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Oakley Fall Line 2018-2019 Snowboard Goggles Review

Given the comprehensive nature of Oakley’s goggles line last year, it was hard to see what could possibly be missing. Enter the Oakley Fall Line snowboard goggles, boasting a unique ‘half frame’ look and excellent peripheral vision.

The design of the Oakley Fall Line goggles brings the lens closer to your face than ever, avoiding that goldfish-bowl feel that even cylindrical lenses can get from time to time (although it’s more prominent in spherical models).

“The Oakley Fall Line goggles bring the lens closer to your face than ever, avoiding that goldfish-bowl feel”

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They’ve got a nice widescreen vibe, so unless you’re really straining to see it then you won’t be aware of the edge of the lens. The strap is lightweight and backed by grippy silicon, and changing the lens is slightly quicker than the classic notch system, and more secure to boot.

One huge benefit to the Oakley Fall Line goggles is the Prizm lens. Available in multiple tints, it’s like snowboarding in 4K. The colours just pop, and everything is that much clearer. We took the piss out of Jake Blauvelt for saying “If you can’t see, you can’t snowboard” in an ad for Prizm tech… but he’s right.

Among the various available styles is the Harmony Fade edition, prolific on the podium at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. And it’d be remiss of us not to suggest also checking out the Oakley Fall Line XL Prizm React, a larger version with an auto-changing lens system.

Tester’s Verdict

Ed Blomfieldwhitelines.com

“The Oakley crew rarely play it safe. Their goggle shapes are always bold – an impressive approach for any market leader – but a few years back their spherical designs strayed a little too far into Star Wars territory for this reviewer’s taste.

The Fall Line is a stunning return to form, combining the large cylindrical lens of classics like the O Frame with a modern frameless look, as well as cutting-edge PRIZM optics. Even the notch at the top looks bang on trend – iPhone X anyone?

The wedge-like silhouette makes these a great match for anyone (like me) with a round face – on whom those fly-like spherical shapes look a bit crap. In terms of fit, they do stick out from your face a bit (pinheads beware – they’ll look huge on you!) but this is thanks to generous amounts of comfy foam, so I certainly wasn’t complaining.

“Even the notch at the top looks bang on trend – iPhone X anyone?”

Most importantly, the peripheral vision was excellent on all sides. Personally I like a big lens – they offer the most uninterrupted view of the mountain, stop your nose getting so burnt and give you that computer game style to boot. What’s more, the Fall Line can fit a modest pair of prescription glasses underneath, which is a gamechanger if you don’t get on with contact lenses, even if you do look like a kook with a low light lens fitted (“The Panda” became my nickname during cloudy days).

The strap is… well, it’s a strap, with a big ‘O’ on it. Not much to report there. Like many of today’s goggles, the Fall Line doesn’t have any obvious venting on the front, which gives it a super clean look, but having ridden them in every condition from whiteout tree lines in January to warm spring slush, I can report that they fog very, very rarely – so it seems we can safely leave those imperial storm trooper vents in the past.

“PRIZM Technology is a genuine leap forward – the mountains looked crisper and more defined than ever before”

Yet by far the best thing about these goggles are the PRIZM lenses. Eyewear brands are forever making big claims about their lens optics, but Oakley’s PRIZM Technology – which has spawned several inevitable copycats – is a genuine leap forward. Seen through the “PRIZM Jade” tint I used on sunnier days, the mountains looked crisper and more defined than ever before, like an HD TV – all deep shadows and clear highlights. The PRIZM Rose option proved similarly impressive in low light.

In short, assuming you have the cash (Oakley’s are never cheap) then the Fall Lines would make a very fine choice of goggles indeed.”

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