Oakley Line Miner Ski Goggles – Test and Review

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Updated April 9th, 2024

If you’re a recreational skier or snowboarder who wants to up your game on the slopes or park, then you need a pair of Oakley Line Miner ski goggles. These goggles were designed with a cylindrical lens and peripheral vision in mind, and provide an incredible amount of downward and side-to-side visibility. They also come with Prizm lens technology for enhanced color contrast and clarity. 3 available sizes ensure a comfortable and snug fit on most face shapes. Keep reading to get the full scoop on the Oakley Line Miner ski goggles.

The choice of professionals

Oakley Line Miner ski goggles have been used by some of the top Freestyle skiers and snowboarders in the world, including Chloe Kim and Eileen Gu. If you paid any attention to the 2022 Winter Olympics, you noticed that Oakley Goggles, including the Line Miner dominated freestyle skiing and snowboarding events.

Oakley Line Miner ski Goggles Review and Test

We picked up a set of Oakley Line Miner goggles to try out at the end of last ski season. I have been skiing with a lot of spherical and toric lens goggles recently but couldn’t help but notice how cylindrical lens goggles were making a huge comeback. The Oakley Line Miner has consistently been mentioned when people talk about great value ski goggles. We got some to see what all the fuss was about.

We purchased these goggles ourselves for review. As with all reviews, we’ll give you all the good and bad about them whether we paid for them or a vendor gave them to us.

Our sample is size L with a Prizm Snow Jade Iridium Lens.

Price

Oakley Line Miners retail for between $124 and $171 depending on the lens option. If you can find a set from a prior year on Amazon or somewhere else you can get them a bit cheaper. Most big online outdoor shops such as Backcountry, evo, REI, and Moosejaw carry the Line Miner.

The Line Miner comes with a microfiber bag for cleaning and storage. It does not include any extra lens or other cases.

Lens color, size, and VLT selection

The Line Miners are available in both an L and M frame. They are also available in a youth fit verison as well. Your little rippers can look cool in the park in Line Miners too. There are 25 lens and frame combinations available that range from a VLT of 5.5% for bright sun conditions to a 64% clear lens. There is a lens option available for any light condition.

Huge peripheral vision

The Line Miner frame was designed to put the lens as close to your face as possible. This gives a bigger field of view and more peripheral vision. It also gives the goggles a low profile look compared to other ski goggles. They are equal are better to any other goggle I have tried for field of view. The design accomplishes this goal very well.

Cylindrical lens shape

The Oakley Line Miner uses a cylindrical lens or flat lens. It has no curvature in the vertical direction. Cylindrical lenses have come back in style recently. This was obvious watching the last Olympic Games where very few freestyle athletes had spherical or toric lens goggles on. There is no technological advantage of the cylindrical lens. They are cheaper to make and have a little more distortion towards the edges. They give you a leaner look.

Oakley Prizm lens technology

Oakley’s Prizm lens technology enhances detail and contrast, which in turn improves performance for activities such as skiing and snowboarding. The lenses are specifically tuned to provide enhanced color recognition and increased depth perception, which can allow skiers and snowboarders to see obstacles and terrain more clearly in any light condition. This can lead to a safer, more confident experience on the slopes.

Flat Light Performance

Oakley PRIZM lenses are known to be among the best for bringing out detail on the slopes on flat light days. The mid to low VLT lenses such as the PRIZM Snow Rose and PRIZM Snow Pink do a great job of making terrain easier to see.

UV Protection, Glare reduction

UV protection should be a top priority for anyone who spends time outdoors. UV radiation can cause serious long-term damage to the eyes, including cataracts and cancer. Oakley’s Plutonite lenses provide 100% protection from UVA, UVB, and UVC radiation.

Iridium lens coating can also help reduce glare. This coating is specifically designed to reduce glare caused by bright light sources, such as the sun. It can improve contrast and make it easier to see in difficult lighting conditions.

Anti Fog Performance

Oakley Line Miner goggles have excellent anti-fog performance. Professional athletes need clear vision doing tricks in the park or halfpipe which is why they choose the Line Miner. The following features contribute to the Oakley line miner having excellent anit-fog performance

• Triple Layer face foam with a moisture wicking inner lining keeps you comfortable and helps remove moisture from inside your goggles.
• Double layer lens has an F3 anti-fog coating that prevents moisture build up on the lenses keeping them clear.
• Flexible O-Matter Frame design conforms to your face and provides a good seal against the elements keeping snow and moisture out
• Lots of ventilation helps transport moisture out of the frame so fogging doesn’t happen or clears up quickly.

The Line Miner’s have performed excellent on the mountain. I have had no issues with fogging at all. I have worn them with a few different helmet designs and they have all worked well with the vents. Oakely ski goggles have all been solid performers for anti-fog and these live up to the reputation.

Helmet Compatibility

Most ski goggles and helmets have found common ground in the last several years regarding shape. The Oakley Line Miners will work with most newer ski helmets without giving you a goggle gap. We have tried them out with an Oakley, Smith, Outdoor Master and Giro helmet and they worked well with all of them. The Oakley helmet such as a Mod 1, 3, or 5 will give the best possible fit and anti-fog performance. Most other brand helmets with comparable features work almost as good.

OTG Compatible (L size only)

The L size Line Miner is OTG compatible and can be worn with prescription eye glasses. I have given them a try while wearing glasses. They are comfortable to wear and don’t feel like they are squeezing my glasses on any side. The frame has notches on the side to clear ear pieces. The strap is mounted forward and outboard on the frame so it doesn’t interfere at all. I’m a bit surprised how well they work with a pair of glasses given how low profile the frame design is.

Swappable Lenses

The Line Miner lenses can be swapped. They do not have any kind of quick swap lens changing system. They have notches in the lens that go into grooves in the frame. Lenses are time consuming and not that easy to swap. I recommend if you want more than one lens color to buy more than one pair of Line Miners.

Check out the Oakley Fall Line goggles for a cylindrical lens goggle with the Oakley Ridgelock system that is much easier to swap lenses.

The Verdict

The Oakley Line Miner ski goggles are an excellent choice for anyone looking for a quality pair of goggles. They have many features that set them apart from the competition, including UV protection, glare reduction, and anti-fog performance. I highly recommend the Oakleys Line Miners if you are in the market for some new ski goggles this year.

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