Goggles or Sunglasses?

5th March 2018

Easter is rapidly approaching and a popular time to head to the slopes in Europe (including Scotland!), especially this year as the snow coverage is the best for many years. If you have your ski tripped booked will you be wearing goggles or sunglasses? It’s true that 20 years ago most skiers wore sunglasses and only a minority wore goggles but the huge growth of snowboarding coupled with greater awareness of the risk of head damage has meant the reverse is now true – there are more goggle than sunglass wearers. By necessity helmets are worn by all snow boarders and more progressive, accomplished skiers tackling challenging snow runs and going off-piste. And helmets and goggles tend to go together. However many skiers simply don’t like goggles as they cut down peripheral vision and are usually less comfortable to wear than sunglasses. Of course there is nothing to stop someone wearing sunglasses with a helmet and again many do. Skiers that are not intending to tackle black runs all day and are content with more “sedate” skiing can quite happily get by with good quality sunglasses. But even at moderate speed cold wind can cause the eyes to water so it’s worth looking out for full frame (not half frame) models with a “full wrap” (wrap-around) fit that will keep out wind (and sun glare). To help you choose your ski eyewear we have a longer article in the ski section click here to read.