Our mountains opened early this year, so we’re hitting the slopes well before Thanksgiving. Lots of great powder, short lift lines, and… foggy ski goggles. The same old same old.
While there are plenty of ski goggles that claim to be anti-fog, they never seem to perform as well as promised. If you’re tired of skiing into trees, small children, bears, etc. because your lenses are fogged up, you may want to check out FogShield Sport from Bausche & Lomb.
“Since the product has proven extremely effective in anti-fog protection for firefighters and hazmat professionals in industrial environments, we believe it will be effective for skiers, snowboarders, paintballers and scuba divers.”
At $2 an application, the one-time use wipes may sound a little pricy, but once you rub up your goggles, they’re supposed to stay fog-free for up to 8 hours.
You can pick up a FogShield box of 10 individually-wrapped wipes for $20 through Amazon:
Got some extra money to spend on the slopes? In love with everything gadgety? Well, here’s a device you may want to rent this season (if it’s available on your mountain):
SlopeTracker
“This amazing new product uses GPS technology to give skiers (and snowboarders) the ability to improve and excel. For the first time, ski resort guests can now track their resort experience. Statistics depicted include number of runs, vertical feet, speed, calories burned, distance traveled, time skied, and terrain difficulty.”
The SlopeTracker gadget is an armband that you simply strap on before starting your day. You can prove to your friends and family that you really did make 10 runs down that double-black diamond before lunch (and you can check up on them and see if they were rocking the half-pipe or lounging at the sandwich stand…). Even though you just rent the device and turn it in at the end of the day, you won’t go home empty-handed. You get a snazzy, full-color poster that shows where you went and also lists a bunch of stats, such as top speed, number of runs, vertical footage, and calories burned.
Just how fast did you zoom down that slope anyway? You’ve always thought you were faster than lightning, but now you can know for sure with a wrist speedometer. This is a must-have gadget for anyone who prides themselves on speed on the slopes!
The Silva S1 Speedometer
“Utilizing advanced radar technology, the speedometer calculates your speed and distance and wirelessly transmits all the information to the versatile receiver which can be worn via a carabiner, wrist band or lanyard.” It measures ground speed in miles per hour as well as distance traveled.
Other features for the ski speedometer include a 7 day internal performance logbook, time/date/alarm clock (so basically it can replace your watch), and a light so you can even get your speeds during night skiing and snowboarding. There’s even an optional heart-rate-monitor accessory you can get (great if you’re a cross-country skier and you’re out there for a workout!).
The ski gadget is on sale for $265 (down from $400) at Amazon right now:
Most people I see on the slopes just attach their lift ticket to a zipper or a little loop on their jacket (often there for that purpose), but if you want to be down with all the latest ski gadgetry, you can check out the $5 Retract-A-Cat from REI.
The retractable ski pass holder attaches to your jacket or pants and lets you reel out the pass so the folks monitoring the lift lines can easily scan it. The cord extends up to 32″ and snaps back when they’re done scanning your ticket. It looks like an inexpensive but handy item… maybe a good stocking stuffer for the skier or snowboarder in your family?
What kind of gadgets are going to be popular on the slopes with skiers and snowboarders this year? Well, I’m not a pro at either, but based on my experience, I’d say these electronic optic ski goggles are likely to be a hit.
I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot of time taking my goggles on and off (which is a dumb thing to do because they get all fogged up), because it seems to be too light or too dark with them on. Well, these goggles have a button you touch to electronically adjust the lenses from light to dark, so you can get the view just right. That way you can wear the same pair for night skiing as you do under the glare of the morning sun.
At $200, the price will put them out of some people’s ranges, but maybe you can ask mom and dad to get them for you as a Christmas present.
Whether you’re a boarder or a skier, a helmet is always a smart idea (I can say this with full conviction since I’ve cracked my head on the ice more than once… they can’t all be fresh powder days). But when you head into the lodge and take off your helmet, your hair is a mess. This is probably more of a concern for the girls than the guys, and the lightweight K2 Moxie Helmet is designed with women in mind, long-haired women in particular. Aside from keeping you safe, the helmet sports a built-in “pony port” to let your hair hang out the back. No more trying to mash it up into the helmet or letting it hang lose below the helmet where it becomes crusted with snow and ice.
Other features of the Moxie include Active Matrix ventilation, an easy-fit system, “stow-away integrated posts” for helmet/goggle systems, a washable lining, and 2-season removable ear liners. The helmet is available in 4 sizes and 5 colors (black, silver, white, light blue, and champagne).
If you’ve got a family full of skiers or snowboarders, and you’re looking for a Christmas present everybody can enjoy, a set of Garmin Rino 530 radios could be a fun gift. The GPS-enabled two-way radio not only lets you talk with family members (or friends) on the slope, but you can actually see where they’re at by looking at the screen. This could make mid-day meet-ups a little easier.
The downside is that the gadget doesn’t include names of runs or the location of lifts, so you’d need to take a trail map with you to figure out what exact run someone is on. Also, you have to buy the software to run the Rino separately. Still, it could be a fun toy if you’ve got money to spare and like playing with GPS gadgets. The retail price is $499 (though it was closer to $400 when I checked at Amazon):
