Best Ski Goggles Reviewed

by Simon Naylor | Updated: July 28th, 2023 |  Recommended Gear

Ski goggles are an essential part of a skiers kit. They protect your eyes from the elements, keep your face warm, and drastically improve your visibility.

Choosing the right ski goggle for you can be a minefield of options and price points. In this guide, I've broken down the most important things to know from lens size to tint, and reviewed the absolute best ski goggles that you can buy this season.  

Top 7 Best Ski Goggles Reviewed (2022)

1. Oakley Men’s Airbrake XL
2. Smith Optics I/OX Goggles
3. Julbo Skydome Photochromic (Best Photochromic Lenses)
4. Oakley O-Frame MX  (Best Night Ski Goggles)
5. Copozz G1 OTG (Best OTG Ski Goggles)
6. Smith Women Drift (Best Women’s Ski Goggles)
7. Anon Kids Fit Tracker Ski Goggle (Best Kids Ski Goggles)

1. Oakley Men's Airbrake XL

Awesome Features Worth Mentioning:

• Prizm® technology for sharp contrast and crystal clear detail
• 12 lens tint options for sharp vision across a range of light conditions
• Dual vented lens for maximum ventilation which limits the water vapor from condensing
• Comes with x2 lenses: Prizm HI Pink bonus lens

Downsides:

• Not all lenses in stock (at the time of writing)

Where to Buy: Check Price on Amazon

2. Smith Optics I/OX Goggles

Awesome Features Worth Mentioning:

• The latest in Chromaopop tech that rivals Prizm
• A large lens without being too oversized
• Warm, moisture-wicking face foam
• Interchangeable lenses for more options
• Lens coating has a very good anti-fog coating

Downsides:

• Not the easiest lens change system

Where to Buy: Check Price on Amazon

3. Julbo Skydome Photochromic

Best Photochromic Lenses

Awesome Features Worth Mentioning:

• Advanced REACTIV photochromic lens technology
• Excellent contrast in all light conditions
• Backed by Julbos Lifetime warranty
• Wide spherical lenses for a panoramic view

Downsides:

• Large spherical size is not for smaller faces.

These are photochromic lenses which means the lens darkens and lightens depending on real-time depending on weather. Meaning you can ski from shade to sun and your goggles will adapt within minutes. Julbo has been building quality gear for 125 years so while their goggles are not cheap, the performance sets a high bar.

All Julbo ski goggles on this list come with a full lifetime warranty. The Julbo Skydome are large spherical lenses with a wide panoramic view in all directions. It comes with REACTIV lenses in five tint options. The tints are gradients colors for optimum contrast across a range of conditions. The Chameleon lens block out the most light and ranges across 15% VLT from 5-20 making it ideal for brighter conditions. 

The Cameleon lens is made of NXT material, which has the clarity of glass and the durability of an anti-ballistic material. The Zebra Light red options are the most versatile and darken and lighten across a range of 60% – ideal for low light whiteout conditions and bright sunny days.

You can ski from dawn till dusk and see clearly through the red tint which improves contrast. The lenses have exceptional anti-fog capabilities and an external hydrophobic layer stops watermarks or smudges from fingers or snowfall. The lenses are well-padded and comfortable to wear all day – using two layers of foam.

Where to Buy: Check Price on Amazon

4. Oakley O-Frame MX 

Best Night Ski Goggles

Awesome Features Worth Mentioning:

• Clear lens with 7% light blocking perfectly for night skiing.
• Lightweight medium size Oakley frame.
• Triple-layer face foam for a comfortable fit.

Downsides:

• Medium size frame may cause a goggle gap for larger faces

These clear Oakley lenses are perfect for night skiing. They have a comfortable face foam that will wick away sweat and keep your face warm. The lenses have a medium fit but will fit small spectacles beneath them if you’re a glasses wearer.

Many reviewers note the goggles' ability to prevent fogging. Even though they were originally designed for use on motocross many skiers and snowboarders use these for night skiing.

The best thing about these goggles is that they have interchangeable lenses – which means you can buy day lenses and use the same pair for all your skiing.

The clear lenses have a 93% VLT rating which means they only block out 7% of light – great for blocking out the glare of ski run spotlights, but clear enough to see the slope in dark areas.

Where to Buy: Check Price on Amazon  

5. Copozz G1 OTG

Best OTG Ski Goggles

Awesome Features Worth Mentioning:

• Silicone backed strap
• Italian made lens
• Interchangeable lenses
• Anti-fog & anti-scratch coating

Downsides:

• Some reviewers complain that the goggles are ‘too ventilated’
• Not all lens options are available to buy. (at time of writing)

All-round great goggles that fit glasses of up to 5.5inches wide and 1.65inches tall. These goggles allow the lenses to be easily interchanged which is a great feature if you want optimum vision across a range of different weather conditions (from 10-90% VLT) but don’t want to buy multiple goggles.

