The Greatest Ski Goggles of 2024

How We Tested Ski Goggles

Our team of ski gear testers has more than 60 years of combined experience on the slopes. We remember the days of garbage goggles that would fog in the slightest snowstorm (aka the 1980s) and really appreciate the incredible capability of modern goggles.

For this review, we’ve tested dozens of pairs of goggles over more than 10 years. Our latest team outing included a full week at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, where we skied for a full week and tested goggles back-to-back. And as snow goggle technology advances, so does this article. We update this article multiple times each year. Thus, you will find the latest information when it’s time to invest in a new pair of snow shades.

GearJunkie Senior Editor Morgan Tilton specializes in the snowsports category and has lived in the high-altitude Rockies of Colorado for more than 3 decades, where she grew up, learned to ski, snowboard, snowmobile, shovel unbelievable amounts, and still lives today. While she works with countless gear testers, Tilton also field tests between time at the desk. To date in 2024, she has tested ski goggles for 175 hours of recreation from the ski area to the backcountry and from blizzards to bluebird days.

When we test goggles, we consider the overall fit, field of vision, comfort, shape, lens quality and clarity, light transmission, and size as well as the adjustability of the lens and strap.

We also examine the technology of the lens including ventilation, scratch and impact resistance, hydrophobic and antifog treatments, light adaptivity (also known as photochromic lenses), and polarized glare protection.

In addition to our field tests, we consider the most sustainable, innovative, legacy, popular, and award-winning products on the shelf today. This collection of ski goggles includes a broad range of options to fit a variety of budgets, skiers, and needs.

Buyers Guide: How to Choose Ski Goggles

The lens is the most critical piece of your goggles. Lenses protect your eyes from the harsh sun, stinging wind, and flying objects.

One of our testers once planted a pole into a tree and then skied into the other end of their pole right between the eyes. Their Julbo Aerospace Snow Goggles protected their head and eyes. It hurt, and nearly knocked them out, but it would have been a lot worse without them.

With so many goggles on the market, how’s a skier, rider, or sledder to choose? Hold on tight as we run through a few key elements of snow goggle selection.

Parts of Ski Goggles

Ski goggles are basic yet complex. You’ll find a lens, frame, strap, and foam all sandwiched together for these empowering spectacles.

Lens

Protecting your eyes is the lens, which is made from a shatter-resistant and transparent polycarbonate material. The lens can be coated with scratch-resistant, anti-fog or hydrophilic, and oleophobic or smudge-resistant treatments on the exterior and interior. Nearly all snow goggles are double-layered with a seal, so the internal gap maintains a temperature that prevents getting fogged up, like double-pane windows.

Frame

A durable, pliable plastic makes up the frame around the lens. Silhouettes come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes including small, women’s specific (which are scaled-down and smaller), and lower bridge styles, which fit faces with lower nose bridges or a wide or high cheekbone shape. Low bridge fits can also be referred to by the snow goggles industry as Alternative or “Alt” fit, Asian fit, or Universal fit.

Strap

Holding the goggles around your helmet or head is a wide elastic band. Some designs have silicone strips or dots that help the strap stay put.

The band is typically fixed to either side of the goggle though can be removed and exchanged.

With typically two plastic slider buckles, the band can be extended or tightened to your preferred circumference — this is a really quick, easy process.

Certain strap designs are continuous and completely enclosed while others have a releasable plastic clip halfway through the circumference.

Padding

Inside the frame is a layer of foam padding that provides comfort, seals out wind, allows airflow to help prevent fogging, and even absorbs sweat or moisture from snowfall — or a tomahawk.

Fit

This should be a top consideration for ski goggles. If you wear a helmet, definitely try on the goggles with your helmet on. You don’t want a significant gap between the helmet and goggles, or you’ll get cold air blasting your forehead. The helmet should form a close fit with the goggles all the way across the face with no gaps.

Also, make sure the goggles fit your face well and aren’t too big or small for comfort. It’s really best to try on a few models to make sure you’re happy with the fit, both to your face and your helmet.

Finally, ensure the strap is long enough to fit around your helmet and face without too much pressure.

Lens and Light Transmission

What does “VLT” mean? Goggles use the measure, called “visible light transmission,” to identify and categorize lenses. VLT is the percentage of visible light the lenses allow to pass through based on the lens color or tint, thickness, coatings, and material of the construction. The higher the number, the more light gets through the lens.

