If you tried to watch any downhill ski racing on NBC during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, you probably also watched a lot of Nordic skiing while waiting for coverage to begin. And while you watched, you may or may not have noticed some top racers sporting some distinctive yellow sunglasses with oversized, wrap-around purple mirror lenses. They’re the Bliz Matrix, and despite nobody having heard of them in the U.S., some tall, blond, blue-eyed winter-fitness freaks have: Bliz sponsored athletes took home 27 medals while wearing the Matrix in competition.
Well, I may not be a fitness freak, but I am kind of a gear freak, and I love crazy sunglasses. So the fact I couldn’t find Bliz for sale here in the States drove me nuts. At some point, I reached out to my friend, Jay, who buys accessories for Backcountry.com. My memory is hazy…but I may have sent him a picture of my television while insisting that he bring the brand to the USA.
Together we can stop apostrophe abuse. Then again, their English is better than my Swedish.
Fast forward to June, and I’d forgotten all about the Olympics, but mountain bike season was shaping up and I was looking to replace my helmet after a crash. If you’ve ever done the same, you’ll know how it feels to find a great-fitting helmet only to have your heart broken when it doesn’t work with your riding eyewear. That was the case with my new helmet (a Troy Lee Designs A1 MIPS), and at some point, deep in a fog of depression, I typed “Bliz Matrix” into the search bar.
Well, Jay must have taken my suggestion/threat seriously, because Backcountry.com popped up in the shopping results.
A week later, and I had a pair in my hands. Two pairs, actually, because I couldn’t decide whether to fulfill my Olympic dream of the purple and yellow variant or go with basic black.
Two rides later, and I’m thinking it won’t be long before I see another pair on the trail. Here are the reasons why:
- They fit great
- They work well
- They look sweet
- They’re (relatively) cheap
If you like big, single-lens sunglasses with a throwback vibe, but you hate how the look has been co-opted by the loudmouth frat bro scene, you’ll like the Bliz Matrix. The cylindrical profile gives you that retro Oakley Blade mirrored effect you remember, but the lenses and coatings are night and day compared to the glorified shop-class glasses now trending at every pool party and 80s night.
Optically, they’re right in line with most sports sunglasses I’ve owned, aside from those with polarized filters or glass lenses. Both models share a brown base lens tint that provides great contrast and color enhancement; meanwhile, the red mirrored lens is slightly darker, making it better for bright sun than the purple mirror. Both provide clear, distortion-free vision and good ventilation, thanks to the frameless lower edges and the slit vents at the upper edges of the lenses. I haven’t had any fogging issues during two pretty hot rides, and the hydrophobic coating has performed well through one muddy rainstorm and one cleaning session with mild dish soap and warm water.
Fit is different for everyone. For example, I have a pronounced nose bridge that causes most sunglasses to ride high on my face, and the Matrix doesn’t solve this, but the tall (57mm) lens helps by adding a little extra coverage. Otherwise, they fit like a great pair of mountain biking sunglasses should: not too snug as to be uncomfortable, but firm and solid on my head with zero bouncing or rattling at speed. The temple tips (behind the ears) are moldable wire covered in sticky rubber, and while I haven’t had to adjust them, someone with a small head might find this feature useful for additional security. Most important, though, is the fact the temples don’t interfere with my helmet. The extended side coverage of some newer “enduro” style helmets like the POC Tectal and my Troy Lee A1 can make fitting sunglasses a challenge; many frames with outrigger-style temples like the Oakley Radar series simply won’t fit, but the Bliz shades’ straight-style temples slide right in. One thing to note is that the black frames kind of disappear into the shadows, making the lens appear slightly bigger on my face. The contrast of the yellow frames stands out much more, making that pair look slightly smaller and more “bug-eyed.” I wasn’t thinking about that when I took these photos, or I would provide visual proof, but trust me. If I were a girl I’d probably like the yellow/purple for that reason, on top of the color combination.
Finally, there’s the price—and the price is great. In fact, I can’t figure out why these are priced at $75 per pair when POC, Oakley, 100%, Smith, and even Bliz themselves are happy to charge $150-$200 for similar sports- and bike-specific sunglasses. But don’t mistake my confusion for a complaint—at this level of relative affordability, I felt good about buying two pairs. You should, too.
GREGORY
MOMENT SKIS
TREW GEAR