Where to buy? Check Price on Amazon

6. Smith Women Drift

Best Women's Ski Goggles

Awesome Features Worth Mentioning:

• Ultra-wide silicon strap – never comes off and distributed pressure
• Anti-fog coating on the inner lens

Downsides:

• This lens color is not ideal for bright sunny days

From well-respected ski brand Smith Optics, comes this sleek medium-fit spherical goggle specifically for the female shape. This Drift model uses an advanced ventilation system and inner lens coatings to reduce the chances of fogging.

The blue sensor lens pictured above has a VLT of 60% and is perfect for overcast, cloudy and whiteout conditions.

Where to Buy: Check Price on Amazon

7. Anon Kids Fit Tracker Ski Goggle

Best Kids Ski Goggles

Awesome Features Worth Mentioning:

• 18+ lens tints and strap color options
• Strong and lightweight frames
• Excellent anti-fog ventilation and lens coatings

Downsides:

• Small fit (great for age 4-14)

The anon kids are one of the most popular kids' ski goggles on the market and for good reason. They’re suitable for all ages from 2-14 years of age and come in an awesome range of colors and graphic prints for boys and girls.

Where to Buy: Check Price on Amazon

Why Are Ski Goggles So Important?

Ski goggles protect your eyes from harmful UV rays, sun glare, and the cold. They provide a full face covering to insulate your face and make it much easier for you to see where you're going, whether you skiing in bright sun or low light.

• UV Protection
• Lens Glare
• More Contrast & Clarity
• Stay Warm
• Protect your eyes

P.S If you're still on the fence, read this first: 6 Major Reasons to Wear Ski Goggles.

Key Things To Know:

Understand VLT

Many goggles on the market combine the tints I’ve mentioned above to create a custom look. This mix of colors is great for creating a distinctive look, a specialized weather goggle, or an improved all-rounder. Everyone has their own preference as to what style of hues they like to see the world through.

Just like an Instagram filter, ski goggles change the colors you see and so it’s important that you choose a color tint that you love. Most skiers opt for an all-rounder, whilst seasoned skiers prefer a different lens for each condition.

Either by buying multiple goggles or a goggle brand that allow interchangeable lenses (some brands allow you to slot in and slot out lenses on the fly). Another option is to opt for a photochromic lens that changes color depending on the amount of light that hits it! read on to find out more.

Ski Goggles Lens Features

UV Protection (Essential)

Unless you’re buying knock-off ski goggles, EVERY new ski goggle sold from a reputable brand will offer 100% UV protection from UVA, UVB, and UVC.

This covers all 3 types of ultraviolet rays – and is extremely important for protecting your eyes. Even in cloudy conditions, plenty of UV rays are present, bouncing off clouds in the sky and straight into your retina. Always wear sunglasses or ski goggles to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays.

Polarized Lenses (nice, but not essential)

A polarized lens is a special type of light filter applied to the lens coating that reduces glare. Looking through a polarized lens gives you a clearer view of the snow in areas where a strong reflection from the sun’s rays is present. Snow is very reflective on bright sunny days and an extra polarized lens filter will allow you to see the contours in the mountain with much greater detail.

Polarized lenses can also increase visual clarity, contrast, and acuity, making your environment more enjoyable. And when you’re able to see better, you may be able to mentally determine what you’re seeing quicker, which can help improve reaction time.

- Good Eyes

Skiing becomes safer as you are able to react to the gradient of the slope ahead of time. A polarized lens is not essential, but it is a feature that would put one goggle ahead of another for me (with all other features equal). 

Polarization does block some visible light so it would not be advisable for night skiing.

Photochromic Lenses (nice, but not essential)

A photochromic lens changes the in tint depending on how bright the outside world is. The more sun and the greater the presence of UV rays the darker the tint becomes.

The less sun and the less UV, the lighter the tint becomes. That way the amount of light that passes through to your eyes changes, depending on bright it is. So you can ski effortlessly from the sun to the shade without a significant change in what you can see. The clever thing about this – is that it all happens automatically without swapping out lenses or manually pressing a button.

I reviewed the best photochromic ski goggles here. 

Mirrored Lenses (not essential)

Mirrored lenses have a coating on the outside that reflects light back. That creates a cool mirrored effect and means that you can only see a reflection if you’re looking at someone wearing a mirrored lens.

Mirrored lenses do block more light, between 10-50% depending on the strength of the coating as compared with equal lenses without a mirrored lens. This is not really a problem, but a benefit – unless you ski in very low-light conditions.

