A prestigious optical manufacturer with a history of over 100 years. Yamamoto Optical, which has a deep understanding of Japan's snow-covered mountains and the vision of Japanese people, presents SWANS' top topic for the 2026-2027 season: the "Night Yellow (NYEL)" spare lens, designed specifically for night skiing and inclement weather.
The value in this one piece
Up until now, the snow goggle industry has generally dealt with night skiing using "clear lenses" or all-weather "photochromic lenses." However, for the 2026-2027 season, SWANS is boldly proposing a single-function spare lens optimized specifically for "night skiing and bad weather." What significance will this single lens bring to skiers who tackle the slopes at night or in bad weather?
First, here is one answer that needs no words
The Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics are still fresh in our memories. Yukima Horishima, the mogul skier who attracted the attention of all of Japan as the closest to winning a gold medal at this competition, actually used these "Night Yellow" lenses on the Olympic stage
Subsequently, he achieved his long-awaited overall victory at the '25-26 W-CUP. This was a historic first for Japanese men's moguls skiing, and he reclaimed the moguls championship for the second time in two seasons. SWANS goggles and "Night Yellow" lenses were also instrumental in his success in the W-CUP, which often features night competitions
Here are Horishima's actual comments
I've skied at night in various competitions and under all sorts of conditions, and even then, the Night Yellow lenses allowed me to ski without any problems with my vision. When looking at bumps and dips on mogul slopes, the shadows were more clearly displayed, making it easier to perceive the condition of the snow surface. I use the Night Yellow lenses as my favorite pair of glasses in any weather other than perfectly clear skies
Mogul skiing is a challenging sport where skiers must instantly judge the unevenness of the bumps on the snow surface while maintaining their maximum speed. The fact that Horishima chose this lens on the world's highest stage, and under night conditions, proves its reliability as a "winning lens" that enables accurate visibility
「"Night Yellow (NYEL)" transforms the nighttime slopes into "vivid" scenery
The "Night Yellow" lens, newly introduced in the 2026-2027 season, is a spare lens developed to maximize visibility in nighttime and adverse weather conditions. It is designed to brighten the field of vision while highlighting the contours of the snow surface in nighttime, snowfall, cloudy, and flat-light conditions
High visible light transmittance
Night Yellow lenses cover 43-80% of the light. They allow sufficient light to enter even in dark nighttime or bad weather conditions, supporting safe skiing
Premium Anti-Fog
The coating applied to the inner surface of the lens absorbs moisture that accumulates inside the goggles like a sponge, suppressing fogging. It has twice the water absorption capacity of SWANS' conventional models, and the high anti-fog effect lasts longer
Claritex Coat
Featuring a special surface coating unique to Yamamoto Optical, which provides water repellency and stain resistance, snow and water droplets are less likely to adhere, ensuring a consistently clear view
The "OUTBACK" and "RIDGELINE" models are sporting Night Yellow
Let's also take a look at the main model, which features these night yellow lenses. Incidentally, Yukimasa Horishima is a fan of the OUTBACK. At the 2026-2027 new model exhibition, there was a display like this at the SWANS booth, and a review of the OUTBACK was also featured
OUTBACK
The "OUTBACK" model features large, flat lenses, ensuring a wide field of view without the frame obstructing the vision
OUTBACK-MDH-CU-LP
Lenses: ULTRA Photochromic Mirror Light Purple/Ice Mirror
￥36,300
RIDGELINE
The "RIDGELINE" is a popular model that combines the visibility of traditional spherical lenses with the latest ventilation features
RIDGELINE-MDH-CU-LP
Lenses: ULTRA Photochromic Mirror Light Purple/Ice Mirror
￥36,300
Both models feature "ULTRA LENS," a high-visibility lens that emphasizes the unevenness of the snow surface, and "photochromic" technology that automatically adjusts the brightness of the lens according to the amount of ultraviolet light. In addition, they employ a "double frame structure" that combines a soft, comfortable face-contacting foam that fits Japanese faces with a highly rigid frame. The frame design is also characterized by its compatibility with eyeglasses
The innovative ventilation system "A-BLOW SYSTEM"
The "A-BLOW System" is a SWANS-exclusive feature that allows the lens to pop up from the frame when the side frame parts are pushed forward, allowing moisture inside the goggles to escape and ventilate. When hiking up in the backcountry or sidecountry for 30 to 60 minutes, you can simply pop up the lens without removing the goggles to ventilate the inside of the goggles, providing good visibility when skiing or climbing
It can be operated while wearing gloves, and no complicated operations are required. It's extremely convenient for instantly dealing with fogging at any moment, such as after skiing, while riding the lift, or while hiking uphill
The possibilities that Night Yellow expands
SWANS' introduction of "Night Yellow" is not simply an addition to the lens color variations. It means that the "extreme visibility" demanded by Olympic athletes is now available to general users in the form of a spare lens
The combination of "Night Yellow" with high-performance, fog-free frames like "OUTBACK" and "RIDGELINE" is sure to transform night skiing from simply "skiing when the slopes are empty" into the ultimate night session, allowing you to read the different expressions of the snow surface and boost both your mood and your skiing skills
Information
SWANS
Official website:https://www.swans.co.jp/
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