The Best Goggles For Spring

Nothing says spring quite like a goggle tan, am I right? It’s all but inevitable if you spend any amount of time shredding slush and toasting an epic season on the best patio in town. The question is, which goggles will you be sporting to crush it these final days?

If performance is still your top priority, you’ll want to get your mitts on a pair of goggles with dark lenses for those long, sunny afternoons. Smith offers a fantastic option with their I/O line’s interchangeable Blackout lens – it’s got serious blue-blocking capabilities for the harshest of glares but is also easily swappable if the clouds roll in or the late-day light goes flat.

Another issue people run into when things get sweaty in the spring is a phenomenon known as foggles. Spring tours and boot packs inspire perspiration like nothing else and the first thing you’ll see people do is throw their googles straight up over their forehead. Rookie mistake. They will be foggy and useless for the rest of the day. You might as well be wearing your Aunt Barb’s reading glasses from the grocery store. A few brands make goggles designed to beat the heat, including Smith, once again, with their Turbo Fan technology – a battery powered fan that operates at two speeds to eliminate foggles. A new and exciting option comes from Abom. Using the same general idea as a car windshield, the revolutionary new lenses work without any fans or moving parts thanks to a film between layers that keeps both sides of the lens equally cool/warm, thus preventing fog (apparently, according to science). A successful Kickstarter campaign helped the group of designers reach their $50,000 start-up capital and products can be pre-ordered for next season via their website.

If you’ve ever been to a ski resort near the end of the season, you’ve probably noticed a theme among experienced ski bums: retro gear. Onesies, skinny skis and all the neon tend to dominate the slopes and après scene, so consider this your invitation to pull out all the stops. Silver mirrored goggles and huge, ridiculous frames are where it’s at. If you don’t still have a pair kicking around from 1983, hit up your local thrift shop or check out eBay and Etsy.com. I have a pair of my mom’s old Scotts that rise to the top of the pile each and every spring. They’re pink and purple and I can’t see a thing when I wear them because the cheap plastic lenses are entirely scratched up and actually peeling, somehow, but it’s worth it for the high fives and street cred I accumulate throughout the month of April.

Whatever your lens of choice, strap ’em on, get out there and maximize your goggle tan. ‘Tis the season!