Mirrored lenses don’t create any glare or mirrored effect for the person wearing the goggles. When you look out through a mirrored lens, you see perfectly clearly.

Ski Goggles Lens Shapes

Ski goggles come in two main shapes forms. Each type of lens comes in a variety of sizes for different preferences, price points, and head sizes.

Cylindrical Lenses (not recommended)

These lenses are curved across the contour of your eyes. The lenses have a flatter profile as the curve is only from left to right (horizontal curve0, rather than top to bottom (vertical curve). These lenses are flatter and they are more prone to glare and reduced peripheral vision. They are typically smaller in size and cost less.

Spherical Lenses (recommended)

These lenses are also curved horizontally across your eyes and face but they also have a vertical curve. The 3D cure provides improves peripheral vision and reduces lens glare and distortion. These goggles are typically more expensive because of the extra manufacturing and lens surface required.

The main difference: Spherical lenses have a more curved or 3D profile than Cylindrical lenses.

Ski Goggles Sizes

Ski goggles typically come in three major size categories, that are small, medium, and large.

Small

Designed for young skiers, or adults with smaller faces or head sizes – small ski goggles have a smaller profile, frame, size, and strap. Smaller ski goggles should only warn by people who have a smaller face or who prefer the profile. Small ski goggles will not fit most skiers.

Medium

Medium goggles should fit most people, except children or those with larger heads. Great balance between price, visibility, and aesthetic design.  Recommend for most

Large or Oversize

Designed for maximum visibility, larger frames provide a greater field of view and are suitable for most adult skiers. Not everyone fits oversized goggles and some helmets will not be compatible with the shape. The larger goggles make you look more like a bug, people either love or hate this aesthetic.

The wider and longer shape means that your horizontal and vertical fields of view are larger – extending your peripheral view further. This greater field of view can make skiing more fun and safe as hazards are not obscured as easily by the frame – as on some smaller versions.

Over The Glasses (Prescription Eyewear)

You can buy OTG (over the glasses) which are specially designed ski goggles that allow you to wear your usual prescriptive eyewear. OTG goggles are deeper than regular ones and have room for your spectacles to sit beneath.

They have special channels on either side that allow the spectacle arms to slide into the goggle and stay firmly set.  They are designed so that your spectacles do not wiggle about while you skiing.

If you’d like to know more, I wrote a whole article on the challenges and solutions to skiing with glasses. 

Avoid the ‘Goggle Gap’

I have a bit of this in my bio picture, you can see that my goggles are not 100% fitted to the lip of my helmet. Now a bit of gap is completely fine and not a problem.

If you have a larger gap and you’re skiing in very cold temperatures – then it can cause your forehead to get cold – so it’s one thing to look out for. This can be avoided by buying ski goggles and a helmet from the same manufacturer (check with them first to see if they are compatible.)

Anti-Fog Ski Goggles

There are a number of methods that ski goggles use to reduce or eliminate fogging. Condensation happens when cold air from the outside mountain air meets the warmth of your body heat.

This can cause your goggles to fog and block your vision – which can be both annoying and dangerous. Here are the key essential features you should look for in anti-fog goggles:

• Ventilation: is a key factor in reducing fogging. Small holes in the foam at the top of the goggles and slits along the side are the most common places for vents

• Double-layered lenses: are now industry standard for almost all goggles. The double lens layer creates a thermal barrier and is a powerful anti-fog mechanism.

• Anti-fog coatings: This is found on all mid to high-end goggles. Manufacturers use a special film that eliminates condensation at a much faster rate. Cheaper goggles often have poor quality or no anti-fog coatings and can quickly become a useless purchase.

• Main takeaway: invest in goggles with high-end anti-fog, there’s nothing more annoying than having to wipe your goggles to see properly on the mountain.

How To Avoid Fogging:

• Invest in a decent pair of anti-fog goggles!
• Remove any snow built up that may be blocking the vents.
• Don’t wipe the lens with your glove as this can scratch your lens and smudge water droplets.
• Place fogged goggles in a dry pocket in your jacket. The heat will reduce the build-up of condensation.
• Don’t put your fingers directly on the lenses, always move your goggles on and off by holding the frame.
• Store your goggles in your jacket or soft cloth pouch rather than on your forehead during breaks. (putting them on your helmet is fine).

P.S Read my full guide to stop your goggles fogging.

The Perfect Ski Goggle Fit

Your ski goggle should be firmly on your eyes, and not move when you wiggle or move your head. You shouldn’t feel any pressure or squeeze against your face. Ideally, after a few minutes of skiing, you should forget that you’re even wearing them.

