By fog, Nicholas, I assume you mean the weather-related variety, not fog inside the lenses. And snow聟was it snowing? Or were your skis kicking up snow?
Oakley A-Frame Goggles
A-Frame GogglesAnyway, here聮s what I have to say on the subject. It sounds as if you were simply having a hard time seeing and picking up topographic features due to flat, foggy light. In my experience, lenses with more reddish tint are useful in these conditions. They block out the flat, blue light that makes everything look one-dimensional when it聮s foggy. Most ski-goggle lenses already are sort of yellow-orange, but look for some that are more of a rose color, as these offer the best contrast. Oakley A-Frame goggles ($85; oakley.com) come with a choice of several different lenses聴one is a dark 聯persimmon” that would work well.
As for polarized lenses, I think the jury still is out. They don聮t increase contrast so much as they reduce glare, such as sun reflecting off an icy patch. But it聮s not necessarily a bad thing to be able to SEE that icy patch, so not everyone thinks polarized lenses are good for skiing. Plus, they聮re expensive. Smith聮s Phenom goggles are polarized and have nifty features such as vents that can be opened or closed, depending on air temp and weather conditions, They聮re $169 (smithoptics.com).
Check out the new 2007-2008 Winter 国产吃瓜黑料 Buyer聮s Guide, packed with reviews of more than 300 new gear must-haves. It聮s available on newsstands now.