Ski Goggles Vs. Sunglasses

When spending time on the mountain skiing, certain gear is essential both for your performance and safety. One of these pieces of gear is eye protection that can keep your vision clear while you are navigating the slope. When it comes to eye protection you have two main options -- ski goggles or sun glasses -- each with their own benefits and disadvantages.

Ski Goggle Benefits

Ski goggles provide several benefits that sun glasses don't. For example, ski goggle cover a larger area of the face, which creates a seal against the skin, trapping in heat and keeping your face warm. The additional seal also helps prevent wind and ice crystals from getting in your eyes and better protects the eyes against branches if you are dropping through trees, suggests REI.com. Ski goggles also come with a strap that keeps the goggles tight against your face, even if you fall while heading down the mountain. Also, the frames of the ski goggle lenses are farther away from the eyes, providing a wider range of vision over sunglasses. Goggles often fit comfortably over your helmet, and many helmets have brackets to hold your goggles in place.

Ski Goggle Disadvantages

Ski goggles also have some disadvantages, such as the fact that many goggles are bulky, which can make them uncomfortable or incompatible with your ski helmet. Goggles can also commonly fog up, especially if you regularly have take them on and off; However, purchasing goggles with an anti-fogging coating can substantially reduce fogging problems.

Sunglasses Benefits

The weight and comfort of sunglasses can be beneficial when navigating the mountain. Sunglasses are typically lighter and more comfortable to wear and can easily make the transition from going down the mountain for a run to walking to your next location. Sunglasses are typically easier to find prescription lenses for than ski goggles. Sunglasses also do not fog up as easily as goggles tend to, especially if you regularly need to remove your eye protection.

Sunglasses Disadvantages

Sunglasses do not provide the same seal around the eyes and against the face as ski goggles do, leaving your eyes at a higher risk for problems with wind, ice and other hazards on the slopes. Consequently, the lack of this seal also means that the face can get colder wearing sunglasses than ski goggles. Many sunglasses also do not fasten to the head as well as goggles do. Wearing sunglasses under your helmet can occasionally be uncomfortable, depending on the style of the glasses and helmet.