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Eyewear Essentials

man in a red jacket holding volkl skis over his shoulder and wearing giro goggles and helmet

Eyewear Essentials

With a plethora of features and choices, selecting eyewear for skiing can be difficult. This quick guide should help you sort through the selection and find the right eyewear for your needs.

Goggles

woman wearing a teal Smith Helmet and teal Smith goggles changing out her goggle lens

Interchangeable Lens Goggles

Many goggle frames feature a quick change lens system and extra lenses. The actual mechanism by which the lens can be swapped out varies from model to model but is generally quick to do on the fly through newer magnet technology. If you buy goggles with this feature, you can be sure to always have the optimal lens for the weather and lighting conditions and will never be caught unprepared if the weather changes. A lighter tint will give you much better visibility on those stormy or flat-light days at the mountain.

Woman smiling in a black Smith and The North Face Helmet and red Smith Goggles

Tint-Adjusting Lens Goggles

Some goggles take the interchangeable lens concept one step further and feature photochromic lenses which actively change their tint based on the current lighting conditions. This technology has been available in prescription eyeglasses for quite a while, but is a relatively new concept in ski goggles. With photochromic lenses you can be sure to always have appropriate sun protection without the hassle of having to stop and change your goggle lens.

black Smith goggles with perscription glasses set inside the lens

OTG Goggles

If you've got prescription glasses but don't want to spend tons of money on perscription goggles, OTG goggles are the perfect solution. OTG stands for Over The Glasses. This type of goggle is designed with extra room for you to wear your glasses underneath. The extra volume also allows for more fog prevention! We carry several OTG goggles from top brands like Smith and Dragon.

Child wearing an orange Smith helmet and cheetah print Smith goggles

Junior Goggles

When selecting goggles for a child to wear, it is important to get a child-specific pair that will fit their smaller face and integrate well with their helmet. In most respects, kids goggles are much like adult goggles but they tend to be less expensive since the kids will out grow them eventually. In addition, kids goggles often come in a bunch of really fun colors to suit your child's style preferences.

Sunglasses

woman in an orange jacket catching snowflakes on her tongue wearing white smith wrap around sunglasses

Wrap Around Sunglasses

If you want the wind blocking benefits of goggles with the reduced warmth of sunglasses, a full wrap around, cycling style pair of sunglasses might be the answer. In some cases, you can even get features like interchangeable or photochromic lenses for different light conditions.

man wearing blue polarized smith sunglasses with his black north face ski clothing

Polarized Lens Sunglasses

Polarized lenses have limited usefulness when it comes to most skiing conditions, but they can be especially useful on bright spring days as they will reduce the glare of the sunlight reflected off the snow. Blocking more of the reflected light can decrease eye fatigue and increase contrast when looking at snow covered ground so you can better perceive obstacles.