This spring, I had the opportunity to test Teton Gravity Research’s brand new Higher Cylindrical Goggles. Over the course of roughly 20 days, I was able to thoroughly experience these goggles’ performance in absolutely every condition imaginable, from bluebird sunny days to stormy whiteouts. In this review, I’ll be evaluating the goggles in both fit and performance.

Fit

Straight out of the box, these goggles are sleek. They feature a wall-to-wall frameless lens, meaning no more clunky, jerry-looking ski fits. The frameless design also means they fit extremely well with nearly any helmet since the lens can fit really snugly right against the rim of the helmet. I did find the lens to be a bit large, but not to the point where it would prevent me from buying a pair.

The triple-layer foam behind the frame perfectly contorted to the shape of my face, providing a tight fit but loose enough to allow ample circulation and comfort.

The other thing that TGR did extremely well with these goggles was the strap. This may seem like a minor detail, but those who spend a significant number of days in goggles every year know that this can sometimes be the difference between a great pair of goggles and a pair bound for the trash. The Higher Cylindrical Goggles have no-slip silicon along the inner side that keeps the goggles securely planted on the helmet but doesn’t make them impossible to adjust; frankly a perfect balance between the two. I’ve had goggles in the past that have material that sticks to the helmet like glue, rendering me helpless on days when I frequently have to take the goggles on and off.

The strap of the Higher Cylindrical Goggles is very easy to adjust and only takes seconds to customize the fit. I was really impressed by the range of sizes, too; these goggles will truly fit any head.

Optical performance

Now, on to the most important evaluative category for goggles: performance. The entire point of goggles is to protect your eyes from the cold, sun, snow, and wind of the mountains. A truly good pair of goggles should protect against all of the elements without restricting anything else, like visibility. The Cylindrical Goggles did this at a high level every day I tested them.

The first day I skied with these goggles was a textbook March storm day in Colorado. The day started calm and cloudless. The Zeiss mirrored “high light” lenses in these goggles darkened the surroundings, protecting my eyes from the unrelenting springtime solar radiation. When I darted in and out of shaded trees, the light level was never too dark to see minute details, which can be crucial when skiing in certain terrain. The frameless design also means that the field of view on these goggles is phenomenal. There is absolutely nothing I’d change about the high-light performance.

By mid-morning, the clouds moved in, and by early afternoon, it began snowing hard and visibility had decreased to nearly zero. In my pocket, I had the non-mirrored “low light” lenses in the complimentary lens carrying pouch. I pulled it out on the chairlift, pulled the high light lens out, and popped the new ones in. The magnetic lens-retention design makes it incredibly easy to change the lenses without even removing them from your eyes. I never had an issue with the lenses falling out prematurely, and I am 100% confident that the lenses will stay in through even the most extreme wipeouts.

The low-light lenses truly blew me away. They increased the contrast astronomically in the low light conditions, transforming a gloomy, dull day into one full of texture and detail. The low-light lenses also had much less color distortion than lenses I’ve used in the past, which is a minor bonus but ultimately a fairly non-important one. Even with the high moisture levels, the Zeiss anti-fog technology seemed to keep these goggles completely fog-free every stormy day I tested them in. I was really, really impressed with the performance of these goggles. This category alone has made them my new go-to goggles on clear and stormy days alike.

Final thoughts and overall impressions

I thoroughly loved these goggles. After the first day, these goggles became my instant go-to goggles for any ski day due to their comfortable fit and versatility. There’s no single type of skier I’d recommend these goggles for; I’d recommend these goggles for essentially any skier looking for a good fit and high performance! Shop the TGR Higher Cylindrical Goggles here.