Snowboard goggles not only protect your eyes from snow and sunlight, they also can increase your visibility on the mountain. Snowboard goggles are available in a variety of shapes, colors and thicknesses. Choosing the right one for you can be a matter of price and the right goggles for the time of day and area where you snowboard.
Shapes
Flat snowboard goggle lenses curve slightly across your face, but do not curve from your nose to forehead. These goggles types tend to be lower in price than curved goggles, but can lead to glare or disrupt your peripheral vision. Spherical or curved goggles curve around the face and between the forehead and nose, which tends to distort your vision less. This goggle type tends to be more costly than flat goggles.
Colors
The color of your snowboard lenses can increase your visibility or keep light out, if necessary. Yellow, gold or pink lenses are best for general skiing conditions because they increase contrast between hazards and bumps in the snow. If you ski in brighter conditions, orange lenses are best. For stormy or overcast days, purple or pink/orange photochromatic lenses can help to lighten your vision.
Fog Protection
Snowboarding goggle lenses are available in a variety of lens coating types to protect against fog. Examples include double lenses, which create a thermal seal between the outside layer and the lens closest to your eye. You also can add an antifog coating, which is typical in mid- to high-level snowboard goggle lenses, according to REI.com, a skiing outfit expert. Other antifog lens features include vents on different areas of the goggles that help to encourage airflow, preventing your goggles from fogging up. This lens type may make your face feel colder because air is allowed to rush in.
Finish
Polarized lenses are finished with a thin film or coating that works to minimize glare from the sun's rays bouncing off the snow. Polarizing a snowboard goggle lens tends to make the lens more costly. Another option is to purchase a mirrored lens. This lens is coated on the outside of the goggles and is designed to reflect additional light to minimize glare. You can spot a mirrored lens by looking at it from the front -- you should see your reflection, and not what is behind the lens.
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