The best lenses for sunny days have a VLT between about 5% and 20%. For low-light conditions, look for lenses with a VLT between 60% and 90%.

Goggle categories are labeled by each brand for various weather conditions to help skiers choose the best one as their daily driver.

Many lenses are available across the categories 1-4, with 1 being nearly clear for very low light and 4 being super dark for very bright sunshine.

• Category 1: Nearly clear for very low light
• Category 2: Approximately 43% to 18% of light passes through the lens
• Category 3: Close to 8% to 18% of light passes through the lens, making it suitable for use in sunny conditions
• Category 4: Super dark for very bright sunshine

Most goggles fall in the 2-3 category, with many photochromatic models offering a range from 1 to 3. Few models come in 4, which is intended for only the brightest snow conditions.

Tint and Color

While color may seem like a stylistic choice, the tint or color of a lens influences the VLT. Each tone filters the incoming color and light in a different way.

You’ll often see that lighter-toned and more transparent lenses, which allow in more environmental lights, are colored yellow or rose. Darker lenses angle toward brown, gray, or copper. Try a few on and see what you like, and try to look into daylight when evaluating the color.

• Bright, sunny: Black, dark gray, dark red, brown, platinum and mirrored lenses
• Partly cloudy: Blue, green, medium red, violet, medium gray
• Overcast, low-light: Yellow, gold, copper, amber, orange, rose, light red
• Night: Transparent/clear

Often, the frame and the band are available in various colors, too.

Shape

When evaluating lenses, consider the shape. Most are cylindrical or spherical:

• Cylindrical lenses curve in a flat plane across your face. This means the lens is flat in the vertical plane. These lenses work well but offer less field of view than most spherical lenses and tend to have slightly more glare. They’re usually the less expensive choice.
• Spherical lenses have three dimensions of curve and look a bit like a cross-section of a sphere. They cost more to manufacture and therefore have a higher price on the shelves. But for the money, you get a better field of view, less glare, and less distortion.

Photochromatic

A photochromatic lens is super helpful for variable light conditions. The lens automatically adjusts its level of tint based on the amount and intensity of the current light exposure. If it’s cloudy, stormy, or you’re weaving in and out of the glades, photochromatic technology is an asset.

Polarized

Polarized lenses are treated to help reduce glare, which occurs from sunlight hitting either snow or water. The health benefit of a polarized lens is preventing eye strain and fatigue, which also helps to improve vision.

If a pair has the technology, that goggle is clearly labeled as polarized.

Mirrored

When a snow goggle has a reflective coating on the exterior surface of the outermost lens, the optical effect is called mirrored, which likewise prevents glare. Mirrored lenses also look pretty cool.

The coating can be partially or fully applied, preventing up to 50% less light compared to non-mirrored ski goggles.

Interchangeable Lenses

The majority of modern goggles have interchangeable lenses, which allow you to switch lenses depending on light conditions. Consider if a brand sells replacement lenses, which could be a cheap way to replace goggles that get scratched (which they all do eventually).

Also, consider if the goggles come with a second or third set of lenses for varying light conditions.

If you plan to regularly change lenses, we recommend paying a bit more for a pair with an easy, quick-change design. It makes mid-mountain changes doable and limits the possibility of damaging the goggles.

Traditional and Magnetic Lenses

Traditional interchangeable lenses have a handful of tiny teeth around the edge that pop into and out of divots in the plastic frame. You need to align the divots, which can be a tad time-consuming if you’re not familiar with the process, so be sure to practice at home before being on the ski lift swapping out a lens. You can also get fingerprints on the lens, so carry a goggle wipe to clean up.

Progressive lenses are developed with supplemental magnets that hold the lens to the frame in addition to the plastic connection points or clips that fold or slide across the lens face for security.

Other goggle designs are completely smooth around the edge of the lens and completely depend on magnets like the 100% Norg Goggle, and all of the goggles made by 100%, which feature the strongest magnets we’ve tested to date.

Venting and Features

All ski goggles have some type of venting, and most work pretty well. Consider the foam over vents and if it will ice up or hold moisture on a powder day, as that’s a likely way to get fogged goggles. But be careful: We’ve damaged our foam while removing snow. That stuff isn’t bombproof.

