The elastic band on the goggles fit nice and snug to my Giro helmet and I liked that it had a sticky rubber inner liner that prevents it from sliding up and down on the back of the helmet. I really liked this feature because I’ve had instances where the band snap on my helmet was undone and I’ve almost lost my goggles. I felt good about this feature.

Giro Onset Snow Goggle lists 5 major features: Expansive View, Lens by ZEISS, Triple Face Foam, Anti-Fog Lens, and a Seamless Compatibility. Expansive View: While wearing them I noticed right away that the larger lenses really gave me better peripheral vision. It has a massive spherical lens with frameless sections to maximize the size of the lens. My field of vision was certainly larger because this lens is designed to mimic the human eye. Lens by ZEISS: Giro promotes their lenses as a ZEISS sunlens, which is made by Carl Zeiss Optics. I am not too concerned with who makes the lens, but rather how well it functions. I found that the lens did feature 100% UV protection, sharp and crisp vision, and scratch resistance, which to me is important because of the occasional smack in the face from a tree branch while riding in the trees. I’ve replaced lenses because of scratches so this was the most important feature for me. The tint I chose was perfect even on the first day which was full sun. I thought that the increased field of vision and crispness of the lens was also very good and it helped me see even better while riding.

Actual view through the Amber Scarlet Lens

Triple Face Foam: The foam is triple layered and it made the wear of the goggles very comfortable. They added a fleece layer that touches your face which was nice. Anti-Fog Lens: This was a tricky one for me because many goggles claim to have an anti fog feature, but then once you put them to the test they come up short. On the warmer days while testing, there was obviously no problem with fogging. I did have some issues on the very cold days. With my face frozen I would breath into my jacket and that’s when the fog occurred, although not while riding. I feel that the anti-fog feature is kind of like saying a product is water resistant which does not mean waterproof. The lift is the time to warm up and that involves stuffing your face into the jacket. I think this could have been avoided if I took the goggles off and put them on top of the helmet. After a moment, it defogged, and back down the hill I went with a perfect field of vision. Seamless Compatibility: I was excited about this feature. Seamless compatibility would be perfect for me because I already ride with a Giro helmet. The goggles did fit in my helmet area extremely well, however, there was a small gap at the between the goggles and the brim of my helmet. Now my helmet is several years old, and I understand the fit of the new goggles would have matched perfectly with the newer versions of the Giro Helmets.

The small gap between the goggles and helmet allowed cold air to reach my forehead

I thought maybe my helmet was too loose so I pulled it forward but the gap remained. It wasn’t bothersome by any means, but because I was really focused on testing, I took particular notice off all the goggles’ features.

Final Thoughts on the Giro Onset Snow Goggles:

Overall, these goggles are the real deal. The field of vision and peripherals are out of the world. I noticed a huge difference in how much I could see. I ride aggressively and in trees, off rocks, in crowds, off jumps, and these goggles helped me see everything! The technical design based on the spherical human eye really impressed me. Giro really put some thought into this pair of goggles. I really liked the lens colors and the fact that they are designed to be scratch resistance and 100% UV protected. To me, warm hands, warm feet, and superior vision are the most important factors to helping me have a great day. And of course, good snow! These goggles delivered. The deficiencies I noted were very minor but worth talking about when considering a buy like this. I will be wearing these as my primary set with my Oakleys in the bag in case a friend loses a pair.

Specifications: