The Best Ski Goggles of 2024-2025

How We Tested the Best Ski Goggles

Our core team of ski goggle testers has nearly 100 years of combined experience on the slopes. We remember the days of garbage goggles that would fog in the slightest snowstorm (a.k.a. the 1980s) and really appreciate the incredible capability of modern goggles.

For this guide, we’ve tested dozens of pairs of goggles over more than 10 years. And as snow goggle technology advances, so does this article. We update this collection multiple times each year. Thus, you will find the latest information when it’s time to invest in a new pair of snow shades.

Our Expert Testers

GearJunkie Senior Editor Morgan Tilton specializes in snowsports and has lived in the high-altitude Rockies of Colorado for more than three decades, where she learned to ski, snowboard, snowmobile, and resides today. While she works with gear testers, Tilton field tests between the desk shuffle. 

In 2023, she tested snow goggles for 114 hours across 35 days. To date in 2024, she has tested ski goggles for 216 hours throughout 62 days of recreation from the ski area to the backcountry and from blizzards to bluebird days.

Editorial Director Sean McCoy has contributed many test rounds to this guide. Gear tester and writer Bergen Tjossem primarily hammers goggles in Colorado’s backcountry, at his home ski mountain, and while mountaineering. Tjossem clocked nearly 150,000 feet of human-powered backcountry vert in the 2023-2024 test season, plus 25 days at ski resorts. Other contributing gear testers for this guide include professional ski guide and avalanche course instructor Kaylee Walden, snowboarder Austin Beck-Doss, and skier Mary Murphy.

Our Testing Grounds

We’ve tested snow goggles on backcountry missions in Colorado’s Gore Range, dawn ascents of Mt. Rainier, and at ski resorts countrywide, including Alta Ski Area and Vail Resorts.  

The GearJunkie team meets for an annual on-snow test week to grind out turns and swap notes, including two previous gatherings at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, which is known for its expert terrain.

Our Testing Process

When we test snow 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 examine the lens technology including ventilation, scratch and impact resistance, hydrophobic and anti-fog treatments, light adaptivity (also known as photochromic lenses), and polarized glare protection.

In addition to 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, winter athletes, and needs.

Buyer’s 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.

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

And while the lens is the core ingredient, it isn’t everything. Frame sizes are highly variable from tiny to XXL. Go too small and your peripheral vision will be slashed. Go too big and wind will creep in underneath the goggles. Helmet compatibility is important, as is the strap’s width, style, and closure design. It’s also key to consider the lens swap mechanism and style.

With so many options 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 multi-layer 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 goggle lenses are double-layered with a seal, so the internal gap maintains a temperature that prevents getting fogged up, like double-pane windows.

The lens also enhances your vision. Each one is built to filter certain colors and allow a specific amount of sunlight through, based on the day’s lighting conditions, which is also influenced by the available contrast in the terrain. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to the visible light transmission (VLT) of a lens, and bundles that include two lenses can be very useful, covering most of the lighting conditions you’ll encounter. the Zeal Cloudfall Goggles, for example, come with a 30% VLT lens for brighter days and a 65% VLT lens for darker, cloudy conditions.

It’s also key to consider how easily swappable the lens is. If you tend to stop at a base lodge, changing out a traditional lens might be reasonable. But if you’re skiing in the back bowls on a stormy day, it can be helpful to quickly change lenses that are attached with magnets like the 100% Norg Goggle.

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 are also referred to by some brands as Alternative or “Alt” fit, Asian fit, or Universal fit.

Frames come in a variety of sizes. Some, like the Anon M5 Goggles, have a massive faceprint that’s better suited to larger faces. Plenty of goggles sport a more standard fit that will fit many folks. 

Strap

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

The band is typically fixed to either side of the goggle, though some designs are detachable, and most straps 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, like on the Smith I/O Mag ChromaPop, while others have a releasable plastic clip halfway through the circumference to make removing the goggles quicker. Some hook-style clips are not the most secure and can naturally unlatch when we pull the goggle off the helmet.

Padding

Inside the frame is a layer of foam padding that provides comfort, seals out wind, and allows airflow to help prevent fogging. The foam even absorbs sweat or moisture from snowfall — or a tomahawk. While most padding has a fairly similar feel against the skin, the densities, porousness, and textures of foams differ, which can influence fit, long-term comfort, and durability.

Ski Goggle Fit

Fit should be a top consideration for ski goggles. If you wear a ski 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. You’ll want the goggles to sit centered. The POC Nexal Clarity fit admirably on every helmet we strapped them to.

Also, make sure the goggles fit your face well and aren’t too big or small for comfort. 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 & 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 that 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 and can be too dark when clouds roll in. The Bollé Torus Neo goggles offer a good range by including a Cat 1 and Cat 3 lens.

Tint & 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 light, 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.

Here’s how the lens color is generally paired with the outdoor light conditions:

• 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

For style, the frame and the band are available in various colors.

Lens Shape

When evaluating lenses, consider the shape. Some goggles frames are compatible with multiple lens shapes like the Anon M4 frame, which is the same frame for the Toric and Cylindrical packages. But some goggle frames are not transferrable.

Most of our favorite snow goggles are cylindrical or spherical. A handful of designs take a hybrid approach that aims to combine the best characteristics of a cylindrical, spherical, or toric lens like the KOO Energia, which combines a toric and cylindrical lens.

Cylindrical Lens

A cylindrical lens curves in a flat plane across your face. This means the lens is flat in the vertical plane, and it curves along the horizontal axis.

These lenses work well but offer less field of view than most spherical lenses. That said, they sit closer to the face, so there’s a higher ratio of size to field of view and ventilation, despite the overall faceprint being smaller. Often, the top-to-bottom view is not as wide as other lens designs.

They also tend to have slightly more glare, because there are more flat areas to reflect light. Some designers add a taper on the edge to help combat that reflection.

Our favorite cylindrical lenses range from $90 to $280, and they tend to start at a lower price point. Stylistically, the aesthetic is really popular and there are many goggle designs that work well with a cylindrical shape.

Spherical Lens

Alternatively, a spherical lens has three dimensions of curve and look a bit like a cross-section of a sphere. The shape of the lens more closely follows the shape of your face, which gives you the best optical accuracy. To account for ventilation, the lens tends to bubble more off the face.

They cost more to manufacture and therefore have a higher price on the shelf. But for the money, you get a better field of view, less glare, and less distortion — which leads to better visibility and less eye fatigue.

Our choice spherical options range from $270 to $320.

Toric Lens

The toric shape features two different lateral and horizontal curvatures, aiming to find a sweet spot between field of vision, compactness, and vent volume to decrease the fog potential. Compared to a spherical lens, the vertical curve along the y-axis is less extreme. The x-axis curve is still equally prevalent.

As a result, the peripheral field of view is less distorted and is more maximized. Not many goggles lean into a Toric design but one of our favorites is the Anon M5 Goggles. Giro, KOO, and Rossignol also make toric-shaped lenses.

In general, you can anticipate the price tag to be between $200 and $320 for toric designs.

Photochromatic Lens

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.

If you’re losing a massive amount of vertical from the top of the ski area to the base, like at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, and facing a variety of weather and light conditions, a photochromatic lens is helpful. The same goes for long ski tours where the lighting could change throughout the day.

Some brands offer a photochromatic lens that you select when you purchase the goggle, which is an option for the Zeal Lookout — and their photochromatic lens in excellent — but it’s more pricey.

Polarized Lens

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

Typically, polarized shades are more expensive than non-polarized versions, but many people are pleased with the upgrade.

Mirrored Lens

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 and futuristic – just look at the 100% Norg Goggle.

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 snow 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 cheaper way to replace the optical when it gets scratched and the coatings wear off (which they all do eventually). That way, you can reuse the frame without purchasing a brand new goggle.

Also, some goggles come with a second or third lens 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 like the Anon WM3 Goggles. It makes mid-mountain and chair lift changes more efficient and limits the possibility of soiling or damaging the goods be it the lens or foam. With a magnetic system, you might not even need to take off your gloves, because it doesn’t require as much finesse as a traditional pop-out lens.

Traditional 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.

Magnetic Lenses

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 solely depend on magnets like the Anon M5 Goggles and 100% Norg Goggle.

Vents & Foam

All ski goggles have some type of venting, and most work pretty well. Maintain the foam over the vents, which can ice up or hold moisture on a powder day, and that’s a likely way to get fogged goggles. So, you’ll want to keep the padding clear of snow. But be careful: We’ve damaged our foam while removing snow. That stuff isn’t bombproof.

But the Dragon NFX OTG goggle has an innovative design that helps eliminate this issue: While there’s still a layer of foam against the skin, a durable, perforated vent system (called “armored venting”) is located in front of the foam. If ice or snow does build up, you can essentially bang the goggle against your hand to get all the elements out without the risk of a tear.

Higher-priced goggles tend to have sturdier foam around the face and over vents, which facilitate better airflow.

Face coverings can also be a fog culprit that even the best vented goggles will struggle to combat. Whether you layer a thin face mask under the goggle foam or keep the face mask ajar and on the exterior, just be aware that your exhalation could get funneled up to the lens.

Uphill Goggles & Sunglasses

Generally, goggles are too enclosed to wear while working up a sweat on the skin track, which leads to fog buildup. Julbo has a unique technology, called the Super Flow Pro, that allows wearers to pop forward the lens, enabling airflow and for warm vapor to escape. But for other instances, backcountry tourers use sunglasses and a hat on the ascent and then transition to a helmet and goggle for the descent.

For adequate protection, you can wear big sunglasses with plenty of coverage that provide airflow. When he’s not testing goggles, GearJunkie Tester Bergen Tjossem actually prefers wrap-around sunglasses for 90% of each ski tour — for the climb and the downhill. But he always packs goggles as a backup for poor lighting, especially on stormy days when shades won’t cut it. 

