Julbo Aerospace Goggles Review – Backcountry Focused
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Price: $230
When it comes to backcountry skiing, ski goggles typically work well only on the downhill. The Julbo Aerospace goggle has the backcountry skier or snowboarder in mind with a unique ventilation system allowing you to wear the Aerospace goggles for both uphill ski touring without fogging up and providing the protection you want while charging the downhills.
Unique Goggle Lens Venting
Julbo Aerospace goggle venting
It’s nearly impossible to ski tour uphill without creating a ton of moisture between your face and your goggle lens. Backcountry skiing is one of my favorite activities, but the time it takes on every transition between downhill and uphill skiing can start to get old. It usually feels like you’re spending more time transitioning than you are skiing downhill. To prevent moisture getting into my goggles while ski touring, I typically wear a pair of sunglasses on the uphill and ski goggles on the downhill. To reduce the amount of transition time between downhill and uphill skiing, the Aerospace goggle helps by allowing you to keep your goggles on for both downhill and uphill travel through the use of lens venting.
Julbo Superflow System
The Julbo Aerospace goggle makes venting possible by allowing you to pull out the lens from the frame about 1/4 inch. This allows all the heat and moisture to escape from the inside of the goggle while skinning uphill which prevents your lens from fogging up. When you’re ready to go downhill, all you need to do is clip the lens back into place and you’re ready to go. Snapping the lens back into place literally takes only one second.
See video by Julbo to see the venting in action
Julbo Aerospace Goggle Lens Options
All lens that come with the Aerospace goggle are photochromic, meaning the lens adapts to different lighting conditions. This means that you only need one lens whether it’s a bluebird sunny day or an overcast and cloudy. This especially comes in handy when weather conditions are changing frequently throughout the day. See this lens in action through the Julbo Interactive lens page.
I tested out the Light Zebra Lens which provides a yellow tint on sunny days and a blue tint in snowy and overcast conditions. I found that both tints provided a nice level of definition for my eyes while skiing on most days. For flat light conditions, I found the lens does an okay job, but I’ve yet to be able to find a goggle lens that can perfectly navigate varying terrain in flat light conditions.
Goggle Frame
The frame of the Julbo Aerospace goggle has small slits in the plastic to allow the goggle to bend and various face shapes. These slits aren’t visible if you’re not looking for them, but if you pull the foam back from the goggle, you’ll be able to see these slits in the plastic.
The Aerospace goggle has a standard goggle size, meaning it fits both men’s and women’s faces well. If you’re looking for maximum coverage in a goggle, you would be better off with an oversized goggle. I usually only see this benefit when I’m skiing and it’s extremely cold and want and much skin covered as possible.
Helmet Compatibility
The Julbo Aerospace goggle is compatible with most ski helmets on the market. I had the chance to test the goggle with the new Oakley Mod 5 helmet and the Smith Vantage helmet and found there to be a minimal amount of space between the goggle frame and the helmet brim. To keep the strap in place on the helmet and on your head, there are three horizontal bands of silicone that keeps the strap of sliding up and down.
Scratch Resistance
I am usually pretty hard on my ski goggles. My favorite place to ski is in the tree’s and I don’t always use my goggle bag to store my goggles. Over the last few months of use, I have yet to see any scratches on the lens. For me, this is impressive. To help prevent abuse to the goggle and lens, the Aerospace goggle comes with a protective goggle bag that uses a padding on the side with the lens and the standard silk goggle bag for the backside.
Julbo Aerospace Goggle Case
Final Thoughts
As someone who gets out into the backcountry as much as the resort, I find the Julbo Aerospace goggle to a nice update to what can sometimes be a slow to move category within snowsports. Overall, the venting, lens quality and frame flexibility make the the Julbo Aerospace goggle the best goggle on the market for backcountry skiers and snowboarders.
For more info or purchase, visit amazon.com/julbo.
