Goggles are one of the most significant ski & snowboard kit types. Any skier or snowboarder can assure you that a day can be ruined if they do not have proper goggles. Both ski and snowboard goggles will provide some important wind and cold assurance. Still, there are some primary features to consider beyond the basics, such as lens style, lens colour/tint, interchangeable lenses, frame size and fit.
To find an ideal solution for you, let’s take a look at various parts and features for both ski & snowboard goggles:
1. Lens Shape: Normally, lenses are either flat or spherical. However, some manufacturers use proprietary terminology to represent these two specific shapes on their websites.
a. Cylindrical Lenses: These lenses curve horizontally, despite staying flat vertically. Cylindrical-lensed goggles perform efficiently and come at a lower price.
b. Spherical Lenses: With these lenses, the face is curved from both horizontally and vertically. Curved spherical lenses give enhanced periphery visibility, less distortion and less glare, but are higher in price.
2. Goggles Ventilation: Whenever your body temperature’s warm air contacts by outside’s temperature cold air, condensation can form. As a result, your vision can be affected. Goggles use an array of approaches to refrain from fogging.
a. Double-Layered Lenses: For all intents and purposes, double-layered lenses are used on all goggles as they don’t fog as easily as single-layered fogging. When properly sealed, they can generate a thermal barrier that is more impervious to fogging.
b. Anti-Fog Coating: Anti-fog coatings are designed for nearly all mid-level to very high-quality goggle lenses to avoid fogging. In fact, you can use anti-fog products on lower-end goggles without even a coating or on old goggles that have begun to fog, anti-fog.
c. Vents: To control fogging, your PRESCRIPTION SNOWBOARD GOGGLES’ top, sides and lower part are the main areas. By and large, more extensive vents make ventilating airflow advantageous to smaller venting holes. The result can be that your face can get cold, especially in outrageous atmospheres.
d. Fans: In order to assist disperse moisture, a few high spec goggles utilize small, battery-operated fans. It doesn’t matter if you stay in a lift line, ride the gondola or head down the hill, you can modify fans with different settings.
3. Visual Light Transmission: Visible Light Transmission, also known as VLT, allows a certain amount of light to pass through a goggle lens. VLT is measured as the ratio of light through the lens that can fall between 0% and 100% everywhere.
In low light, low visibility scenarios such as snowing, foggy, or when the light is flat, there are different lenses built to provide the best performance. Yellow, rose, and blue, are some of the primary colours for low light lenses. The VLT for skiing and snowboarding ranges from 60 % to 90% for the flat light.
Whereas, on sunny days, where it is all about holding the light out, other lenses perform better. These lenses come in dark colours such as black, grey, and gold since they are designed and mirrored with a lower VLT percentage (5% to 20%).
PrescriptionSkiGoggles
4. Additional Lenses Features: There are various key factors to keep in mind to select a perfect ski or snowboard goggles, such as:
a. UV Protection: Currently, 100% UV protection is provided by any virtual goggle commercially available. Three kinds of UV rays are available – UVA, UVB, and UVC.
b. Polarized Lenses: A polarizing filter’s primary purpose is to eliminate glare from direct sunlight, snow, or water.
c. Photochromic Lenses: These lenses adjust their tint level automatically as per situations and UV intensity. If more sun and UV rays appear, the lenses become darker. No matter how bright the light is, it’s lighter if it’s snowing or overcast and stays light.
d. Mirrored Lenses: These lenses have partial or full lens coating outwardly of the external lens. They mirror more light and permit less light.
e. Interchangeable Lenses: These lenses enable you to switch out various coloured lenses quickly to suit changing light conditions.
f. Digital Display: Here, we’re talking about advanced technology paired with GPS & Bluetooth to display real-time navigation, results, and smartphone data inside the goggles.
5. Frames & Fits: Always keep in mind that your goggles have to suit your face perfectly. There are specific goggle models that provide the best fitting for small or large faces. The largest proportion of frames is usually made of polyurethane since it enables for some flexibility. Also, there are other fit considerations to note down:
a. Helmet Compatibility: To ensure a comfortable fit, it’s a smart idea to utilize new goggles with a helmet.
b. Strap Adjustment: To make adjustments, there are many goggles which come with a single sliding clip. In comparison, some have an open/close buckle on either side with sliding clips.
c. Padding: The pad prevents your face from squeezing. To pad your face, the foam should be sufficiently thick and not be thick to the point that it allows fogging. Whereas, in exclusive goggles, 2 or 3 layers of thin padding can be utilized to boost venting.
d. Over the Glass Styles: Search for OTG style (Over the Glass) goggles If you wear prescription glasses. OTG style goggles are designed to go over your glasses. These have space for glasses to oblige while trying to dodge pressure all over from the temples and nosepiece.
However, going for Prescription Ski Goggles will ensure your vision is intact with a single piece of glass. Moreover, it will enable you to have a weightless vision.
Wrap Up:
We hope this guide will assist you in finding the right ski/snowboard goggles. Remember, do your research before you buy, and decide what you want so that you get goggles that do the best possible job.