Why we chose the Oakley Flight Path (XL): Confidence-enhancing goggles, big field of view, clever Prizm technology and a smart approach to design by the Oakley crew.
Price: £153
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A colleague of ours, over on Whitelines, described the Oakley Flight Path (XL) recently as ‘like having a widescreen TV stuck to your face’. After getting up close and personal with these excellent goggles, we’re inclined to agree with them. They make the world feel like a big place where anything is possible. For that reason, and many other reasons, we’ve decided to include the product in this year’s Ski 100.
“They make the world feel like a big place where anything is possible”
Now in its second year of existence, the Flight Path (XL) has gone all in on enhancing the skier’s field of vision to an almost laughably good degree. Every aspect of this product has been built with a ‘go big, or go home’ mentality very much in mind. After experiencing the maxed out field of view for the first time, you may feel a lingering tinge of disappointment when they’re not strapped to your grill – bit like your man in ‘Flowers For Algernon’ when, after touching his optimum intellectual state, he finds himself stuck on the downward shift.
Features
Skiers who like charging hard and fast will be delighted to know that the upper field of view on these goggles is absolutely enormous. It’s something that’s come about off the back of discussions between Oakley’s engineers and people like Norwegian Super G champ Aleksander Kilde, a man who knows just how important it is to see where you’re going when you’re charging down the mountain like a spandex-clad bullet.
“The upper field of view on these goggles is absolutely enormous”
One of the main things that differentiates Oakley from the rest is their use of Prizm lens technology. The Flight Path XL is no exception on this front, and features a lens that really delivers in terms of heightened visuals. Prizm tech, in short, means you’re better placed to accurately assess the snow ahead.. You can pick out the contours and curve better, react faster, and ultimately ski with more conviction.
Each Prizm lens is tuned for specific conditions. The lenses essentially work by manipulating the light spectrum by using different dyes to boost, or block, certain colours depending on its desired environment. They filter and enhance colours, optimising all-important contrast in mountainous settings.