Sustainability

We’re seeing a handful of goggle brands using materials and manufacturing practices that are less harmful to the environment like Opolis, Scott, Zeal, Bollé, and Coral.

Recycled Textiles

The use of recycled polyester, like in the strap of the Bollé Eco Torus —  which has 65% recycled polyester and integrates 100% recycled patches — is a good start for softening a manufacturing footprint without the risk of performance tradeoffs. Scott has likewise produced recycled goggle straps.

Recycled Plastic

Instead of virgin plastic, some brands use recycled materials to create the goggle frame, which entails various methods. Certain models use rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) that’s sourced from plastics from recycling waste or preconsumer waste. Pioneering StokedPlastic, Opolis has partners in Bali, Manila, and Nairobi to collect plastic bottles from beaches, oceans, and landfills.

That recovered plastic is blended with plant-based castor oil and manufactured into the parts of the goggles. For select Scott goggle models, the brand has previously collected retired used Scott goggles to recycle the frame into a new one.

In 2023-2024, Bolle launched an ongoing sustainability initiative in the brand’s goggles and helmets, which entailed partially recycled straps, recycled patches, and bio-based frames and adjusters made from renewable castor oil. Their goal is for more than 20% of each product to contain recycled or bio-based materials.

Lenses & Recycling

We are not aware of any brands that have cracked the nut for recycled or bio-based lenses, but we’ll update this guide when we do. 

When snow goggles reach their end of life, we’d love to see trade-in and recycling programs offered by goggle brands, so that fewer goggles end up in the landfill. For creating sunglasses, Opolis developed Bio-Acetate: a group of plant-based polymers that are derived from natural materials such as hemp, red pulp, and cotton seeds. The organic solution replaces the phthalate-based plasticizers, and the material biodegrades in 115 days versus 400 years — it’d be sweet to see goggles made with similar stuff.

Price & Value

Our choice snow goggles typically range from $90 to $320. There are cheaper and more expensive goggles out there, but after ample testing rounds, we think that the vast majority of skiers and riders will find what they’re looking for in this price range. 

Budget

All goggles are built to protect your eyes from flying objects, cold air, and sunshine — and they do a good job. If they’re cheaper than $100, what you won’t typically get is vision enhancement technology, an extra lens, or much sustainability. You might miss out on a lens that’s coated to prevent scratch and smudge issues, glare, and fog. The lens change system also tends to be somewhat clumsier or non-existent. And the fit can be funky with a helmet.

But these options can be an economic back up. The frame can be pliable and good for stashing in a pocket like on the Marker Smooth Operator ($90), which doesn’t have vents, has a lens that’s anti-fog treated, and is the cheapest option on our list. 

Mid-Tier

Goggles in the $100 to $200 range typically come with crisper optics and sometimes an extra second lens. The frame and foam are usually more comfortable and compatible with a helmet. The lens is often treated with a variety of products to improve clarity, prevent scratches and smudges, and ward off fog. Some lenses are only treated on the exterior surface, while others include a second coat on the interior, which costs more.

You’ll start to see fancier technology within each lens design, including polarized, mirrored, interchangeable, and magnetic options. The Giro Revolt ($130) is a solid pick in this range: It includes two lenses, a cylindrical shape, and solid optics with enhanced contrast, even if the lens swap is a bit of a challenge.

The slightly pricier Sweet Protection Durden RIG Reflect Goggles ($150) skips the bonus lens but sports excellent optics with bumped-up contrast plus stellar scratch resistance. The Atomic Four Pro HD ($160) is a dependable all-arounder for a range of conditions, it includes two lenses, and the design has great clarity.

Premium

Resting on the $200-320 shelf, these premium snow goggles pull out all the stops. You should expect two included lenses that cover the full lighting spectrum. The lens design should be enhanced for contrast or vibrancy. This is where a spherical lens shape and photochromatic lens upgrades pop up, like for the Smith I/O MAG ($305), which hosts a magnetic attachment system that’s exceptionally easy to use.

At this level, there’s a refined lens swap system, well-designed vents, and high-quality foam. The POC Nexal Goggles ($230) are another excellent contender with two high-quality lenses. 

Frequently Asked Questions

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 needing to change lenses. They also help you maintain visibility throughout changing light conditions caused by shifting weather and terrain.

Spherical lenses, like those found in the Zeal Cloudfall, and four-dimensional lenses — with a curved bottom portion for more field of vision — 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 face and helmet well.

But taking inspiration from a spherical and cylindrical design, Toric lenses maximize the peripheral field of view and the vent volume.

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 or smearing off coatings that help prevent fog. To avoid scratching, only touch the lens with a soft, clean microfiber cloth or cotton material. Be careful when brushing off snow with rough gloves or jackets.

One benefit of an interchangeable lens system 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 years on the mountain.

There are so many companies making incredible ski goggles these days. We trust our face and eyes to every brand on this list. While there really isn’t a supreme brand, there will be brands that suit your particular needs and goggle specifications more closely. Beyond brand recognition, look at the construction and details of a goggle before taking your pick.