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Ski Goggles Buyer's Guide

When you're buying new ski goggles, you need to choose the frame, lens color, and lens shape. In addition to this, you should also consider the strap, the lens's properties, and care instructions. In this guide, we will go through these points to help you choose the right ski goggles for you. At the end, you'll also find a glossary of commonly used terms when it comes to ski goggles.

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When choosing a frame

When choosing a frame, it is important that it suits your face shape. It is also important that it fits snugly against your helmet and does not create a gap, as cold can then get in at your forehead and cool you down. The ski goggles should also not pinch anywhere. When it comes to goggle size, you can start by considering the size of your head and helmet. If you have a small head and helmet, you should look for goggles with a slightly smaller frame and vice versa. Ski goggles that have a thin frame or a completely hidden frame provide better peripheral vision, which can be beneficial in most situations.

If you wear glasses when skiing, you can advantageously use OTG (Over-The-Glasses) goggles. This type of frame is designed to accommodate a pair of glasses underneath. Some "regular" frames can also fit glasses underneath, it simply depends on the model and size of your glasses. OTG frames have a cutout in the foam edge for the eyeglass temples and are also often deeper than regular ones.

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The shape of the lens

The shape of the lens indicates how the lens is curved. The lens is either spherical or cylindrical.

Spherical lenses are curved both vertically and horizontally. This means the lenses provide better peripheral vision and there is less risk of dazzling reflections. In addition, fogging does not occur as easily with these lenses as more air can fit between the lens and your face.

Cylindrical lenses, on the other hand, are curved horizontally but are flat vertically. This lens shape is cheaper to manufacture, which means a lower price.

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The color of the lens

The colour of the lens can be more important than you think. It's not just about appearance, but also about light transmission and contrast enhancement. When it comes to light transmission, you should always check the VLT, which shows the percentage of light that passes through. The higher the number, the more light the lens lets through.

For example, if it's cloudy, foggy, or the weather is changing, you should have ski goggles that let through a lot of light but also enhance contrast. Generally, clear, yellow, pink, or light blue are colours that are usually well-suited for these weather and light conditions. In these types of weather and light conditions, a lens with a light transmission (VLT) between 60–90% is usually good.

If it's very sunny, your lens should have lower light transmission. Overall, lenses that are brown, grey, black, gold, or orange are preferable in these weather and light conditions. These lenses often also have some form of mirror treatment on the outside. In this type of weather and light condition, a lens with a light transmission (VLT) between 5–20% can be good.

If you want to buy a lens that can serve as an all-round lens, generally speaking, dark pink and orange lenses are best for this.

You can either have different lenses to switch between, or you can have two different pairs of goggles to use depending on the weather. How you go about it is a matter of taste. An extra lens is more convenient to carry but is more cumbersome to remove and attach than simply changing goggles. When you buy certain ski goggles, you get two lenses included, which can be good to know.

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Ski Goggle Buying Guide

Features that simplify

When it comes to the strap and fit, there are a couple of different features that help. For example, it's good if the strap is adjustable and also has silicone strips on the inside, especially if you have a helmet without a goggle strap buckle. Some ski goggles have side attachments for the straps to provide a better fit against the helmet. Today, these attachments are not as important as most ski goggles are already designed to fit well against the helmet.

Care instructions for goggles:

  • Never place ski goggles on a hard surface, as this can scratch the lens, for example.
  • Wipe your ski goggles (especially the lens) with a microfiber cloth or the included storage bag.
  • If the inside has gotten wet, use dabbing motions instead of wiping to avoid damaging the anti-fog treatment on the lens.
  • Store your goggles in the included bag when you are not using them.
  • The plastic in ski goggles can dry out if they are placed on a radiator or in a drying cabinet, for example. If the plastic dries out, there is a high risk of them cracking.

Glossary for ski goggle terms:

VLT (Visible Light Transmission) – Shows the percentage of light a lens lets through.

OTG (Over The Glasses) – Means that you can wear these ski goggles over your regular glasses.

Light transmission – Indicates how much light the lens lets through to the eye. This is usually expressed in VLT and shows the percentage of light transmitted. The scale goes from 0 – 100, meaning that the higher the %, the more light the lens lets through.

Contrast-enhancing – Enhances contrasts, which provides better visibility in, for example, fog, snow, and flat light (poor visibility in mountainous areas). Usually, yellow, orange, and pink colors provide this type of contrast enhancement.

Mirror lens – This lens filters out bright sunlight and is best used when it is really sunny. However, this lens becomes very dark in darker conditions such as evenings and when it is cloudy.

Polarized – Means that the lens removes reflections from, for example, snow, and thus improves contrast vision.

Photochromatic lenses – These types of lenses adapt depending on light conditions; the lens either becomes lighter or darker. These are best used if you ski where light conditions can vary a lot or if you want to be able to use the same ski goggles and lenses all the time.