Smith 4D Mag ChromaPop Goggles

Like a smart phone, the Smith 4D Mag is something you didn’t know you needed until you tried it. If you were to cut a hole in a piece of posterboard and poked your head through the hole so you were wearing the posterboard like a horizontal collar, you’d have a hard time seeing the ground near your feet without deliberately looking down. Regular goggles are that way because your peripheral vision can’t see past the frame at the bottom so to see something two feet in front of you, you have to look straight down. The same way you don’t have to look down to step up a curb or even a flight of stairs because your peripheral vision lets you know where the obstacle is, the 4D Mag lets your brain process the bump your skis are just about to hit while you focus on the terrain that’s coming at you further ahead. The interface between your peripheral vision and your brain means you know what’s coming and can make adjustments in stride length or foot placement without even thinking about it. The 4D Mag let’s you do the same thing skiing so you can make subconscious adjustments for the terrain that is about to hit your skis, and that let’s you maintain better balance and thus control. Once upon a time, I thought a flip phone was fine. I’m never giving up my iPhone to go back to a flip phone, and I’d be very hard pressed to switch back to a goggle that didn’t have the 4D field of vision.

I never realized how much peripheral vision regular goggles take away until I tried a pair of the 4D Mag goggles! The lens extends and curves downward at the base, increasing your range of vision and making simple tasks like zipping up your jacket and buckling your backpack strap so much easier. These goggles also come with two lenses—one for sunny bluebird days, and another low-light lens for cloudy days when visibility is low. Both are excellent, and the magnetic system makes switching them out a breeze.