Formerly known for their famous motocross goggles, 100 Percent is finally bringing their expertise to the slopes. An iconic brand that’s 100% committed to design and performance, it recently unveiled three new great-looking goggles for skiers and snowboarders – promising an equal focus on comfort and visual clarity, albeit with distinct frame types different.
The Norg is the 100 Percent’s flagship model, and its unique geometric styling—with a molded ridge around the nose and base of the lenses—guarantees you’ll stand out on the hills. But beyond the cool-looking autofocus, these goggles can handle a variety of terrain and conditions. I tested them out during a day of skiing in Lone Mountain, Utah.
100 Percent is finally putting its expertise to work in snow goggles, and the Norg is their flagship product. Gorgeous in style and uniquely engineered for comfort, these goggles are the perfect companion for any snow.
Different light conditions on the mountain require different lenses. Many companies make interchangeable goggle lenses, but the one on the Norg is the easiest I’ve ever used. For starters, the lens sits in a super flexible mold (once you remove the lens, you can twist it like wringing out a wet towel without building structure). Then, embedded into the frame are eight secure magnetic contact points that correspond to magnets in the lenses, making it a snap to tear off one lens and put the other on. I lost all mobility in my fingers in the cold, and my hands were wearing bulky ski gloves and I could still change lenses between runs.
Being able to see details in the snow can be the difference between chopping and going downhill for a “yard sale.” The entire Norg goggle is designed to support crystal-clear optics: a soft, flexible frame wraps around an ultra-hard lens (made of shatterproof and impact-resistant polycarbonate) that prevents distortion of your vision.
Best of all, the 100 Percent HiPER lenses filter out certain color wavelengths to create more contrast in your surroundings, making it easier to spot obstacles in the snow, like rocks and tree roots, because Utah November The snow is very thin. I especially noticed sharper detail in flat light, like when I was suddenly skiing in the shade of a tree when the sun was setting behind the side of a mountain. Plus, they’re anti-fog (I don’t have any issues with breathing even though I’m tucking them in to keep warm as my breath blurs the lens) and have a waterproof and oleophobic coating to keep them from getting dirty , scratch-, and no moisture.
There’s a lot of technology packed into the Norg, but $250 is still a lot for goggles. That said, all of its color options (there are seven to choose from) come with a low-light lens, so you’re basically getting two interchangeable lenses for the price of one. If the price is still prohibitive, the brand’s Snowcraft goggles cost $180, while their entry-level goggle, the Okan, costs $110. These models aren’t quite as powerful as the brand’s flagship Norg, but you still get great visual quality and a comfortable fit.
100% is not the first to use a magnetic lens exchange system. The Anon M4 Toric is the fourth goggle in the brand’s magnetic lineup, and it has nine points of contact, up from six (plus, the visor clips magnetically to the bottom of the goggle); but it’s even $70 more expensive than the Norg. Smith’s I/O Mag ChromaPop goggles, which start at $270, use seven magnetic contact points instead of eight, while the brand’s $320 4D Mag also uses a magnetic system and opens up your field of vision with a unique curve at the bottom of the lens. In terms of visual clarity, other than Oakley’s PRIZM technology, I haven’t experienced anything quite like the Norg; it feels like there’s almost nothing on the face.
100 Percent’s Norg goggles might not be the first goggles to offer easy-to-replace magnetic lenses, but they do a pretty good job of it—especially considering these are the brand’s first snow offerings. Not only is it easy to switch between lenses, but the frames are super comfortable (a major selling point for those who ski or board from the first track to the last chair) and very stylish. A grid of true form and function.
But it’s the visual clarity that sets them apart from the competition – no distortion by shape or The color of the lenses, they allow you to appreciate your surroundings on another level.