Dragon Rogue Goggles

By BENJAMIN ROMAN

Spring is in the air, but don’t pack up your skis and snowboards just yet — springtime means warm sun and corn snow. Dragon’s Rogue goggles ($130, www.dragonalliance.com) are touted to handle everything from bright sun to blinding snow, and Mt. Baldy near Ontario, Calif., was a perfect test spot to see how they performed.

A full day on the mountain means goggles on your face for hours at a stretch, so they have to be comfortable. The Rogue delivers with a triple layer foam skirt and a comfy microfleece lining. The strap is mounted on the hinged outer edge of the frame, so the goggles still sit comfortably on your face while wearing a helmet. Dragon lists the Rogue frame as “medium fit,” but I found that the generously curved lens delivered solid peripheral vision rivaling other larger frames.

Dragon offers a range of lens options for the Rogue frame, tailored for different weather or light levels. These include gray, yellow, pink, and amber options, plus various ionized colors and a polarized gray lens. My test pair featured an amber lens that performed well in the bright sunny conditions, cutting glare and providing good definition of terrain details. The Rogue is well vented at the top and bottom of the frame, as well as along the top edge of the lens. Combined with the anti-fog coating on the lens, the vents did a good job of preventing fogging problems.

The Rogues win bonus points for style. The frames are available in a 16 colors, with designs ranging from basic black to ones with bright color splashes. My test pair had a denim strap, complete with rivets and orange stitching like a pair or Wranglers. Who says goggles have to be boring?

The bottom line: Dragon’s Rogue goggles combine style, comfort, and optical quality with a well-designed frame and a wide range of lens choices for most any weather or light condition.

—Contributor Benjamin Roman is a writer and design consultant from Venice, Calif.