Vallon Freebirds Ski Goggles Review

It was a scorcher in Vail’s back bowls. Without a cloud, the snow softened to perfect corn. I enjoyed uninhibited turns for thousands of vertical feet. While those conditions are my favorite, the blasting sun and snow reflection demand solid eye protection. Thankfully, I was testing the Vallon Freebirds ski goggles — alongside a heavy layer of sunscreen.

The lens protected my eyes from the intense brightness. Its crisp optics gave me the confidence to dial up my speed. And the chic aesthetic didn’t hurt my vibes, especially for on-mountain après.

In short: The Vallon Freebirds ($186) ski goggles prioritize style and quality versus a bunch of features. The high-end lens by Zeiss is the headliner — providing crisp, clear, and precise optics for skiing fast. The medium-to-large frame provides a nice fit for most faces, being neither oversized nor too small in terms of coverage. While this pair forgoes additional lenses and a fancy lens-swapping system, the streamlined features and fair price will meet the needs of skiers looking for a stylish pair of goggles with solid optics for fair weather skiing.

See how this design compares to a competitive lineup in the Ski Goggles buyer’s guide.

Vallon Freebird Ski Goggles Review

I tested these ski goggles over several days of skiing in Colorado through both good and downright nasty weather to see if they perform as elegantly as they look.

Let’s be honest: aesthetics and style are factors that weigh heavily when choosing a pair of ski goggles. That’s what attracted me to the Vallon Freebirds in the first place. The retro-inspired design harkens back to sun-drenched days on the ski mountain, gorgeous ski sweaters, classic après, and good vibes. 

Along with vintage style, Vallon aimed to incorporate enough tech and quality to make the Freebirds competitive in a rapidly evolving snow goggle market while retaining an approachable price point.

Available in 10 frame colors and with three possible lens pairings, these $186 ski goggles are among our top picks in the middle of the price spectrum.

Fit & Field of Vision

The Freebirds offer a medium-to-large fit that should work with most faces. Not being oversized means they fit decently well with my medium/large Sweet Trooper ski helmet. However, the frame has small gaps on each side that the straps covered.

The triple-layer face foam added comfort on full ski days, though I wouldn’t call them a perfect fit on my face — the nose bridge felt a little low. Everyone’s nose is different, but it’s worth noting for users who experience this issue with other goggles. Once on my face, the frames fit snugly without annoying gaps between the skin and foam.

Spherical lenses typically provide the widest field of vision, but I found the Freebird’s field of vision cramped, especially vertically. The lower half of the frame is omnipresent in the field of view. The lens’s upper part has a thick foam and adhesive strip that cuts into the upper view.

For comparison, Smith’s I/O Mag ski goggles provide a bigger field of vision despite having a more petite frame. The design minimizes the frame, and it neatly tucks the adhesive and foam between the lenses.

Quality Lenses, Moderate Price: Cat 3 Lens by Zeiss

The Freebirds utilize a spherical polycarbonate lens developed by Zeiss, which makes high-end lenses for a variety of uses, from snow goggles to spotting scopes. True to its reputation, the optical quality is excellent. Details in the snow were crisp and precise — a quality I typically see in more expensive goggles. 

There are three lens options: 15% VLT, 18% VLT, and 25% VLT. The Silver Cat 3 lens that I tested (15% VLT) had a subtle brown tint that seemed to enhance the definition of the snow’s texture in sunny conditions. Overall, that lens was good for a “one lens to do it all” setup, especially in Colorado, where it’s generally sunny. I didn’t feel like I lost much detail or definition when sunny days turned partly cloudy. 

When the clouds took over, or the light went flat — like during a nasty blizzard on top of Vail mountain that I skied in — the Freebirds’ Cat 3 lens wasn’t ideal. That lens has a low VLT and lacks contrast enhancement technology like Smith’s ChromaPop. This is why many high-end goggle brands bundle models with a second low-light lens. It’s tough for a single lens to perform flawlessly in most or all light conditions. 

High Quality, Somewhat Limited Versatility

So, while the optical quality was high overall, the versatility of the Cat 3 lens was somewhat limited — they thrived on sunny and mostly sunny ski days. But they left me wanting more in flat light. They’re serviceable, but aren’t my first, second, or third choice for blizzard powder skiing. 

Vallon offers additional lens options with up to 36% VLT for low-light conditions for $47. Users who choose the 15% VLT as a primary lens will probably want to throw the low-light lens in the cart. Consider the 25% VLT or at least 18% VLT primary lens options for more versatility across the light spectrum for set-it-and-forget-it skiers. 

The inside of the lens is coated with an anti-fog treatment from the Italian brand Mazuchelli. The treatment fended off fog as well as competitors at this price point. They weren’t miraculous when things got sweaty, but they were plentifully fogless for day-in, day-out resort skiing. 

Traditional Lens System

The Freebirds don’t use a fast lens-swapping system, instead relying on a tried-and-true manual method. The lens has seven notches around its edge that align with seven retention posts in the frame’s lens channel. Starting at the nose, snapping the lens in takes about 30 seconds, while popping it out takes just three. It’s not fancy, but it gets the job done

The only issue I have with the swapping process is that the lens gets covered in smudges from my fingers. Be prepared to wipe them off before you ski away. Thankfully, the polycarbonate lens is easy to clean and quite resistant to scratches.

The rest of the Freebirds’ chassis — the strap, frame, and triple-layer face foam — is on par with pricier options. I loved that sticky silicone strips under the strap kept the goggles locked to my helmet. They were easily adjusted between a hat and a helmet using two sliding adjusters on the strap. 

Conclusion

Nothing about the Vallon Freebirds wowed me other than the crisp, precise optics. That doesn’t mean they’re bad ski goggles. On the contrary, the Freebirds performed fine across the board, considering the $186 price point.

The fit was good, the lens quality was excellent, and the triple-layer face foam and strap were on par with more expensive pairs. The only place it suffered compared to the competition was the shallow field of view in the vertical dimension and the clumsy lens-swapping process.

The lens of the Freebirds lacks contrast enhancement compared to pricier options. They also only include one lens for bright conditions, so versatility is limited unless you shell out more dollars for a second low-light lens. 

The Vallon Freebirds offer a distinct retro aesthetic in a crowded sea of high-end goggles. Skiers searching for a unique classic vibe who mostly ski in sunny weather could find a good match with the Freebirds.