Ski Goggles are one of the most essential pieces of your ski gear. They provide the ability to differentiate snow forms, keep snow and wind out of your eyes, and most importantly, protect your eyes from harmful UV rays that bounce around on snow. Any good snow goggles will provide adequate UV protection, what makes a pair of goggles great is ease of use and performance.
Fitting a Pair of Goggles
One of the most important things to look for in a pair of goggles is fit. There are no facial measurements that dictate whether a Small, Medium or Large goggle size will work. Its something that is often instinctively known or worked out through trial and error. We typically aim to fit people with the largest goggle their face shape can allow as it allows for maximum range of vision.
| Frame Size | Description | Helmet Compatibility |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Low Profile Goggles to suit smaller faces | Limited to Kids, Small or Small/Medium Helmets |
| Medium | Medium sized goggles providing good field of vision & fitting most face sizes | Great |
| Large | Massive goggles aimed at providing maximum field of vision | Limited to Large or X Large Helmets |
When trying on a pair of goggles for the first time, hold them up to your face with a little bit of pressure and check that the foam is in contact with your face all the way around. The aim is to have them feeling secure but gentle. How tight the strap is has a huge effect on the pressure the goggles exert on your face, so if they feel too tight, loosen it off a little.
For one reason or another, traditional goggle shapes don’t agree with the stereotypical face shape of Asian skiers. To counter this, goggle companies add an extra layer of padding around the nose area in ‘Asian Fit’ or 'Low Bridge' models. This often minimises any gap between the foam and the face that can lead to increased airflow through the goggles.
Goggle Features
The Main features to look out for when purchasing goggles are Lens Technology and Quality, Number of Lenses, and Lens Interchangability.
Most Brands have a proprietary lens technology, Oakley Prizm, Smith Chromapop, Anon Perceive etc. These all function slightly differently but aim to improve the quality and clarity of your vision out on the hill. The development of these lenses have improved the overall quality of goggles massively compared to goggles of yesteryear.
The Quality of each lens can be hard to define, but it is often dramatic between low and high end goggles. In many cases you get what you pay for here, the more expensive goggles will likely come with nicer features, multiple lenses and better interchange systems, but also much more premium lenses that will last longer and be more resistant to fogging and scratches.
Our favourite goggles here in the store all come with multiple lenses and rapid fire lens interchange systems that allow for near instantaneous lens change. Having the wrong lens for a sunny or low light day can sap the enjoyment of skiing.
Many of the high end, fast interchange systems use magnets, or a combination of magnets and manual locking mechanisms. This allows for auto aligning of the lens and rock solid connections.
Anon deserve a specific call out for how quick and easy the interchange system is on their Magna tech goggles (M3, M4 etc.) These goggles pioneered the Magnetic interchange revolution and are still the fastest option on the market.
