Ski goggles are an indispensable item when skiing in windy, snowy or cold conditions.
The five most important things to keep in mind when buying ski goggles are:
- Try on several pairs of goggles. Some brands have a tendency to fit certain head shapes better than others.
- Check out the ventilation system of the goggles you're thinking about purchasing. The nemesis of goggles is fog, so you want an adequate ventilation system that allows air into the goggles.
- Make sure the goggles fit your head snugly. Keep in mind that most days you'll be wearing a hat of some sort or a helmet.
- Determine whether the lens is removable. Certain lens colors are better than others for different light and snow conditions.
- Find out whether the goggles have a warranty, and what type it is.
Features to Buy
Ski goggles are meant to protect the eyes and reduce the high glare of sun reflected off snow. Goggles should fit securely, block out the sun's rays even on the sides, and protect your eyes from glare, and also injury.
Many ski goggle frames are made of softer, more flexible materials than traditional eyeglass or sunglass frames. Nylon, rubber and propionate are popular because they hold their shape, do not become brittle in the cold, and tend not to injure the face if you should fall or impact an object while traveling at high speed.
Two tints are especially good for enhancing vision during skiing: yellow-orange and rose. Both of these tints help the skier see shapes, objects and bumps in the snow more clearly because they help block out blue, or hazy, colors that are common in snow condition. Often, these lens tints are called "blue blockers" because of this blocking ability.
Most ski goggles have a yellow tint. Yellow allows good light transmission?about 70 percent?while increasing contrast. But sometimes even that isn't good enough. So lots of goggle makers also offer reddish or "persimmon" lenses. These increase the contrast even more in low and flat light, helping you see previously unseen variations in the terrain.
Look for anti-fogging lenses and large vents. These are important characteristics for safety and good vision. Choose double anti-fogging lenses for the best anti-fogging results, and make sure the goggles have large vents to help reduce condensation on the inside of the lenses.
Scratch resistant coatings are also a must for ski goggles, because they can take a lot of punishment on the slopes, especially if you tend to fall a lot. Ask if the lenses have a scratch resistant coating before you buy.
Polarized lenses are another popular choice in ski goggles. A polarized lens filters out glare and reflected light, eliminating most of the "bounce-back" of sunshine off snow and ice that is bothersome to skiers on the slopes. Polarized lenses are available in traditional sun shades such as gray and brown, as well as in the yellow or rose tones that combine better contrast with glare reduction to afford you optimum visual acuity.