RYIDAR LinkLens Pro 2 - Review 2023

Smart Ski Goggles

Let’s face it. We’re going to be using our smartphones to call each other and make reservations for the apres experience. Calling someone in case of emergency also has it’s value. It’s just a matter of what form factor these Bluetooth devices are going to take.

There will always be detractors and purists who think there’s no space for music on the mountain. At least, they argue that there shouldn’t be. But that ship has sailed. Or that ski has left the lift–or whatever the appropriate metaphor.

An awesome playlist to add a soundtrack to your tracks has meant people have had earphones on the hills for decades.

Reflecting how many people are skiing and snowboarding with devices–and losing them constantly–the Ryidar LinkLens is a product that answers an established and growing need. The LinkLens bluetooth ski goggles are designed to keep the telephone in the pocket and the earphones at home.

What’s unique about the LinkLens is the built-in speaker system and the buttons on the frame of the goggles that can be pressed even with gloves and some mittens on.

Answering the phone, turning on and off the music and muting when needed works to the point that we really appreciated not having to unzip a pocket and fight to use the touch screen to unlock our screens.

This is the unique value pitch, the crux of the LinkLens proposition. We’ll get to the points that need improving, but on the merits of the button controls alone, it’s a product worth having in the market.

This review is based on our experience with two LinkLens goggles over a few days. One of them had some dodgy wiring that is probably a random manufacturing defect. We’ll update on durability as the season progresses.

Ski Goggles in their Own Right

Built into the electronics, the frame is glasses compatible and the lens interchange system works as well as most premium goggles. With the additional lenses to switch up optics for the appropriate lighting conditions, Ryidar has a solid chassis that stands pretty well on its own as an upper, mid-range ski goggle.

That chassis also fits a face with a helmet the way one expects. The frame isn’t too big to crowd out a nose, but the field of view is still generous enough to give about 170 degrees.

We tested these in varying conditions that proved too challenging for a budget ski goggle that we used for a baseline control model. Unlike the cheap goggles, the Ryidar’s LinkLens didn’t fog up after serious charging in below-freezing temps.

That’s where the solid ventilation slits in the face foam were designed well enough.

Cut into the foam padding are spaces for the frame ends of glasses to slip into. This is also a nice gift to those with trammeled vision on the slopes. Many will leave the glasses at home because their goggles won’t accommodate them. A nice consideration from Ryidar.

Between the optics and the fitting, skiing or riding with with the LinkLens in varying conditions is, generally, a great experience.

Form Factor Issues

Where we found a need for improvement, mostly it has to do with some manufacturing issues that can be easily fixed.

The only big iffy aspect to these bluetooth ski goggles could be the form factor that a small segment of people will never learn to love. The two speakers on either side stick out toward the back of the head, suspended over each ear.

We tested these with three different helmets, each with their own type of ear covering design. After the first day of use, we got used to the way each speaker has to sneak its way under the ear flaps of the helmet. But setting them up on the crest edget of the helmet, on the other hand, doesn’t work that well. It’s doable, they just won’t sit as flush as normal goggles without protruding speakers.

It should also be noted that, on occasion, when setting the goggles up on the helmet, we accidentally pushed one of the buttons quite often on the first day. Usually that started the music, which only meant we had to press the button again to stop. Not a big deal.

Connectivity Performance

Pairing works seamlessly. Once paired, the goggles will remain on for the whole day from a full charge. Probably two days with only light usage, but it’s wise to top them off with a charge at the end of a day anyway.

Though the specs of the LinkLens Pro claim 20 hours of music in way below freezing temperatures, our experience is that this might be stretch. Definitely enough for a full day, which is the most important thing.

Answering a call is easy with a glove by pressing one of the three buttons. Once we got familiar with the buttons, answering a call, hanging up and controlling music was easy.

Speaking of easy, the use of Siri and Android’s Assistant was also a welcome and bug-free experience. Two clicks on the Bluetooth button and, after a slight delay, a sound notification announces that the phone is awaiting a command or question.

Being able to use voice commands to change music, ask the time and get information about a ski resort or weather–while keeping the phone secure in pocket–is extremely nice.

On the second day of testing, we saw two separate groups of skiers under two different chairlifts, searching for lost phones. This is where the LinkLens Pro proves its worth.

Sound Quality

The audio quality is definitely better once the goggle speakers are tucked underneath the helmet’s ear flaps. In general, the audio quality is decent. It’s good enough to listen to music and enjoy it. It’s good enough to hear the news or a podcast and it’s fairly okay to for a conversation with someone.

Compared to a pair of Airpods, the bass isn’t as rich. Nor is the depth as good. But we enjoyed listening to music enough to call it a decent audio device.

Where there are some areas that are lacking is not so much the audio quality as it is the microphone. The “noise-canceling microphones” built-in to each LinkLens Pro – a dual-microphones design – in our experience with the two models we tested reveals that the quality is similar to what’s installed in most hands-free capable cars. That’s to say, if there’s too much background noise, the person on the other end might have difficulty hearing the LinkLens speaker.

We found this particularly true when getting on a chairlift, with the din of the machinery filling the background around us. It’s also going to challenge a bit when running the slopes at speed, with the wind whistling strongly in vortex around the microphones.

Another problem we experienced was non-responsive volume controls. On a couple of occasions, it was necessary to pull out the phone to adjust volume. That’s exactly what we don’t want to have to do.
The goggles only have 3 buttons and each button has various functions depending on how you press it (long press, short press, double click etc). Getting this right with gloves on might have been the problem for us.

But all in all, the hands-free communication with the accessible buttons is a positive thing and demonstrates the unique design quality of the LinkLens Pro.

Our Conclusion

We’ve seen a lot of Bluetooth models try to get on the market in the last five years. Some, like Oakley’s Airwave, tried to revolutionize how much a goggle could bring the internet of things to the ski hill using a heads-up display (HUD). But like the Airwave and similar Kickstarter projects, most of these are discontinued because they didn’t work in critical areas.

Besides some Bluetooth helmet options, the Ryidar LinkLens Pro is a communication solution that works. Being able to chat on the mountain–assuming there’s cell service–is a fact of civilization. With the buttons, the LinkLens is the most user-friendly Bluetooth option we’ve seen.

Given the Bluetooth ski helmet vs Smart ski goggles consideration, we know there’ll always be someone who prefers one thing over the other. Some advantages of these ski goggles over Bluetooth options, like Wildhorn’s Alta for example, is the extended battery life and the better button controls.

LinkLens still has plenty of room for improvement in a few areas. In future, we’ll likely see helmets capable of doing a better job on the user experience front too. But overall, the LinkLens is one of the better smart goggles for skiing available right now.

As stand-alone goggles with interchangeable lenses, these are actually quite good. Throw in all the positives about the audio and connectivity bits and the price is fairly reasonable. For resort skiing in areas with cell service, the LinkLens is a worthy offering for skiers and snowboarders that want to stay connected.