It’s important to have the right tool for the job, but that’s difficult when you can’t get it out of your pocket. Or, in any given snowboarder’s case, quickly swap lenses depending on cloud coverage. I’ve always struggled with lens changes. So much so that for the past few decades I’ve often brought multiple pairs of goggles to the mountains with me every time I ride, each situated with varying shades of lenses already in the frames, which would save me from the hassle and subsequent headache of tinkering with them. Thankfully, that problem was alleviated when I got a pair of the magnetic Anon M3 Goggles.

ABOVE The reviewer roughly 9,500 feet above sea level in Silverton, CO. He is wearing the Anon M3 Goggles and its accompanying MFI® face mask. Both the lenses and the face mask attach to the frame using magnets.

The Anon M3 Goggles offer a sleek, no-frills design with top-shelf optics and sturdy materials to boot (more on the latter later). While you won’t have quite as great a field of view as the pricier Anon M4 Toric Goggles with toric injected lenses curve to the shape of the human eye, the Anon M3 Goggles still allow for plenty of (and if you ask me, ample) peripheral vision. Anon implements PERCEIVE lenses with the M3 Goggles and each pair comes with two separate lenses: one for sunny days, one for low-light. The lenses have a special hydrophobic and oleophobic (meaning it possesses an affinity to oils) coating which helps protect against smudges and water buildup. But what really sets these goggles apart from most others is Anon’s MAGNA-TECH® quick-change magnetic lens system. It’s so easy, even an exasperated me on the way to first–let’s be real, 10^th–chair could do it. When you want to swap to a brighter or darker shade, you just hold the edges of your lenses, pop ‘em out and snap the others in place. Simple as.

VIDEO: Anon Optics

In equally awesome fashion to the easy-to-swap lenses, the Anon M3 Goggles feature magnets at the base of its frame which work with the  included MFI® Face Mask. The breathable MFI® Face Mask seamlessly snaps to the goggles, providing cover from the sun, cold and/or wind without any fuss or fog. It stays in place while riding but disconnects easily for chairlift chats and so on and so forth. This came in handy when I first used the Anon M3 Goggles on a trip starting in Utah and going through Colorado, where my buddy Grant and I were met with a medley of weather. From cloudless days in which the sun reflected off the snow so strongly you’d probably go blind without proper protection to stormy, powdery mornings everything in between, the Anon M3 Goggles provided.

PHOTO: Anon Optics

As far as I can remember, that was the first trip in years where I used only one pair of goggles for various conditions. Having to only keep track of one pair of goggles—which come in a zippered case as opposed to a simple pouch—made my life much easier on a voyage that already had more than a few moving pieces to keep track of.

Another friend on the trip asked me how the Anon M3 Goggles were fairing, noting that he’d be worried about the lenses falling off during a fall. Soon after that comment was made, I managed to slam my face on some hard packed snow. Low and behold, the lenses stayed on without a problem, and I couldn’t see any visible scratches on ’em either.

 

ABOVE The reviewer trying the goggles for the first time at Brighton Resort, UT. Having the wide-field of view that the Anon M3 Goggles provides will help in every type of terrain, allowing you to focus on your boarding instead of being thrown off by what you can’t see.

Retailing at $280 USD, these goggles would not be my first recommendation for boarders on a tight budget, but for those who are willing to shell out medium bucks for high quality product the Anon M3 Goggles should not be overlooked. Though I’ll certainly continue to rock a variety of different goggles throughout the season, just for the hell of it, if I were forced to stick to just one pair I’d be hard-pressed to shut my eyes on the Anon M3 Goggles.

The Anon M3 Goggles come in seven different colorways and retail for $279.95 on Burton.com/us/en/c/anon. We strongly encourage supporting local board shops and searching for a pair in your area before shopping online.  

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ABOUT THE TESTER

Age: 30

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 150 lbs

Years riding: 18

Home mountain: Wherever, whenever

Riding style: Groovy footed all-terrain moped