Are expensive ski goggles actually worth it over $30 Amazon pairs?

Across the reviewers we read, the consensus is yes for frequent skiers and no for occasional ones. High-trust specialist threads on r/skiing repeatedly cite optical distortion, weaker UV consistency, and cheaper mirror coatings (with internal reflections) as the real downsides of budget goggles. For 1–2 trips a year, sub-$40 options like the OutdoorMaster OTG are widely praised as 'good enough,' but skiers logging 15+ days tend to migrate to Oakley/Smith-tier optics.