Higher-priced goggles tend to have better foam around the face and over vents.

FAQ

There is no best color for ski goggles because different colors work better in different conditions. In low or flat light conditions (like cloudy days and snowstorms), goggles with rose or amber lenses will help increase contrast the best.

For bright, sunny days, most skiers choose a darker lens and may opt for a gray color, although many will still retain a rose or amber tint. Night skiing requires extreme light transmission, so most skiers will choose a nearly clear lens, possibly with a yellow or rose tint.

Choose lenses with a high VLT for low light. For low-contrast situations, snow goggles with yellow, amber, or rose lenses will help enhance contrast.

For those who want a lens for varied conditions, photochromatic lenses are a great choice. They allow one pair of goggles to meet most needs without having to change lenses.

Spherical and four-dimensional lenses give skiers the biggest field of view, which equates to better vision at the edges of the goggles. They also give the least distortion compared with cheaper cylindrical lenses. Look for goggles that give you the widest field of view while still fitting your helmet well.

A good pair of ski goggles can last for several years with proper care. But as with most optics, the biggest risk is scratching the lens. To avoid scratching, only touch the lens with soft, clean microfiber or cotton material, and be careful when brushing off snow with rough gloves or jackets.

One benefit of interchangeable lenses is you can often buy lenses separately, so you can get replacements if you scratch your lens at a fraction of the cost of a new pair of goggles. Quality frames and foam should last for many days on the mountain!

Modern ski goggles are wonders of technology. Unlike years past, there’s no reason to suffer through fogged optics or obscured vision. And with advanced features like photochromic lenses, contrast-enhancing light filtration, and easy lens interchange, you no longer have to squint or strain to see. Nor do you need to head to the lodge for a lens swap.

Our team has tested dozens of pairs of goggles over the past several winters to bring you our favorites. We break these down into multiple categories to help you choose the best snow goggles for your needs and budget.

Even the best goggles will suck if they don’t fit your face. Be sure to check out our tips on how to buy goggles in our comprehensive buyers guide, or compare models in our comparison chart. And if you have some questions, take a look at our list of frequently asked questions.

Otherwise, read our full gear guide and check out our awarded picks below for the best ski goggles of 2024.

Editor’s Note: We updated our Ski Goggles guide on October 10, 2023, to include nine newly heavily tested, freshly launched products from the 100% Norg to the Bollé Torus Neo, as well as several educational sections including a product breakdown, Parts of Ski Goggles.

The Best Ski Goggles of 2024

Ski Goggles Comparison Chart

Scroll right to view all of the columns: Price, Lenses, Frame Size, Lens Shape.

How We Tested Ski Goggles

Our team of ski gear testers has more than 60 years of combined experience on the slopes. We remember the days of garbage goggles that would fog in the slightest snowstorm (aka the 1980s) and really appreciate the incredible capability of modern goggles.

For this review, we’ve tested dozens of pairs of goggles over more than 10 years. Our latest team outing included a full week at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, where we skied for a full week and tested goggles back-to-back. And as snow goggle technology advances, so does this article. We update this article multiple times each year. Thus, you will find the latest information when it’s time to invest in a new pair of snow shades.

GearJunkie Senior Editor Morgan Tilton specializes in the snowsports category and has lived in the high-altitude Rockies of Colorado for more than 3 decades, where she grew up, learned to ski, snowboard, snowmobile, shovel unbelievable amounts, and still lives today. While she works with countless gear testers, Tilton also field tests between time at the desk. To date in 2023, she has tested ski goggles for 175 hours of recreation from the ski area to the backcountry and from blizzards to bluebird days.

When we test goggles, we consider the overall fit, field of vision, comfort, shape, lens quality and clarity, light transmission, and size as well as the adjustability of the lens and strap.

We also examine the technology of the lens including ventilation, scratch and impact resistance, hydrophobic and antifog treatments, light adaptivity (also known as photochromic lenses), and polarized glare protection.

In addition to our field tests, we consider the most sustainable, innovative, legacy, popular, and award-winning products on the shelf today. This collection of ski goggles includes a broad range of options to fit a variety of budgets, skiers, and needs.

Buyers Guide: How to Choose Ski Goggles

The lens is the most critical piece of your goggles. Lenses protect your eyes from the harsh sun, stinging wind, and flying objects.

