Oakley Nails it This Snow Season
Oakley kit has always looked sharp, but this new combo? Loud in a good way. Craig Mackenzie, ex-Perisher ski instructor, hit the slopes in the Lunar New Year Mod 3 helmet, Fall Line M goggles, and a matching shell jacket waiting for the Olympic Run to open at Perisher on one of those ‘days of the season’ in the last days of July 2025…
The Model
“The Oakley Mod 3 helmet felt good. It was lightweight and comfortable, with good ear coverage and a fresh new clip system that’s way better than my old helmet”. The Mod 3 price point is at the lower end, which is great for families watching the dollars with gear.
Next old-Craig-y-boy tested the Fall Line M with Prizm Sapphire Iridium lenses.
“The goggles were loud and stood out – in a good way. The lens changing system was good and the pink low light lens was fantastic. Best I’ve ever used and fitted snug with the Oakley helmet”.
The Oakley shell jacket Craig wore was a medium, when he normally runs a large and felt a bit on the snug side, nothing a few more laps over at International couldn’t fix, just give him till the lifts stop turning and he’ll try it on again.
“Not a deal-breaker, but it could’ve used a bit more room through the torso” Craig layered with just a light jumper and thermal underneath, which worked well for Aussie conditions, but reckoned breathability could’ve been a notch better, especially on warmer days. That said, he still stayed totally dry, and honestly felt a tad cooler just wearing it.
The Wannabe
Rob, a Sydney based backcountry wannabe, tested Flight Tracker XL Oakley goggles and TC Gunn 2.0 RC Bib during a couple of trips to Thredbo this season giving the gear a good workout with the bumper snow that everyone is raving about.
Rob reported that the bib hit the mark with a great combo of form and function, making his teenage son a bit jealous with the cool styling and keeping him warm and dry when out on snow all day. The gaiters with boot hooks were particularly welcome once he ventured off piste to keep snow out of boots and socks. Rob reported that he was warm and comfortable with just a single layer of merino thermals underneath, even when the wind and heavy snow picked up.
The Oakley googles also performed flawlessly under all the conditions across both trips, ranging from high wind days with a touch of whiteout through to heavy snow and fog to a bit of sudden bluebird. When Rob’s teenage son was struggling to enjoy one day with heavy fogging on his googles, Rob put his best foot forward for a Father of the Year Award with a quick hot-swap to the Oakleys so Dylan could see more clearly, leveraging the F3 Anti-Fog coating. The young lad found his ski legs again and the day was saved despite some wind and heavy snow.
Taking the Fall Line refers to the line down a mountain that is most directly downhill. Inspired by Line Miner and fusing the large field of view from a rimless goggle, Fall Line M is the latest addition to Oakley’s ‘LINE SERIES’ of cylindrical style snow goggles. With a mid-sized fit, Fall Line M is optimised for a wide variety of faces and is engineered to fit perfectly with most helmets. Designed with Oakley’s Ridgelock Technology, changing lenses is quick and easy while still allowing for a complete lens seal to prevent harsh conditions from penetrating into your goggle.
