Oakley PRIZM™ Snow Lenses: The Complete Lens Guide

Ready to shred the slopes with clarity, confidence, and style? This guide to the coveted Oakley PRIZM™ Snow lenses has everything you need to know. PRIZM™ Snow technology tailors lens colors and tints to specific environments and weather conditions. It drastically increases contrast and visibility, bringing you an experience you've never seen before. Anti-fog treatment on the backside of the lens comes standard with any PRIZM™ Snow lens.

“When it comes to choosing the right PRIZM™ Snow lens, there are a few key factors every rider should keep in mind,” explains SportRx sports optician TJ. “Weather patterns, lighting, and snow conditions, light sensitivity, and personal style all influence which lens will best suit your needs. Each tint and mirror combination is engineered to deliver a specific visual experience—some riders prefer a neutral tone, while others look for enhanced contrast and vibrant color to amplify their surroundings.”

Read on to explore all the Oakley PRIZM™ Snow lens options.

2025 Oakley PRIZM™ Snow Lens Chart

For a quick overview, check out the Oakley PRIZM™ Snow lens chart below. The lenses are arranged from bright to low light, so you can find a tint for every condition you encounter out on the slopes.

Visible Light Transmission (VLT)

VLT or Visible Light Transmission, is the percentage amount of visible light that is able to pass through the lens. A higher VLT percentage is best for cloudy and low-light conditions, while a lower percentage is ideal for bright and sunny days. Most of the PRIZM™ Snow lineup is suitable for bright to mid-range conditions, or what Oakley calls “Sun and Clouds.” Find the right PRIZM™ Snow lens for any environment, including night skiing! Learn all you need to know about VLT.

How to Choose the Best Oakley PRIZM™ Lenses for You

Oakley PRIZM™ Snow lenses are available in a variety of colors and tints to help you see your best in every kind of weather.

Bright Sun

For the brightest conditions, opt for the Oakley Bright Sun lens category. There is only one lens in this category—PRIZM™ Snow Black Iridium. This is an extremely dark lens that allows less light through than most other lens options out there.

Lens features:

The PRIZM™ Snow Black Iridium is also available in some Oakley sunglasses. However, note that lenses lower than an 8% VLT are not suitable for driving.

Lens details:

• Conditions: Bright and sunny
• VLT: 5.5%
• Base color: Garnet

Sun and Clouds Lenses

PRIZM™ Sun and Clouds lenses are designed for everyday conditions. If you’re not skiing in extreme weather or at night, these are the lenses to get. They work well for most days on the mountain so it’s hard to go wrong with any of these lens colors.

This category features snow goggle lenses with and without a mirror coating. Lens colors with the word “Iridium” have a mirror coating.

The Sun and Cloud lenses are listed in order of lowest to highest VLT percentage.

PRIZM™ Snow Dark Grey

PRIZM™ Snow Dark Grey is like PRIZM™ Snow Black Iridium without the mirror coating on the outside of the lens. It is the darkest lens in the Sun and Clouds category. The absence of the mirror gives this lens a stealthier appearance than the flashy PRIZM™ Snow Black Iridium. You may also see more of the Garnet-colored base tint. Even though it looks like a much lighter tint, this is another great lens for bright conditions and it won't leave you hanging when the clouds roll in.

Lens features:

• The dark lens color allows less light through the lens than the other Sun and Cloud lenses, so you can see better in bright light conditions.

Lens details:

• Conditions: Bright and sunny
• VLT: 11%
• Base color: Garnet

The next five lenses in the Sun and Clouds category function similarly. The lowest VLT in this group is 13% and the highest is 17%, making these goggles perfect for a variety of conditions. While their VLT is similar, you will notice some differences in tone, contrast, color, and of course, aesthetics.

PRIZM™ Snow Sapphire Iridium

This is one of the most popular PRIZM™ Snow lens colors. At first glance, this lens may look more rose or silver than blue. In fact, we have gotten many calls from customers because they think they received the wrong goggles. The rose comes from the Garnet base color of the lens and the silver appearance is from the Iridium (mirror) coating.

Lens features:

• All PRIZM™ Snow lenses have a Garnet base but it is more noticeable in the PRIZM™ Snow Sapphire.
• The Iridium coating on the outside of the lens helps control the amount of light entering the goggle. When the sun is out, it will reflect off the lens and the Prizm Sapphire mirror will look more profound. When the sun is not out or when you are not under direct light, you will not get the full effect of the mirror. Instead, you will see more of the base color.

Lens details:

• Conditions: Everyday, cloud and sun, variable weather
• VLT: 13%
• Base color: Garnet

PRIZM™ Snow Sage Gold Iridium

The PRIZM™ Snow Sage Gold Iridium joined the PRIZM™ snow lens lineup in 2023. Sage Gold Iridium is the lens color in the Line Miner L and Flight Deck M goggles that we designed with Oakley.