They should be so comfortable on your face and provide the perfect amount of vision, that it's a shock when you take them off during your break and realize how white and bright the outside world is!

Goggle Fit Problems

Here are the main reasons goggles can become uncomfortable and exactly how to fix the problem:

1. Outer Eye Socket Pressure

This is most common when the goggles are too narrow for the size of your head and the edges do not overlap enough. If you feel the edges of your goggles digging into or touching to close to your eye sockets, then you need a new pair that has a wider frame.

2. Pinching Of Your Nose Bridge

If you feel your goggle weight resting too much on your nose, then you are wearing your goggles too far down your face. Try tightening the strap for a tight fit and push them higher up your face. If this doesn’t solve it, you’ll need either a smaller pair of goggles or one with a different v-shape contour

3. Pinching Your Forehead

If the goggle is too tight on your forehead try loosening off the strap to relieve the tension. Otherwise, you’ll need a larger or wider pair of goggles that fit your face shape better.

4. The Gap On The Bridge Of Your Nose

If there is a noticeable gap to the outside near your nose area, then try losing the strap so the goggle moves down your face. If this doesn’t solve it you’ll need a goggle with a different shape.

5. Face Foam

The goggles should sit comfortably on your skin and the fast foam should be gently cupped to your face. Too much pressure will leave red marks and hurt your face over longer periods on the slope. Too loose and your goggles will move while skiing and you’ll feel the cold on your face.

Tighten the strap till it's snug but not too firm. Replace your goggles if your foam does not fit properly or has disintegrated because of age.

6. Head Strap

A quality head-strap is important for a comfortable, movement-free fit. Look for a goggle with elasticated straps that have a silicone line for a firmer grip. The silicone prevents the headband from sliding. Wearing a goggle with a helmet and strapping it into place, makes for an even more secure fit.

How To Care For Your Goggles

Ski goggles are an expensive investment and it’s worth keeping them in good nick, so they're with you for many seasons to go.

Top Tips For Keeping Your Goggles In Good Nick

1. Store your goggle in a soft cloth bag that you received when you purchased them.
2. Use a soft cloth or anti-fog cloth to blot the lens dry. Don’t wipe the lens as it can cause damage – especially if there are any dirt particles on the cloth or lens.
3. Take your goggles out of their protective sheaf to dry and air out at home or in your hotel room.
4. Don’t leave your goggles out in the sun or your car’s dashboard to dry. I know they’re designed for the sun but excessive exposure to UV will reduce their lifespan.
5. Keep them at the top of your bag and don’t rest any weight on them. They can handle some flex, but too much and: the shape will be distorted, the lens may be scratched and the frame can be weakened.
6. Strap the goggles into your helmet using the back strap clasp, so they don’t fly off during a fall or a fast head movement.
7. Don’t touch the lenses with your fingers.
8. Don’t spray your goggles with any cleaning solution or anti-fog spray without first consulting the manufactures website. Harsh chemicals or anti-fog sprays can degrade the UV, mirrored, or photochromic filters and ruin your expensive lens.

Prescription Lenses

For those who usually wear prescriptive eyeglasses, there are three options for you.

Option #1

You can either buy goggles that have an added prescription lens inserted. Prices for this range from at least $50+ / €50+ on top of the cost of normal goggles.

Option #2

You can buy OTG (over the glasses) that allow you to wear your usual prescriptive eyewear beneath the goggles. OTGs are on the whole comfortable but there can be issues with fogging and movement if the size and shape of your spectacles don’t match up with the goggles. 

Option #3

Wear single-use contact lenses beneath normal ski goggles.

Quick summary: Prescription inserts are a great option. OTG goggles are a more affordable option but tend to fog a bit more. Many skiers prefer contact lenses.

I run through all of these options in great depth on my free guide: Skiing With Glasses: The Ultimate Guide.

Advanced Features

Built-in-display: some expensive & advanced models of goggles have built-in displays that project onto the visor to show you; your location, altitude, speed, and ski distance. They are usually built into the helmet and come as a helmet/goggle combo.

Is There A Difference Between Ski and Snowboard Goggles?

Nope!

Final Thoughts.

Now that you are armed with a hit list of all the features to look out for and you know what style of tint and frame you’re after, narrowing down your choice of eyewear is going to be that bit easier.

Pay what you can afford and invest in a better pair to save on replacement costs and benefit from greater vision, longevity, and comfort. Good luck and happy skiing.

About Us

Hello, I'm Simon & I love skiing. I started skiing in 2007 and I founded this website to help new skiers learn everything there is to know about skiing. NewToSki.com has grown to be a trusted resource for over a million skiers to plan their ski trips each year and learn more about every aspect of skiing. Be sure to join my email list for the best tips and handpicked deals each week.