Ski Goggles Buying Guide

Often have less volume over the bridge of the nose to reduce excess space for snow and wind to enter. The frame will also be a little smaller than a standard-sized adult goggle.

Are less bulky and fit closer to the face. They are usually simplified to reduce the cost and keep them robust.

Designed for people who wear glasses and will be a bit deeper allowing more space in front of the eyes to prevent glasses from being pushed onto the face. They will have a cutaway at the side of the frame so the arms can fit under the foam and plenty of venting to reduce glasses steaming up.

Modern technologies have allowed lenses to be shaped both vertically and horizontally creating a spherical lens. The spherical lens produces better optical clarity as it is shaped like the human eye so will allow for less distortion and a better field of view.

Recently there has been an increase in the use of toric shaped lenses. These are like spherical lenses but use a tighter horizontal curve, opening the lens for maximum peripheral vision to each side. Depending on the design, toric lenses may use a flatter vertical curve, but this varies between brands.

All but our very basic junior goggles use a double-layered lens. Made of two separate lenses with a rubber or silicone seal to separate them. The double-layer acts like double glazing in a house, trapping heat and reducing the goggles fogging up, especially when combined with an anti-fog treatment.

A good lens will be moulded and fused into shape rather than being a flat piece of material flexed around the frame. A poor-quality lens will feel flimsy and distort under stress, affecting the clarity of vision for the user. They may only have a single-layer lens with little anti-fog treatment or any coating to reduce glare from the sun.

Several goggle brands have been developing their own speciality lenses in recent years to give users increased protection and better vision. Oakley led the way with their Prizm lenses which have been engineered to enhance visibility and contrast. It works over a wider range of light conditions than traditional lenses, making them more versatile. Prizm works by splitting light into all its different colour spectrums then enhancing those needed to see in these conditions and filtering out the others. The wearer is left with enhanced vision and crisp detailing. Dragon have introduced their Lumalens technology and Smith have ChromaPop, which both work to enhance visibility and provide greater depth perception whilst skiing.

Certain goggles come with two lenses as part of a package, this allows the user to tune their goggles depending on conditions. One lens is normally best suited for when it's bright and the other for flat light and darker conditions. Changing them is quite easy after a little practice and some frames will even use a quick-change lens system.