The Scott Ambit LS ski goggle comes into its own in sunny conditions
30.1.2026
Translation: Katherine Martin
Pictures: Patrick Bardelli
With its photochromic lens, wide field of vision and anti-fog coating, the Scott Ambit LS ski goggle excels in sunshine. But it hits its limits in diffuse light. When I tried it out, it didn’t quite manage to tick all of my boxes.
The air practically smells like crowds. In a few cantons, the half-term break’s already begun. Plus, it’s Saturday and the sun’s shining. On my first ski trip to the Engelberg/Titlis region, skiers and snowboarders snake their way down the narrow slopes, past rugged rock formations and into the valley. On the Joch Pass side, as well as on the slope leading up to the Jochstock, things are almost a little too tight for my liking.
There’s also surprisingly little snow for late January, even though I’m over 2,500 metres above sea level. So each run’s as challenging as you might expect. Rocks big and small peep out of the thin blanket of snow, a speedy skier carves towards me from the left and a beginner stem-turns towards me from the right – all with the unmistakable scrape of a snowboard’s edge approaching me from behind. Oof!
Scott Ambit Compact Light (LS)
Trying to keep an eye on everything happening around you while you’re skiing is seriously taxing. It’s no wonder I always finish a long day on the slopes feeling knackered and longing for bed. That level of challenge makes your equipment all the more important. And for the kind of conditions I’m talking about, your goggles are especially crucial. I was given the chance to test Scott Sports’ photochromic Ambit LS model.
The photochromic technology allows the goggle to automatically adjust to ambient light. According to the manufacturer, the Ambit LS goggle covers sun protection levels one to three and offers 100 per cent UV protection. Since I’m not keen on fumbling around on the edge of the piste or on the chairlift for spare lenses, I’ve been using a goggle from Swiss manufacturer React for the last two years. However, React uses a different technology in its products. Although it darkens and lightens more quickly (within the 0.1 second range), it’s also much more expensive as a result.
Wide field of vision, super comfortable to wear and fog-free
One of the Ambit LS’s plus points is its wide field of vision, which helps you keep an eye on as many things as possible at once. Take that, fast carvers, stem-turning beginners and rocks on the piste! Another of the goggle’s strong points is that, in combination with the Helmet Flow Pro, it didn’t film over once at any point during my two days of skiing. Shout out to the anti-fog coating. I’ve linked my detailed review of the Scott ski helmet here:
The goggle weighs about 150 grammes. It’s available in two versions, with different lens widths and heights for both small to medium and large faces. The larger of the two versions fits me perfectly and the Ambit LS sits very comfortably. The photochromatic lens automatically adapts to changing lighting conditions. If you move from sunlight to shade, it brightens and vice versa.
Alternating between sunshine and shade
The goggle really shows off its strengths in sunny conditions. It manages transitioning from sunlight to shade without any problems, keeping contours in the snow clearly visible. The Ambit LS is less suitable in diffuse light. And unfortunately, there’s more than enough of that on the second day of my ski weekend. In this «soft» kind of light, as you can see in the header image above, I lose ground visibility, the slope in front of me turning to a white-grey carpet. I find skiing like that really unpleasant.
Although Scott’s Amplifier Lens Technology promises the opposite, my test goggle with a bronze lens (also available in a red and a blue version) struggles to maintain good ground visibility in «soft» light.
In a nutshell
Quite literally has its dark and light sides
There’s both a sunny side and a dark side to Scott’s Ambit LS ski goggle. When the sun’s shining on the first sunny day of my ski weekend, I’m quite happy with it. My ground visibility’s good in both sunny and shady sections, and contours in the snow are clearly visible. Combined with the wide field of vision and anti-fog coating, there’s no shortage of fun to be had on the slopes despite all the hustle and bustle.
On the second day, the lighting conditions are more complicated, with the Ambit LS truly meeting its match. The light is so soft in certain stretches of the piste that my ground visibility with the goggle is poor. At some points during my runs, it feels like I’m flying blind. Whenever that happened, I switched to my React Sight 2.0, which allows you to manually adjust the dimming intensity with a little slider. This ranges from maximum dimming to completely turning the feature off. To be fair, it’s worth mentioning here that the React Sight 2.0 costs more than twice as much as the Ambit LS.
You could, of course, bring a second pair of goggles sporting a 0 to 1 category lens with you and switch if needed. However, the whole point of a photochromatic model is to avoid faffing around with several pairs of goggles or lenses on the piste.
Pro
- Wide field of vision
- Good anti-fog mechanism
- Good in sunny conditions
- Very comfortable to wear
Contra
- Not ideal in diffuse light
- Not suitable for people who wear glasses
Header image: Patrick Bardelli
Patrick Bardelli
Senior Editor
Patrick.Bardelli@digitecgalaxus.chFrom radio journalist to product tester and storyteller, jogger to gravel bike novice and fitness enthusiast with barbells and dumbbells. I'm excited to see where the journey'll take me next.
