Review: Oakley Split Time Sunglasses
What we liked
Large Size and Retro Styling
What we didn’t
The fact my kids kept laughing at me
The Verdict
THE SHORT READ…
Oakley Split Time Sunglasses are a great complement to any splitboarding tour, especially if you dig a Dirty Harry look, think David Soul american motorbike cop, rather than Clint who had a more Ray-Ban thing going on. If you don’t know what we’re talking about you need a serious retro film night.
THE LONG READ …
Oakley have been making super functional sunglasses and goggles since 1975, and you don’t hang around that long if you’re not doing something right, they have branched out in recent years to clothing and helmets, with some success.
The snow sports specific glasses offered up by Oakley often only have a frame along the top of the lenses, making for very large lens sizing, great on the slopes but if I’m honest I’ve never really digged that look.
The Oakley Split Time, which is coineserdently called Split and not splitboard specific, is a street active crossover that is perfect for the skin track. The lenses are flattish and large, yet I rode in them on a cold bright day and had no problem with eye watering. The Blue Prizm Sapphire Polarized Lenses (£200 version that we tested) run a little dark in lower light, but do offer excellent clarity - especially on bluebird days.
The fit is more street than slope, but the Oakley Split Time have become my go to shades. I love them while driving or sitting post tour supping a pint, but more importantly I totally love them on the mountain too.
On a bright day they’re perfect while skinning up, they sit away from your face enough not to steam up, even when slogging up a steep pitch, and they look super cool too, even if my kids did almost bend double with laughter when I first tried them on, and my wife simply said “No!” but hey what do they know.
The No-slip Unobtainium™ nose-pads, apparently increase grip with perspiration but I didn’t notice anything other then they sat nicely on my nose and I didn’t have to think about them, which is a good thing when wearing glasses, as if you’re thinking about them somethings not right.
SUMMARY…
A very cool pair of oldskool style glasses, with up to date tech, that’ll split opinion on looks, yet you’ll feel fly when dancing on a table during apreski and work perfectly both up and down the mountainside.