Skip to main content

Abominable Labs: Fog Free Riding

We’ve all had that moment on the ski slopes at least once: it’s a once in a lifetime storm day, and you’re measuring powder tracks in feet instead of inches. Then, your goggles decide to fog over and visibility goes to zero. Good bye first tracks; it’s time to hit the lodge and dry out a little bit. Fortunately for you, our friends in Tigard, Oregon, Abominable Labs, have finally solved the biggest buzz killer on the mountain (no, we’re not talking about a new way to sneak your hipster microbrew on the lifts). Meet the F-BOM ski goggle.

Born in late 2014 from a small group of dedicated skiers, inventors, and design engineers, the Abominable Labs team has once and for all answered the problem every skier has with their goggles at least a few times a season. Rather than approaching the problem with the tired out industry standards – anti fog treatments and coatings that wear out – the all new F-BOM’s heated lenses provide crystal clear vision.

Related Videos

Using Abominable’s patented KLAIR™ technology, every pair of F-BOMs utilizes a thin, electricity conducting film sandwiched between an inner and outer lens. When hit with a small electric current from batteries mounted in the goggle’s frame, this film heats up just enough to keep you fog free whether you’re spinning hot laps in the massive terrain parks at Mammoth Mountain or heading out into the Cody Peak backcountry of Jackson Hole. On a high setting, the F-BOM provides continuous heat for up to seven hours; the burst setting turns on the warmth for a quick ten minute blast and saves battery life for a week.

Worried that this is all just a gimmick? Abominable Labs partnered with noted optics powerhouse Carl Zeiss to build a laser cut, scratach proof polycarbonate lens. Their batteries and microcontrollers are housed in a weather proof compartment built into the goggle frame that ensures it stays well balanced weight-wise and will fit your face perfectly. Finally, swapping out the outer lenses can be done on the fly with a couple of quick snaps, making you ready for any light conditions. The future of skiing is looking pretty clear to us. The only downside? They’re not hitting retailers until later this year.

Editors' Recommendations

The 7 Best Action Cameras for Your Outdoor Adventures

Smartphones can do a lot of impressive things these days, from augmented reality and video editing to on-the-fly GPS navigation. But their big screen, the very thing that makes them so usable and nice to look at, holds them back from being an action camera. Sure, you can strap your iPhone to your helmet and bomb down that dirt track on your bike, or throw it on a selfie stick and hit the best ski resorts, but it likely won’t make it out alive.

Action cameras still have their place as a travel essential and required piece of equipment for anyone who wants to jump cliffs, bomb steeps, or do any other activity where bad weather and gnarly crashes are not just possible but likely. For the rest of us, action cameras are compact, shock-proof, slow-mo-capturing video and photo cameras that can go anywhere and do anything. We've created a list of the best action cameras to capture all your wild and fun outdoor adventures. Let's get into it.
GoPro Hero8 Black

Read more
Stop relying on your phone while out hiking — get a handheld GPS
handheld gps hiking safety cell phone or 266x266  1

Blazej Lyjak/Shutterstock
Cell phones make life easy with a superabundance of functionality. Most of us would be lost without them. But this robust functionality was built for general use in civilization. Anyone who spends a significant amount of time in remote areas knows that phones do have limitations. If you’ve been relying on your phone for navigation on backcountry hiking trips, you may have experienced signal drops, position inaccuracy, battery life issues, or various types of damage to the phone. A dedicated GPS device would be a far superior solution.
A hiking tracking device is better than a smartphone
A hiking GPS tracker is uniquely designed for life in the outdoors. They are ruggedly built to be weatherproof, highly impact resistant, and easy to manipulate. Power is less of an issue because the batteries can be replaced in the field. Because they only need a satellite signal to operate, and not a cell signal, they are far more reliable in remote places. Plus they offer additional features to help plan and analyze trips, along with numerous additional advanced features specifically for outdoor use.

On the other hand, in order to perform navigational functions, a cell phone must constantly run apps, which quickly drains the battery. Heat, cold, humidity, and precipitation place additional stress on phones. And, if it slips from a sweaty hand onto a rock or into a puddle, the phone will end up useless. Accessories like rugged phone cases and portable charging systems can help mitigate some of these shortcomings, but this requires more gear and more weight.
What does a GPS unit do
A purpose built GPS unit is capable of precisely displaying your position anywhere on earth. As you walk, it can track your route, making it a cinch to exactly backtrack to the car or another previous point on the path. It easily provides point to point navigation, records and displays trip data, and can sync with your computer for trip planning, analysis, management. and more. Whether you are still at home planning the hike, traveling your planned route, altering your course on a whim, or saving key locations to revisit at a later date, a GPS unit can do it.

Read more
The 7 Best Outdoor Sport Sunglasses for Adventurous Men
best outdoor sport sunglasses for outdoors men 2021

When getting ready for an outdoor adventure, men's sunglasses are optional for some people. For us, they are absolutely necessary. Hiking? Bring ‘em. Running? Bring ‘em. Traveling? Bring ‘em. They don’t weigh much and when you’re spending hard-earned time and money to have fun, don’t waste these experiences squinting the whole time.

Some sunglasses excel at one thing, like mountaineering, for example. Others are generalists, and easily transition from running to fishing to setting up the barbecue grill like a champ. These are the best multifunctional sport sunglasses for men that you can try out for yourself.

Read more