A Deep Dive into Ski and Snowboard Goggles

Having clear vision all day long in all light conditions is critical to a safe day on your skis or snowboard.Being able to see the terrain in front of you in the glare of bright sunshine or on cloudy days with low or flat light can keep you on your feet, instead of face planting. Flat light in particular is especially hard to ski in, so having the right goggles that help add definition to the snow in front of you can literally make or break your day on the slopes!  

In this article we’re going to look at what goes into the huge range of top brand goggles we have at Outside Sports snow sports stores at Queenstown, Wanaka, and Tekapo - and online.

First why do you should wear goggles and not just your trusty sunglasses?  

There are several reasons why goggles are a much, much better bet for you in most conditions.  

• Keep you face warmer 

• Keep cold air out of your eyes, which could otherwise make them tear up. 

• More secure in a crash. Glasses tend to fly off when you fall and are a mission to wipe completely clean of snow. 

• Keep out snow glarefrom the sides 

• Keep the snow out when you’re skiing when it’s snowing 

• Quality goggles don’t fog up if you get hot 

• Sunglasses are completely unsuitable for night skiing under lights at Coronet Peak 

So with that out of the way let’s take a deep dive into snow goggles. The first thing we need to talk about is VLT or Visible Light Transmission. 

VLT is the amount of light a goggle lens allows to pass throughand is expressed as a percentage between 0% and 100%. The lower the VLT means the less light that the lens will let through. Conversely the higher the VLT the more light will come through. In other words, if it’s a bright sunny day you want to use a low VLT lens, and if it’s gloomy or at night you’ll be better off with a high VLT lens. 

Visible Light Transmission is determinedusing a photometer, which is a device that measures the intensity of visible light before and after it passes through a lens.  

VLT 43% - 80%  - Lightly tinted for dull overcast and foggy days. 

VLT 18% - 43%  - Medium tint for variable light conditions. A reasonable compromise option. 

VLT 8% - 18% - Dark tint for bright sun 

VLT 0% - 8% - Very dark for intensely bright sunlight on glaciers and high mountains. 

You’ll be able to see the VLT value of goggles on the box in the shop or in the description at our online store. 

In the past skiers and boarders would mostly just pick a goggle and run with it, regardless of the light conditions – meaning that unless the day suited their goggles perfectly, they weren’t seeing the snow as well as they could be. Now how there are a couple of simple options that mean you can easily change your lens to match the light. 

Some googles like the Sweet Protection Connor Rig Reflect BLi give you the option of getting two lenses with one frame, letting you easily switch between lenses depending on the light. The orange one below is for bright conditions, and the pink is for low light and night skiing.

Some interchangeable goggles use a snap 'in and out' lens swap system and others have a magnetic system. 

The same photochromatic technology which has been available in sunglasses for years has now made it to snow googles. This is a brilliant advancement in the technology because one goggle can do it all. Photochromatic lenses are a premium option, but might be worth it if you ski a lot and like to get out in a range of conditions. 

Googles are available in a range of reflective colours across the VLT spectrum.  

Dark or mirrored lenses like platinum, grey, black and red are best for days when the sun is bright and unfiltered by cloud. Usually they have a lower VLT of 25% or less. Softer colours like rose, yellow and gold increase contrast in overcast, low-light situations. They typically have a higher VLT of about 50%. For all-purpose use red, blue and green tints cover a range of conditions, from partly cloudy to partly sunny. 

Clear lenses with VLT of up to 100% are great for night skiing when you want to let the all the available light through, but still want to protect your eyes.

There are two basic lens shapes. Cylindrical and Spherical.

A cylindrical lens is flat about its vertical plane and curved when viewed from above.

A convex spherical lens is rounded like a portion of a ball. It’s really a matter of personal preference, but some people say that the spherical lens gives them better peripheral vision – especially downwards. 

All goggle brands we have at Outside Sports (with the exception of Dragon) also make snow helmets. An integrated goggle will fit snugly against the rim of the helmet with no gaps along its top edge. Overall the feeling is of a more cohesive unit – but in most cases any goggle with work pretty well with any helmet. What’s most important is you get what works best for you regardless of the brand. You see plenty of people mixing and matching goggles and helmets on the slopes with no worries at all. 

Straps are pretty much straps – but the best straps have little silicon strips on the inside which help hold them in place on your helmet. It’s a small thing, but it does make a difference. No one likes their goggle strap pinging off at the wrong moment.