One of our testers once planted a pole into a tree and then skied into the other end of their pole right between the eyes. Their Julbo Aerospace Snow Goggles protected their head and eyes. It hurt, and nearly knocked them out, but it would have been a lot worse without them.

With so many goggles on the market, how’s a skier, rider, or sledder to choose? Hold on tight as we run through a few key elements of snow goggle selection.

Parts of Ski Goggles

Ski goggles are basic yet complex. You’ll find a lens, frame, strap, and foam all sandwiched together for these empowering spectacles.

Lens

Protecting your eyes is the lens, which is made from a shatter-resistant and transparent polycarbonate material. The lens can be coated with scratch-resistant, anti-fog or hydrophilic, and oleophobic or smudge-resistant treatments on the exterior and interior. Nearly all snow goggles are double-layered with a seal, so the internal gap maintains a temperature that prevents getting fogged up, like double-pane windows.

Frame

A durable, pliable plastic makes up the frame around the lens. Silhouettes come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes including small, women’s specific (which are scaled-down and smaller), and lower bridge styles, which fit faces with lower nose bridges or a wide or high cheekbone shape. Low bridge fits can also be referred to by the snow goggles industry as Alternative or “Alt” fit, Asian fit, or Universal fit.

Strap

Holding the goggles around your helmet or head is a wide elastic band. Some designs have silicone strips or dots that help the strap stay put.

The band is typically fixed to either side of the goggle though can be removed and exchanged.

With typically two plastic slider buckles, the band can be extended or tightened to your preferred circumference — this is a really quick, easy process.

Certain strap designs are continuous and completely enclosed while others have a releasable plastic clip halfway through the circumference.

Padding

Inside the frame is a layer of foam padding that provides comfort, seals out wind, allows airflow to help prevent fogging, and even absorbs sweat or moisture from snowfall — or a tomahawk.

Fit

This should be a top consideration for ski goggles. If you wear a helmet, definitely try on the goggles with your helmet on. You don’t want a significant gap between the helmet and goggles, or you’ll get cold air blasting your forehead. The helmet should form a close fit with the goggles all the way across the face with no gaps.

Also, make sure the goggles fit your face well and aren’t too big or small for comfort. It’s really best to try on a few models to make sure you’re happy with the fit, both to your face and your helmet.

Finally, ensure the strap is long enough to fit around your helmet and face without too much pressure.

Lens and Light Transmission

What does “VLT” mean? Goggles use the measure, called “visible light transmission,” to identify and categorize lenses. VLT is the percentage of visible light the lenses allow to pass through based on the lens color or tint, thickness, coatings, and material of the construction. The higher the number, the more light gets through the lens.

The best lenses for sunny days have a VLT between about 5% and 20%. For low-light conditions, look for lenses with a VLT between 60% and 90%.

Goggle categories are labeled by each brand for various weather conditions to help skiers choose the best one as their daily driver.

Many lenses are available across the categories 1-4, with 1 being nearly clear for very low light and 4 being super dark for very bright sunshine.

• Category 1: Nearly clear for very low light
• Category 2: Approximately 43% to 18% of light passes through the lens
• Category 3: Close to 8% to 18% of light passes through the lens, making it suitable for use in sunny conditions
• Category 4: Super dark for very bright sunshine

Most goggles fall in the 2-3 category, with many photochromatic models offering a range from 1 to 3. Few models come in 4, which is intended for only the brightest snow conditions.

Tint and Color

While color may seem like a stylistic choice, the tint or color of a lens influences the VLT. Each tone filters the incoming color and light in a different way.

You’ll often see that lighter-toned and more transparent lenses, which allow in more environmental lights, are colored yellow or rose. Darker lenses angle toward brown, gray, or copper. Try a few on and see what you like, and try to look into daylight when evaluating the color.

• Bright, sunny: Black, dark gray, dark red, brown, platinum and mirrored lenses
• Partly cloudy: Blue, green, medium red, violet, medium gray
• Overcast, low-light: Yellow, gold, copper, amber, orange, rose, light red
• Night: Transparent/clear

Often, the frame and the band are available in various colors, too.

