Smith Squad Mag Ski Goggles – Test and Review

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Updated May 8th, 2024

Are you looking for a new pair of ski goggles that look and perform great? Check out the Smith Squad Mag Ski and Snowboard Goggles. They have cylindrical lenses with Smith’s Mag lens change system and ChromaPop Lenses. These goggles are perfect for a day in the park or freeriding. Keep reading to get all the details on the Smith Squad Mag Ski Goggles.

Smith Squad Mag Ski Goggles Review and Test

I have been a long time fan of Smith ski goggles. I used a pair of Smith I/O7 goggles for years and loved them. There have been a lot of advances in lens swapping systems since then. The Smith Squad has been one of their most popular goggles for years. It’s a favorite of park skiers everywhere. The Squad Mag adds quick and easy to swap lenses to it. We picked up a set to try out.

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 review goggles are French Navy Polar with ChromaPop Everyday Rose Gold Mirror. The second lens is a Storm Rose Flash. Ours are the “low bridge fit” or “asian fit” version.

Price

The Smith Optics Squad Mag retails for $240. You can get it from Amazon or most online ski shops such as Backcountry, evo, REI, and Moosejaw.

These are pricey but they do include 2 lenses which Oakley snow goggles do not.

Lens color, size, and VLT selection

Squad Mag lenses are available with a VLT range from 9% ChromaPop Sun Green Mirror to 89% clear. There are also 2 photochromic lenses available with VLT’s for 20-40% and 30-50%. Most Squad Mag goggles are sold with a primary lens that is between 9% and 25%. They come with a 50% Storm Rose Flash as the second lens.

Extra lenses retail from $155 to $45 depending on the color and finish.

Cylindrical lens shape

The Squad Mags have a cylindrical shaped lens. This means it has no curvature in the vertical direction. Cylindrical lens goggles have been around forever. They seem to be making a comeback lately. Almost all the freestyle skiers and snowboarders in the 2022 Winter Olympics were all wearing cylindrical lens goggles. They look a bit retro. They also give you a more lean and mean look. Spherical lenses can look a bit bulby for some tastes.

Expansive peripheral vision

The Squad was designed to compete with other flat lens goggles with a big field of view like the Oakley Line Miner. They have succeeded. The Squad and Squad Mag goggles have a really expansive field of view. You won’t miss anything happening in your peripheral while you’re having fun in the park.

Smith Squad Mag lens technology

Smith MAG lens system – The biggest change for the Squad Mag verse older versions of Smith Squad is the quick-swap MAG lens system. The system uses 6 magnets in the frame and 2 mechanical clips at the outboard edges. The purpose of the mechanical clips is so you can’t lose a lens in a hard fall or while lifting your goggles up on a chair lift. The system is easy to use and an improvement over the Squad lens swapping system. It now takes seconds to swap lenses instead of a couple of minutes.

Chromapop Lens – All the available lenses utilize Chromapop technology. This allows for better clarity and color refraction letting you see better. It works by filtering colors between blue and green and red and green. Your eyes naturally have a difficult time differentiating these wavelengths. Lenses are available in a variety of colors, finishes, and VLTs. Photochromic lenses are available as well.

Tapered Lens Technology – Smith goggles also incorporate tapered lens technology or TLT. This is an adjustment to the lens shape to reduce visual distortion caused by looking through curved lenses.

Carbonic x lens – Smith Squad Mag goggles use a cylindrical lens shape. They are molded from Carbonic X Material. This produces a lens with excellent clarity and minimal distortion.

Smith Squad goggle frames

AirEvac vents – Smith goggles are designed to work with the AirEvac vents on Smith helmets. These help pull air through the goggles which removes moisture and elminates fogging.

Triple layer foam – 3 layer foam is used for comfort.

Responsive Fit frame – the frame is made out of flexible PU material that conforms to your face for a better fit and better seal of the foam.

Goggle strap – The goggles have a buckle in the strap for easy removal. The strap is long enough to fit over most ski helmets. The strap has a silicone band in it to keep it from sliding on a helmet. The goggles no longer need a strap extension to work with helmets as the original Squad did.

UV Protection

All Smith Optics ski goggles offer 100% UV protection from harmful UV rays.

Flat Light Performance

Smith ChromaPop lenses perform great in flat light conditions. They do a very effective job of filtering blue shades which gives everything a slight yellow/orange tint. This lets you see detail in white terrain much better than you could with the naked eye.

Smith includes a flat light lens with all their Squad Mag goggles. Switch lenses when the sun goes away for best performance. The Mag Squad goggles have worked well during really drab cloudy Michigan winter days. We have nothing but good things to say about how they work on flat light days.

Anti Fog Performance

These goggles have all the ingredients for good anti-fog performance. They have double pane lenses, one of the best anti-fog coatings available, moisture wicking face foam, and lots of ventilation. We have never had any issues with fogging so far. Like any goggle, fogging can occur if you stand around on a humid wet day. As soon as you start moving they clear right up.

Magnetic Lens Swap

The Squad mag uses a combination of magnets and latches for swapping lenses. The latches are located on the bottom outboard corner of the frame just below the strap. To swap lenses you need to open the 2 latches and then pull the frame off. I am able to change the lenses with the goggles still on my face. The latches are small and I can’t do it with even thin gloves on.

This is a big improvement over the Smith I/O Mag system where the latches are completely behind the strap and can’t be unlatched with the goggles on. It defeats the purpose of using magnets to create an easy to swap lens system when you then add latches that can’t easily be accessed without taking the goggles off. Thankfully they updated the system for the Squad Mag goggles.

Helmet Compatibility

The Smith Squad Mag goggles will work with almost any snow helmet available. To get the best fit and anti-fog performance use a Smith helmet that has goggle defogging vents. We have tried these goggles with Giro and Outdoor Master ski helmets and they fit well.

Not OTG Compatible

Smith Squad Mag and Squad goggles are not OTG compatible. Even the XL size Smith Squad is not OTG compatible.

Low Bridge Fit vs Regular Fit

Our review goggles are the low bridge fit or Asian fit version. They do not have the nose foam cinched in like regular fit versions do. See the below 2 images for a comparison between a set of regular Smith goggles and Low Bridge Fit goggle nose area.

Microfiber carry bag

Smith goggles include a microfiber carry bag that can fit both the goggles and the extra lens. It is divided into 2 pockets. It works. It’s a pain to slide both into the bag at the same time. For the price, these really should include a hard case for the goggles and a separate bag for both. Even $50 ski goggles off Amazon give you that much these days.

The Verdict

If you’re in the market for a new pair of ski goggles, we highly recommend Smith’s Squad Mag Ski Goggles. They have great ChromaPop lenses for any light condition. They include a second lens for flat light conditions. They have a stylish cylindrical lens look. The lenses are easy to swap. Whether you like to hang out in the park or freeride the whole mountain, you can’t go wrong with Smith Squad Mag Ski Goggles.

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