Published February 5, 2021 11:41AM
This Goggle Offers the Most Accurate Fit on the Market
The Giro Contour provides a supremely comfortable fit by mimicking the shape of a skier's face.
Giro athlete Rian Zetzer checks out the views through Giro’s new Contour goggle. (Photo: Rob Aseltine for Giro)
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Giro Contour Goggle, MSRP, $270 [BUY NOW]
SKI Gear 360 Review
Skiers know that having the right boots and skis underfoot can make or break a ski day, but some don’t realize that goggles also fall into that category. Goggles are not one-size-fits-all.
When purchasing goggles, skiers need to consider frame size, lens shape, lens tint, and helmet compatibility. You’ll want a versatile goggle that includes multiple lenses for different light conditions and an easy and functional lens change-system. And regardless of any other features, it needs to fit well.
Enter the Giro Contour goggle, new to market for the 2020-’21 ski season. Like all Giro goggles, the Contour features the brand’s VIVID lens technology, which boosts color and contrast in variable light conditions. While the included bonus lens is Giro’s standard low-light lens, skiers can choose between a dozen options for the primary lens tint designed for conditions including extreme sun, full sun, mixed clouds, overcast, and night/race. But the big news for this goggle is its new lens shape and frame design.
The innovation of this goggle is in the name: The Contour frame is designed to mimic the contour of the face and head to fit like a glove. The frame design, dubbed Expansion View + (EXV) Technology, allows the goggle to fit closer to the sides of the face, thereby enhancing comfort and peripheral vision. The Contour’s new toric lens shape—a hybrid of spherical and cylindrical—is also tailored to mimic the form of the human eye to provide better optical clarity and less distortion.
We tested the Giro Contour throughout the ski season in different light and terrain conditions and we came to love its fit. The new EXV + frame, paired with Giro’s triple-layer face foam with microfleece on the interior of the frame, makes for one snug-fitting and comfortable goggle. The Contour fits seamlessly with the Giro Grid/Evni helmet, but it also proved compatible with other helmet brands.
Another favorite feature: the Contour’s quick-change lens system. It’s nothing fancy—it uses a simple magnetic system—but compared to other magnetic lens change systems, Giro’s magnets are located in just the right spots on the frame to allow for very quick and easy lens changes on the go.
We also got the chance to test the Contour in high-alpine conditions while heli-skiing in the Telluride backcountry. It was a bright, sunny day, and the Contour’s Vivid Ember lens, though meant for mixed clouds, was dark enough to block the sun and provide excellent contrast without the distortion caused by high pressure that you sometimes get at high altitude.
While we can’t say that the Contour’s increased peripheral vision was that noticeable, we can say with confidence that the EXV + technology and toric lens shape makes the Contour one of the most comfortable, wearable goggles on the market. Skiers looking for a fairly priced, versatile goggle that will fit most face sizes and also comes with a bonus lens need look no further.
Giro Contour Goggle, MSRP, $270 [BUY NOW]
