Tried & tested SunGod Ullrs™ goggles

SunGod Ullrs™ goggles £165
Tested by Nicola

Do not underestimate the goggle! Veteran skiers all know the value of good eyewear. I want the goggles to essentially ‘disappear’ when I put them on, and prioritise comfort, field-of-vision and lens performance over how they look. It all culminates in the fit and feel and, when you get it right, you find it hard to stray, proselytising: “These are the best goggles ever made! I’m buying three pairs just in case I lose them!”

Why start a goggle review with this broad an introduction? Because SunGod have made a goggle that I truly chime with, the Ullrs™… as does my husband Chrigl (he wants a pair now too). This in itself is interesting, because we have different sized/shaped faces and preferences.

The Ullrs™ model is sold as a Medium frame, measuring slightly smaller than SunGod’s Vanguard™ (Medium-Large), but Chrigl, who typically prefers massive goggles, says the Ullrs™ fit him at least as well as his bigger Vanguards. We also noticed that the Ullrs™ are 30g (29g to be precise) lighter than the Vanguard™, at 124g on our scales, which is a not unnoticeable number of grams for something perched on the end of your nose.

Lighter is better. And SunGod recognises this – it is one of the reasons they developed their Nylon range of lenses, known as 8KO® tech.

The main driver, however, for offering a 2mm Nylon lens over the standard Polycarbonate option was clarity; laboratory testing reveals that they suffer far less chromatic aberration – essentially, your eyes will get less tired when scanning for contrast in the snowpack. The 8KO® Snowlens is so clear, in fact, it is apparently clearer than the surface of the human eye, as long as you keep the lens in good nick, of course. Previous polycarbonate lenses I have used from other manufacturers have suffered a sort of ‘peeling’ of the reflective coating due to micro-scratches from snow (and the action of wiping it away with a glove on a powder day).

Chrigl has been skiing for weeks in his Vanguards™with no sign of any onset of wear or damage, so our impression is that the coating of the lenses is very durable. And, to top it off, SunGod has a Lifetime Guarantee on its items – so if anything were to go wrong they’ve got you covered. They also send the goggles in 100% recycled packaging, which is so cool to see.

As for the field-of-vision, although not class-leading, it is perfectly fine.

So, finally, how does the Ullrs™ look from the outside? I love the snow-stormtrooper-look. And what’s really cool is the ability to customise the frame colour, strap and badge colour on SnowGod’s website, along with the lens choice for each model. There are in-depth lens-comparison tools, which are super handy, too. Personally, I like amid-range lens to ski with most of the time, reducing how often I need to change it.

Although the Ullrs™ doesn’t come with any fast-change gimmick to swap the lens, I found that, when the frame was warm especially, it was really quick to swap the lens out for a storm lens. And as much as I loved ‘frameless’ goggles for a while, I’m glad to sport a more classic, and now probably on-trend, framed goggle again. I think they look awesome. Timeless.