Winter is fast approaching and it’s time to get your ski gear ready. From your suit to your skis and everything in between, each plays a vital role in the experience you have on the slope. Because of this, you likely paid a decent price for a high-quality ski suit, ski boots and skis. After all, quality is everything. However, there’s one piece of ski gear you may have cut corners on; one that is inarguably the most important – your ski goggles or ski sunglasses.
It’s easy to assume that all ski eyewear is created equally but the details can make or break your landing – quite literally. So, let’s make sure your snow days are fulfilled with satisfaction and safety by taking a look at the best sunglasses for skiing.
The Difference Between Ski Sunglasses and Ski Goggles
As a skier, you have the option to wear ski sunglasses or ski goggles. Both are fairly similar but it’s the few differences that play a major role in your overall comfort and vision. To put it briefly, ski goggles create a seal against your skin, trapping in heat and wrapping around your head with an elastic strap. Skiing sunglasses are just like your everyday sunglasses, assuming they’re high-quality, with all the benefits of ski goggles, sans the suction and elastic band. As such, sunglasses for skiing are ideal for people who require prescription lenses or who need (or want) to regularly remove their eyewear.
There are benefits to both but for the sake of keeping things short and precise, let’s focus on ski sunglasses for now.
What to Look for in Skiing Sunglasses
Just like most things in life, not all ski sunglasses are created equally. Anyone can pop some tinted plastic into a frame and call it, “snow goggles”. So, it’s crucial to know what to look for to ensure an optimal experience while out on the slopes.
Polarized Lenses
Since the snow bounces off an abundance of the sun’s reflection, which can be blinding when out on the slopes, polarized lenses are a must. These lenses are designed to eliminate glares which will instantly improve, while also increasing your safety.
We recommend the Polarized 3 Lens.
Photochromic Lenses
Furthering on the previous characteristics of optimal sunglasses for skiing, photochromic lenses will take good ski sunglasses to great ski sunglasses. In addition to the polarized benefits, you also receive transitioning lenses that constantly and automatically adjust the tint of your ski sunglasses to the amount of light surrounding you.
Photochromic lenses are like having all the different types of lens in one.
We recommend the Chameleon Lens.
Side Coverage
Speaking of glares, it’s important to have ski sunglasses that provide you with protection from all different angles. With the slopes being fairly wide open, the reflections and UV rays can penetrate your eyes from all angles. While polarized ski sunglasses will reduce the glares, they will only do so where the lenses are. So, you need a pair of ski sunglasses that offer good side coverage. This allows the polarized elements to deflect the glares from all directions.
We recommend the Trek Sunglasses.
Wearing Lifestyle Sunglasses When Skiing
Now, you may be wondering why you can’t wear regular polarized, wide lifestyle sunglasses when skiing. After all, they have all the characteristics of the best sunglasses for skiing. There is nothing wrong with doing so, assuming you’re skiing for fun.
However, if you are skiing professionally, your choice of eyewear can impact your speed, safety and ultimately, your success, and lifestyle sunglasses may not offer the aerodynamics and craftsmanship you require as a pro. As such, it’s recommended to choose polarized sunglasses for skiing, specifically.
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to shop the Mountain Collection. Whether you’re looking for polarized sunglasses for skiing, photochromic lenses for skiing or a good pair of lifestyle sunglasses for the slopes, you can find it at Julbo.
