Everything you need to know before buying Men’s Snowboard Goggles
It’s always advised to wear your men’s snowboard goggles regardless of the riding conditions you might find yourself in. Whether up on a mountain dealing with thinner air at higher altitudes and UV rays, or riding your local hill with grey overcast skies, goggles enhance light visibility to provide a reliable way to safely see the terrain around you.
Snow can both brighten the reflection of the sun as well as flatten shadows, which is why its important to pair your goggles with the weather conditions. In this helpful guide we’ll show you everything you need to know about how anti-fogging works for goggles, how different types of lens help you see and how to fit goggles properly.
The Ultimate Men’s Snowboard Goggles Guide
The Science of Snowboarding Goggles
The Technology of Lens Colours & Tints
How to Fit Men’s Snowboarding Goggles Properly
Where to buy Men’s Snowboarding Goggles
The Science of Snowboarding Goggles
When warm air from your body heat meets cold air from the outside temperature, condensation can form and your vision is compromised. Goggles use a variety of approaches to avoid fogging.
Just about all men’s snowboarding goggles are double-layered lenses nowadays, since they do not fog as fast as single-layered lenses. When sealed properly, they create a thermal barrier (like storm windows) that is more resistant to fogging.
Anti-fog coatings are integrated into almost all mid-level to high-end goggle lenses to help deter fogging. Anti-fog products can be used on lower-end goggles without a coating or on old goggles that are starting to fog.
Vents & exhaust holes: The top, sides and bottom of goggles are the keys to help control fogging. Wider vents generally create better ventilating airflow than smaller venting holes. The trade-off? Your face may get cold, particularly in extreme climates.
There are 2 Types of Lens Shape
Flat lenses, otherwise know as cylindrical lenses, curve horizontally across your face but the lens is vertically flat. Spherical lenses curve both horizontally and vertically across your face.
Flat lens goggles are considered more basic and therefore are priced lower. The flatness can cause glare and slightly reduces peripheral vision. Spherical lenses give better peripheral vision, less distortion and glare, but they cost more.
The larger the lens, the better your peripheral vision will be.
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The Technology of Lens Colours & Tints
There is a whole spectrum of different men’s snowboard goggle lens colours and tints available to riders. Both the colour (outside lens) and tint (inside lens) affect your visibility independently of each other.
Lens Colours
The coloured outside lens filters specific colours of light that your eye would see. This is why you’ll sometimes see a different shade of colour for everything when you first put on goggles. Eventually, your eyes compensate and things begin to look like their normal colours.
The tinted inside lens affects the amount of light that reaches your eyes. This is called visible light transmission (VLT) and it is measured as the percentage of light allowed through the lens between 0–100%.
Regardless of the outside lens colour, you can categorize lens into 2 groups based on VLT.
Lens Tints
Lighter lens tints have a higher VLT ratings because more light passes through the lens. Lighter lens tints are perfect for cloudy or overcast days and they brighten up your visibility. Overcast weather causes what we call flat light conditions. Men’s snowboard goggles with a VLT ranging from 60-90% are best for flat light conditions.
Darker tints have lower VLT ratings because less light passes through the lens. You would wear goggles with darker tints on brighter, less cloudy days to reduce how much the sunshine reflects off the snow so you can see shadows better. On clear blue bird days you’ll want men’s snowboard goggles with a VLT ranging from 5-20% to help keep light from blinding you.
Clear lenses are appropriate for night skiing.
Generally, after you’ve been snowboarding for a while you’ll own 2 pairs of goggles. One with a light tint and another with a dark tint. This allows you to snowboard night or day, either with sunny or cloudy conditions.
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How to Fit Men’s Snowboarding Goggles Properly
The frames of your men’s snowboard goggles dictate how well they fit and the field of view they provide. There are three things a goggle needs to do: hold your lens in place, keep snow out, and make your face as comfortable as possible. Getting the right fit is crucial for feeling comfortable. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Most frames are made of polyurethane because it allows for some flexibility. In general, a more flexible frame is best for cold temperatures.
Helmet compatibility: Virtually all goggles are helmet-compatible, but it’s still a good idea to try on new goggles with your helmet to ensure a comfortable fit. See our ultimate guide for men’s snowboard helmets so you can learn everything you need to know about pairing goggles with helmets.
Strap adjustments: Most goggles have a single, sliding clip to make adjustments. Others may have an open/close buckle with sliding clips on each side for adjustments. Some children’s goggle straps are not adjustable.
Padding: This keeps the goggle from pinching your face. Foam should be thick enough to cushion your face but not be so thick that it promotes fogging. High-end goggles may use 2 or 3 layers of thin padding to enhance venting.
Frame Sizing
The perfect fit is when you can get the foam padding to rest softly against your face while holding a complete seal. This can be challenging to achieve for some people. Luckily most goggles come in small, medium and large sizes. Some brands even offer an Asian fit, which is for people who have noses with low bridges.
Asian Fit Goggles
You can find asian fit snowboard goggles here.
Most adults can comfortably fit into multiple sizes of goggles. A simple way to think about frame sizes is they should match your helmet size. If you wear a small helmet consider a small frame and if you wear a large or extra-large helmet consider a larger frame.
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Where to Buy Men’s Snowboarding Goggles
I always recommend going into a snowboard shop when purchasing men’s snowboard goggles. I think it’s best to physically try on different pairs. You can buy goggles online and make your purchase based on online reviews. But I still think going into your local shop is the best buying experience.
If you shop somewhere with knowledgable snowboarding staff who have been trained with product knowledge you’ll get the best service. I like going to Corbett’s in Oakville. I use to work there for multiple seasons when I was younger so I know the staff are reliable.
Related Articles:
- The Ultimate Men’s Snowboards Guide
- The Ultimate Men’s Snowboard Boots Guide
- The Ultimate Men’s Snowboard Bindings Guide
- The Ultimate Men’s Snowboard Helmet Guide
- The Ultimate Men’s Snowboard Jacket Guide
- The Ultimate Men’s Snowboard Pants Guide
- The Ultimate Men’s Snowboard Gloves Guide
- The Ultimate Men’s Snowboard Socks Guide
- The Ultimate Men’s Snowboard Base Layer Guide