These Top-Rated Ski and Snowboard Goggles Help You See the Mountains Better

Mother Nature is unpredictable, especially on the slopes. Mornings can start sunny and beautiful, but afternoons can turn dark and stormy before you know it. Wearing a pair of quality snow goggles is a crucial part of your skiing and snowboarding setup, as they can completely make or break your day.

Goggle technology is ever-changing. Frames are becoming wider. Lenses are becoming bigger, clearer, more durable, and better-curved to improve your visual field and minimize glare. Quick-change systems are pretty universal, allowing you to swap lenses to adjust to changing conditions. And with uphill or hard-charging endeavors in mind, fog resistance, and ample venting are more important than ever before.

The Best Ski Goggles

What to Consider

A solid pair of goggles is one of the most vital parts of your ski or snowboard setup. If ever there was a time when the saying “You really don’t know what you’re missing until you try something better” hits home, that time is now. And once you upgrade to a new pair, you’ll wonder why it took so long to make the leap. That’s because the latest technology will change how you see the mountain in all conditions — bright or overcast, windy or calm. When choosing the right pair of goggles, we prioritize fit and shape, lens technology, lens-change system, and quantity of lenses included, and then choose the lens tint and color that fits our climate best.

Fit and Shape

Oversized goggles cover your entire face and offer the widest field of view. Smaller options feel less bulky, but that also means a smaller field of view, which can make it hard to see your inferior and peripheral fields without turning your head. Additionally, lenses are offered in two main shapes: spherical and cylindrical. Both lenses curve horizontally, from left to right, across your face. The main difference is that spherical (or toric) lenses also curve vertically, from top to bottom, while cylindrical lenses do not curve from top to bottom — they are flat. Spherical lenses offer better overall vision and reduced glare, but this comes with an obvious increase in price.

Lens Technology

The highest-quality lenses make the backdrop look like you're watching a high-definition television, rather than distorting, clouding, or coloring the scenery like your hand-me-down pair from the early ’90s. They should also have some form of fog resistance, in addition to a level of breathability in the frame and padding, to keep your lenses from fogging up and ruining your day.

Lens Quantity and Change System

Many high-end goggles come with two lenses — one for sunny days and one for cloudy days. The latest and greatest goggles feature quick-change lens systems (often magnetic) that allow you to swap from one lens to the other in the blink of an eye. Some are so convenient, you could swap them on the chairlift. More affordable goggles should allow you to change lenses, but they can be tricky to manage without some practice, especially with cold fingers and falling snowflakes.

Understanding Lens Lingo

Visual light transmission (VLT) is the amount of light that reaches your eye through the lens. A lighter-tinted lens has a higher VLT and is best for low-light days, like when it's overcast or actively snowing. A darker-tinted lens has a lower VLT, allowing less light through for sunny days when you need some shade for your eyes. Since every pair of goggles is offered with multiple lens colors and options for polarized or not, we won't call out lens specifics here — it's best to choose a shape, size, and frame style that you like, then choose the color of frame and lens that speaks to you.

How We Chose

We have had the opportunity to personally test (many of) these ski and snowboard goggles this winter. To give you a well-rounded opinion, we wore every pair in varied light conditions (from bluebird-sunny to mostly cloudy) and in multiple temperature ranges (well below freezing and warmer days). These are our editor’s favorite ski and snowboard goggles for the 2023 ski season, and we think you'll be happy with whichever pair you choose. Now join us while we pray for snow.

Looking for more ski and snowboard accessories? Check out our guides on the best ski pants, ski gloves for kids, and thermal underwear.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all goggles in our list are unisex. Many pairs include a second lens, too.