In the world of downhill winter sports, there have been just a few options for premium helmets and goggles. While there are some amazing options from the big players I have had a hard time finding a helmet/goggle system that really worked for me. I find that most of the mainstream systems don’t fit my head well and don’t have a lot of personality. This winter I ran into Glade and their amazing line of helmets and goggles. Based in Colorado, the upstart company that’s built for skier’s by skiers.
Starting with the Ten Mile helmet, I had been searching for a helmet that had some real personality and didn’t look like I was about to pilot an F35. The Ten Mile takes styling cues from skateboarding helmets and has an awesome dark matte green finish. Instead of a complicated sliding vent system the Ten Mile is instead fantastically lightweight with a 10 vent, velvet lined bit of heaven. I have never worn or more conformable helmet and frankly forgot I had it on for most of the day.
A great helmet is one thing but the Challenger goggles are where Glade get’s serious. Most goggles don’t fit my face very well and I tend to ski trees and moguls () exclusivity I need something that works in lower light and gives me enhanced depth perception. Last season I went all in on a $250 pair of high end goggles that have been nothing but a disappointment . While they work well in low light they don’t fit as well as I want and they are constantly fogging and icing up. I took the Ten Mile helmet and Challenger goggles with me on a Cat ski trip this last weekend with my father. With 14inches of fresh snow we were expecting an epic day. What we didn’t anticipate was a warming trend that hit and we found ourselves with suprisingly good snow but poor visibility and very light rain. My father was using my $250 goggles from last year so i could test out my new Challengers
Within 2 runs he was ready to call it a day because his goggles were totally fogged and actually icing up on the interior and he couldn’t see a thing. I skied the rest of the afternoon as I never had a bit of fogging or icing and while I couldnt’ see perfectly the light pink lenses of the Challenger made the low visibility bearable. After getting home I did some research and found out that the Challengers have one of the best Visible Light Transmissions (VLT) values of any goggle. Considering they cost Under $100! I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t give them a try.
The bottom line is this: If you want the best value in helmet/goggle systems you need to take a look at Glade. For less than HALF the price of my old system I have a system that note only feels amazing but it performs better and frankly looks cooler. Learn more at https://www.shopglade.com/