In the winter, I seem to run through goggles almost as quickly as I run through ski socks (although luckily my goggles don’t mysteriously disappear on laundry day).
It’s not easy to find a pair that fits your face, isn’t overloaded with tons of convoluted features and works in a variety of conditions.
The Native Eyewear Tenmile Goggle goes back to the basics with a functional yet minimalist design that looks and feels good all day. Fussing with different lenses in the backcountry is never fun when your fingers are freezing and your friends are impatiently waiting to drop. The Snowtuned lens that the Tenmile comes with is designed to work in all kinds of conditions, so you don’t have to swap them out midday. I put them on once and didn’t have to worry about them for the rest of the day. The Snowtuned lenses are also designed to maximize color and clarity, especially during overcast conditions. I didn’t think much of this feature at first, since all goggles claim to enhance vision, but with the Tenmile, I really did notice a difference on an especially greybird day at the resort.
I was nervous at first that they wouldn’t fit. The lens seemed huge right out of the box, but I was surprised at how comfortable and solid they felt on my face. I usually wear a medium-sized lens, and these fit perfectly, plus they gave me a much larger Field of View than any other goggle I have. Since I started wearing the Tenmile, I haven’t found myself reaching for anything else when gearing up for the day. They’re a rock-solid goggle that can handle long ski tours, early morning resort laps and even a chilly morning ride to work.
MSRP: $99
Pros: The Field of View in these goggles is by far my favorite feature. Not having a very large face, I’ve never been able to wear goggles with a super wide lens, so putting these on was kind of like wearing glasses for the first time—so many new sights to look at all at once! They work perfectly in low-light and moderate to sunny conditions, so I love the fact that I don’t have to swap lenses to adapt to the weather. I was also impressed with how effective the anti-fog coating was. I left them on my head while skinning up for a quick bonus lap and they were still completely clear when I transitioned.
Cons: The lens adjusts pretty well to a variety of conditions, but on a really bright bluebird day you might want to opt for a goggle with a darker lens. If you like tons of features and ways to modify your goggles, then these might not be the choice for you, but the simplicity of the Tenmile is something I felt was well worth it.
Where We Took It: Ski touring in Grand Teton National Park, riding lifts at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, fat biking to work in a snowstorm.
