If you’re getting ready for ski season, you know that ski goggles are a must. Choosing the right ones can be overwhelming, so we have broken down the process to help you enhance your experience on the slopes while staying safe and enjoying the best possible vision.
Where Do I Start?
For maximum safety, choose polycarbonate ski goggles which are scratch resistant and made from the strongest material available. Next, cylindrical (curved) lenses are always a better choice than flat lenses because you will have better peripheral vision, glare reduction, and less distortion of your view. Cylindrical lenses also reduce fogging because they provide better insulation and air flow. Opt for polarized lenses if you will be in bright sunlight, but not if you will be skiing in low light. Always go for UV protection, as the air is thinner at high altitudes and blocks less UV light. Lastly, double lenses will fog less than single lenses.
What Color Lenses Should I Get?
The conditions you will be skiing in the most will determine the best color for your lenses. If you will be in snowy, foggy or low light, then yellow is your best option. Yellow lenses will let in between 60-90% of the sunlight around you, which is measured by a standard called VLT, or Visible Light Transmission. If you are skiing in a place like Colorado where the sunlight is stronger, then grey is a good choice with a lower VLT, to keep more light out. Of course, if you are skiing at night, clear goggles are the only way to go. If you want to make a fashion statement with variants on these basic colors this should help:
- Orange is good for partly cloudy or sunny days
- Bronze increases contrast and depth perception
- Red works for medium to bright light, and increases color definition with sharper perception
- Violet is best for low to moderate light, and enhances detail to better see potential hazards such as ice patches, or bumps
- Green provides contrast for better depth perception, reduces eye fatigue on sunny days, and increases definition in lower light. Green is a good choice if you tend to ski in many different levels of sunlight
- Lastly, there is the option of using photochromatic lenses which change according to the light levels around you
Can’t decide? There are also ski goggles with interchangeable lenses so that you can ski from the morning into the evening.
Do I Have to Sacrifice Fashion?
Absolutely not! These options are available from the trendiest makers such as Oakley, WileyX, Adidas and Zeal Optics.