Lens features:

• This lens has the Garnet base with a green-gold mirror coating on the outside of the lens.
• It’s a good choice for 80% of weather conditions except for in extremely low light conditions.

Lens details:

• Conditions: Everyday, cloud and sun, variable weather
• VLT: 13%
• Base color: Garnet

PRIZM™ Snow Argon Iridium

Argon Iridium replaces PRIZM™ Jade which has been discontinued. The new Argon Iridium lens is very similar in functionality to Jade with the same stellar appearance. One of the main differences between Argon and Jade is that Argon has a Garnet base tint, while Jade featured a Rose base tint.

Lens features:

• Argon Iridium lenses have a mild blue mirror exterior look.

Lens details:

• Conditions: everyday, cloud and sun, variable weather
• VLT: 14%
• Base color: Garnet

PRIZM™ Snow Rose Gold Iridium

Rose Gold Iridium is one of Sunglass Rob’s personal favorites. This lens is versatile enough to wear in most conditions so you won’t have to change goggles when the weather changes.

Lens features:

• The Rose Gold Iridium color provides exceptional contrast and clarity in bright sun to moderately overcast weather conditions.
• The Iridium coating reflects sunlight to protect your eyes.

Lens details:

• Conditions: Everyday, cloud and sun, variable weather
• VLT: 14%
• Base color: Garnet

PRIZM™ Snow Torch Iridium

PRIZM™ Torch lenses look fiery red on the outside and have a rosy tint when you’re wearing them due to the Garnet base color. They deliver maximum contrast so you can see every detail when you’re on the slopes.

Lens features:

• This tint and VLT mean you don’t have to switch goggles when the weather conditions change.
• Improved visibility to spot icy patches, terrain changes, and hazards on the mountain.

Lens details:

• Conditions: Everyday, cloud and sun, variable weather
• VLT: 17%
• Base color: Garnet

PRIZM™ Snow Garnet

Garnet is the base color of most of the PRIZM™ Snow Bright and Sun and Cloud lenses, and is now available as a lens color by itself! It features a higher VLT (19%) than the Iridium Sun and Clouds lenses listed above.

Lens features:

• This lens does not have a mirror coating, which is new for the Garnet color.
• Garnet is a good middle-of-the-road lens that will work in 80% of weather conditions so in most cases, you don’t need to change goggles when the conditions change.

Lens details:

• Conditions: Clouds and some sun
• VLT: 19%
• Base color: Garnet

PRIZM™ Snow Rose

PRIZM™ Rose is the final option in the Sun and Clouds lineup—although it is an exceptional choice that fits into the Snow and Overcast Lenses category as well. This is the lightest lens of the bunch with a VLT of 26%. It does not have a mirror coating. Rose has been discontinued in many goggle models but is still available in a few styles.

Lens features:

• This is an all-around lens that is an especially good choice for people who don’t like dark lenses.
• Rose-colored lenses are suitable for low light and provide the perfect amount of contrast on a cloudy day. They are also a good choice for medium light when the sun occasionally peeks out.

Lens details:

• Conditions: Clouds and some sun
• VLT: 26%
• Base color: Rose

Snow and Overcast Lenses

If you tend to find yourself in snowy, overcast, or even whiteout conditions when you ride, these are the lenses for you. They let the most light through the lens, and offer the most color and contrast enhancement. The following PRIZM™ Snow lens options are not suitable for sunny conditions.

PRIZM™ Snow Persimmon

This lens features Oakley’s popular Persimmon tint with the addition of PRIZM™ contrast. The original Persimmon lens has now taken a back seat due to the superb performance only PRIZM™ lenses can provide.

Lens features:

• The Snow Persimmon lens makes it easier to spot lines and bumps in the snow.

Lens details:

• Conditions: Low light, overcast, snowy
• VLT: 39%
• Base color: Persimmon

PRIZM™ Snow Iced Iridium

Iced Iridium is a new PRIZM™ lens color that replaces PRIZM™ Hi-Pink. Sunglass Rob says it’s one of the best low-light lenses he’s ever tried. This lens has a pink hue when looking through the lens and a light, icy blue/pink appearance on the outside.

Lens features:

• Iced Iridium is a bit darker than the Prizm Hi-pink it replaced, and offers much more color contrast and enhancement for exceptional vision on the slopes.
• This lens is a secondary lens that is included with Oakley’s Line Miner Pro M and L goggles.

Lens details:

• Conditions: Low light, overcast, whiteout
• VLT: 38%
• Base color: Huckleberry

PRIZM™ Snow Clear

Your go-to PRIZM™ Snow lens for whiteout conditions or night skiing is Snow Clear. This is the clearest lens you can get while still benefiting from the PRIZM™ tint technology.

