Are you confused about what the differences are between ski and snowboard goggles? 

Are you looking for affordable ski goggles before you head out to the slopes? You’re not alone. It can be overwhelming to understand the differences between styles, lenses, sizes, and more when buying a pair of goggles or snow glasses. 

There are a lot of things to take into consideration when buying mens ski goggles or mens snowboard goggles from the weather to gender specific goggles. Let’s take a little bit of time to go over the differences so that you can find the perfect pair of men’s ski goggles for your upcoming trip whether you're skiing or snowboarding down the slopes.

Difference between men’s and women’s ski goggles

Most adult ski goggles are unisex. However, there are a few manufacturers that make ski goggles that are designed specifically for women. 

The major differences between men’s and women’s goggles come down to style preferences and size. Women's ski goggles tend to be smaller than men's. But there’s no reason why men's goggles won’t fit a woman or vice versa. And some definitely won’t notice that you are wearing women's goggles rather than mens. 

However, there can be some differences other than size between male and female ski goggles when it comes to colors and patterns.

Are ski goggles different from snowboard goggles?

No, there are no differences between ski goggles and snowboard goggles. They are both designed to protect your eyes as you go down the slopes. 

There is however a difference between goggles and snow sunglasses. 

Snowboarding sunglasses are ski glasses or sunglasses that are used to protect your eyes from bright light and harmful rays of the sun. These types of glasses don't protect your eyes from the wind, snow, dust, and other dangers when skiing down the slopes as goggles will. This is because goggles are designed to be close-fitting eyeglasses that shield your eyes from all sides. 

Ski sunglasses do offer some benefits over snow goggles. But you wouldn’t necessarily say that they are better than ski and snow goggles. Rather you’d say that they provide a different type of experience. Ski sunglasses are lightweight and comfortable and will sit comfortably on your face just as your regular sunglasses do. Because they do not seal on your face like goggles you don’t have to worry about them fogging up easily. And a major benefit is that you can easily take them on and off as you need. 

But they do not offer you the same level of protection as goggles do which is why most people choose ski and snowboard goggles over sunglasses

Types of Ski and Snowboard Goggles

Both ski and snowboard goggles offer protection from wind, cold, and snow. But there are some things that you’ll want to take into consideration for the ultimate protection and enjoyment when wearing them. 

Here are some things that you’ll want to consider when purchasing the best ski or snowboard goggles - lens type and quality, lens color or tint, lens shape, whether or not to purchase interchangeable lenses, if you need ski goggles for glasses and the size of the frame. 

Let’s take a look at some of the different goggles' lenses, 

Cylindrical Ski Goggles

Cylindrical lenses are flatter lenses that tend to have a lower profile than spherical lenses. And why they are otherwise known as ‘flat’ lenses. They do curve around the vertical axis, which causes more glare and can sometimes distort your view. This type of lens is often cheaper than the others.  

Spherical ski goggles

Spherical lenses curve both vertically and horizontally and this creates a bubbled look. This type of lens offers less distortion and less glare than the cylindrical or flat lens, allowing you to see better due to the greater lens surface area. And this greater lens surface area helps improve peripheral vision, so that you can move above and below you, and also on the sides. 

These lenses tend to be thicker and have more volume between your face and the cold outside. This provides better insulation and airflow so you can expect less chance of fogging. 

Toric ski goggles

A Toric lens has a slightly smaller curvature on the vertical but has a true spherical curve on the horizontal axis. The shape of this type of lens is closest to the shape of your face which will provide you with better optics and improve your peripheral view.  

How do I know what size of ski goggles I need?

Both ski and snowboard goggles come in a few different sizes and also different shapes. It can become overwhelming trying to find the right size and shape to fit your sized face. But there are a few things that you’ll want to take into consideration when trying to find the right size for optimal fit. 

For the most part ski goggles and snow goggles usually come in Small, Medium, and Large.  And for the most part, small-size goggles are designed for kids and youth and/or small female faces, Medium is a good fit for young 12+ riders or female faces and small male faces. While large is often for men with larger faces.

OTG (Over The Glasses)

OTG goggles are something you’ll need to take into consideration when purchasing your goggles. These are designed for people who wear glasses. They are a bit deeper which allows more space in front of the eyes to prevent your glasses from being pushed into your face. Some will have a cut away at the side of the frame for the arms of your glasses to fit under the foam, and most will offer plenty of venting to reduce glasses from fogging up. You’ll want to prevent fogging for both your glasses and the goggle lenses, and you can do this by purchasing anti-fogging lenses, or OTG goggles with built-in fans. Both of these options offer great anti-fog performance for eyeglass wearers.

Oversized Goggles

Oversized goggles sometimes look to be frameless sometimes. Choosing oversized goggles has become increasingly more popular because it improves your peripheral vision. Having greater awareness on the slopes allows you to see more objects and scenery around you without having to turn your head or move your eyes. 

Women's Specific Goggles

Women's specific goggles often have less volume over the bridge of the nose to reduce excess space for snow and wind to enter. The frame will also be a little smaller than a standard sized adult goggle.

How to measure your face for Ski Goggles

When it comes to measuring the width of your face, you’ll need to measure the space between both temples. As well as the depth of your face which is from the middle of the cheekbone to just above the eyebrow. This will help you to determine which size your goggles should be - S, M or L.

Where to buy affordable ski goggles?

When you’re searching for the best snowboard goggles and the best budget snow goggles you don’t want to sacrifice comfort for the price. At ShadyVEU we have snowboard glasses, snow glasses, and ski goggle sunglasses priced just right without sacrificing comfort or style. 

Our selection of snow goggles men and women suits all of your needs.