Shape

When evaluating lenses, consider the shape. Most are cylindrical or spherical:

• Cylindrical lenses curve in a flat plane across your face. This means the lens is flat in the vertical plane. These lenses work well but offer less field of view than most spherical lenses and tend to have slightly more glare. They’re usually the less expensive choice.
• Spherical lenses have three dimensions of curve and look a bit like a cross-section of a sphere. They cost more to manufacture and therefore have a higher price on the shelves. But for the money, you get a better field of view, less glare, and less distortion.

Photochromatic

A photochromatic lens is super helpful for variable light conditions. The lens automatically adjusts its level of tint based on the amount and intensity of the current light exposure. If it’s cloudy, stormy, or you’re weaving in and out of the glades, photochromatic technology is an asset.

Polarized

Polarized lenses are treated to help reduce glare, which occurs from sunlight hitting either snow or water. The health benefit of a polarized lens is preventing eye strain and fatigue, which also helps to improve vision.

If a pair has the technology, that goggle is clearly labeled as polarized.

Mirrored

When a snow goggle has a reflective coating on the exterior surface of the outermost lens, the optical effect is called mirrored, which likewise prevents glare. Mirrored lenses also look pretty cool.

The coating can be partially or fully applied, preventing up to 50% less light compared to non-mirrored ski goggles.

Interchangeable Lenses

The majority of modern goggles have interchangeable lenses, which allow you to switch lenses depending on light conditions. Consider if a brand sells replacement lenses, which could be a cheap way to replace goggles that get scratched (which they all do eventually).

Also, consider if the goggles come with a second or third set of lenses for varying light conditions.

If you plan to regularly change lenses, we recommend paying a bit more for a pair with an easy, quick-change design. It makes mid-mountain changes doable and limits the possibility of damaging the goggles.

Traditional and Magnetic Lenses

Traditional interchangeable lenses have a handful of tiny teeth around the edge that pop into and out of divots in the plastic frame. You need to align the divots, which can be a tad time-consuming if you’re not familiar with the process, so be sure to practice at home before being on the ski lift swapping out a lens. You can also get fingerprints on the lens, so carry a goggle wipe to clean up.

Progressive lenses are developed with supplemental magnets that hold the lens to the frame in addition to the plastic connection points or clips that fold or slide across the lens face for security.

Other goggle designs are completely smooth around the edge of the lens and completely depend on magnets like the 100% Norg Goggle, and all of the goggles made by 100%, which feature the strongest magnets we’ve tested to date.

Venting and Features

All ski goggles have some type of venting, and most work pretty well. Consider the foam over vents and if it will ice up or hold moisture on a powder day, as that’s a likely way to get fogged goggles. But be careful: We’ve damaged our foam while removing snow. That stuff isn’t bombproof.

Higher-priced goggles tend to have better foam around the face and over vents.

FAQ

There is no best color for ski goggles because different colors work better in different conditions. In low or flat light conditions (like cloudy days and snowstorms), goggles with rose or amber lenses will help increase contrast the best.

For bright, sunny days, most skiers choose a darker lens and may opt for a gray color, although many will still retain a rose or amber tint. Night skiing requires extreme light transmission, so most skiers will choose a nearly clear lens, possibly with a yellow or rose tint.

Choose lenses with a high VLT for low light. For low-contrast situations, snow goggles with yellow, amber, or rose lenses will help enhance contrast.

For those who want a lens for varied conditions, photochromatic lenses are a great choice. They allow one pair of goggles to meet most needs without having to change lenses.

Spherical and four-dimensional lenses give skiers the biggest field of view, which equates to better vision at the edges of the goggles. They also give the least distortion compared with cheaper cylindrical lenses. Look for goggles that give you the widest field of view while still fitting your helmet well.

A good pair of ski goggles can last for several years with proper care. But as with most optics, the biggest risk is scratching the lens. To avoid scratching, only touch the lens with soft, clean microfiber or cotton material, and be careful when brushing off snow with rough gloves or jackets.

One benefit of interchangeable lenses is you can often buy lenses separately, so you can get replacements if you scratch your lens at a fraction of the cost of a new pair of goggles. Quality frames and foam should last for many days on the mountain!

---

Winter is in full swing, and that means you’ll be spending a lot of time in the snow. These are the best ski socks of 2024 that will keep your feet happy and warm all winter long.

From lightweight layers to heavily insulated options, we found the best winter gloves for 2024 for every budget, temperature, and snow-centric sport and activity. Check out our top picks from Black Diamond, Hestra, Dakine, and more.