Lens features:

• This lens is a good choice for people who usually don’t wear goggles, sunglasses, or other eye protection on the slopes.
• Snow clear is better for protecting your eyes from the wind than from bright light.
• Even though it’s called “clear,” this lens still blocks 35% of light from getting in your eyes.

Lens details:

• Conditions: Low light, whiteout, night skiing
• VLT: 65%
• Base color: Bubblegum pink

Oakley PRIZM™ vs. SMITH ChromaPop™ Snow Goggles

The Oakley PRIZM and SMITH ChromaPop™ snow goggle lenses are popular because both of these lens tech options improve your snow experience. You really can't go wrong with either one.

PRIZM™ is Oakley's proprietary lens technology. PRIZM™ Snow lenses provide an exceptional contrasting and color-enhancing optical experience. This high contrast helps you see texture and definition in terrain and your surroundings, which is pretty important when you're speeding down a mountain. PRIZM™ lenses use a selection of dyes to separate and filter out colors to fine-tune your vision specifically for the snow. Many of Oakley's PRIZM™ snow goggles have a Garnet-colored base. This is because the Garnet color is especially great for color contrast and enhancement.

ChromaPop™ is SMITH's proprietary lens tech. Similar to PRIZM™, ChromaPop™ snow lenses are categorized by environmental conditions. The ChromaPop™ categories are: Sun, Everyday, and Storm. Their Sun lenses range from 9-16% VLT. The Everyday lenses range from 23-25%, and their Storm category ranges from 50-67% VLT. ChromaPop™ also has a couple of photochromic snow goggle lens options.

So how does ChromaPop™ work? This lens tech filters out two specific light wavelengths. When these wavelengths reach your eye, they cause color confusion, making it harder for you to see details in your surroundings. By filtering these out, you get better definition, color, and clarity in your vision. You can learn more about this lens tech by watching our SMITH ChromaPop™ Snow Goggle Guide.

Oakley PRIZM™ and SMITH ChromaPop™ Snow Goggles Key Differences

There are a few key differences that may help you decide which snow goggle is the right choice for you.

One notable difference is that Oakley makes use of very few base tint colors. Originally, PRIZM™ Snow was only available in a rose base, but they have added Garnet which is a dark reddish brown. With PRIZM™, you will find the lens you need for each VLT category, but you won't have as much freedom in the base color.

SMITH offers more variety in their base colors. This can make a difference if you know that you don't enjoy the effects of certain base colors on your vision. Another key difference worth noting is that many SMITH snow goggles come with a bonus lens for lower-light conditions. Oakley goggles only come with one lens but you can purchase additional lenses for any Oakley goggle.

Sun Frames with PRIZM™ Snow Lenses

You can get PRIZM™ Snow lenses in some sunglass frames. If you love your snow goggle lenses, get that same PRIZM™ Snow experience in some stellar shades. The following colors are available in Oakley sunglasses:

• PRIZM™ Snow Black Iridium
• PRIZM™ Snow Sapphire Iridium
• PRIZM™ Snow Torch Iridium

Which Oakley PRIZM™ Snow Lens is Best for Skiing and Snowboarding?

Ultimately, the choice of the best lens is up to you.

“For bright, bluebird days, go with a lens that has a low Visible Light Transmission to reduce the amount of light reaching your eyes like the PRIZM™ Black Iridium,” TJ says. “On overcast or snowy days, opt for a high VLT lens, such as the PRIZM™ Iced Iridium, to let in more light and improve visibility in low-light conditions.”

Sapphire, Sage Gold, Rose Gold, Argon, and Torch Iridium lenses are great options for an all-condition lens. Picking up on the details on the mountain is of utmost importance for advanced and beginner snow athletes alike. The contrast needed to do so is exactly what makes a PRIZM™ lens superior. Whether you are navigating the bunny hill or charging down double blacks, the boost in contrast makes everything in your environment easier to see.

Once you find the right lens for you, it's important you find the proper goggle fitment. If you are struggling to find the perfect size Oakley goggles, head to our Oakley Goggle Size Guide.

Prescription Snow Lenses

If you need an Oakley PRIZM™ Snow prescription snow goggle option, we can do that too! At SportRx, we specialize in prescription goggle inserts that easily fit into your favorite pair of goggles. You can learn more about these game changing inventions on our prescription goggle Insert page.

Oakley PRIZM™ Snow Lens Technology enhances your vision and gives you a more vibrant and exciting experience out on the slopes. With so many PRIZM™ Snow lenses available and the best Oakley snow goggles to choose from, we have something to meet your specific riding needs. Contact us if you need help placing an order or if you have any additional questions.