While we are still a bit under the weather, the ski season is upon us which means one thing: we need to change the lenses in our ski goggles!
Bolle has a large range of winter sports goggles to choose from, so even if your chosen activity doesn’t require specialized goggles, there’s a suitable option for you. This being said, not all of the lenses will fit all of your equipment, and you’ll have to choose carefully to ensure everything functions as it should.
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What Is The Purpose Of The Lens?
The purpose of the lens in your goggles is to protect your eyes from the whipping wind and sun, and the debris that comes with it. While this might not seem important, things like dust, grit, or water vapor can greatly reduce your visibility, especially if you’re driving a car or motorcycle on snowy or dusty roads. This is why it’s important that you get the right fit between your goggles and your lenses; otherwise, you might end up with a scratched or fogged up screen which could seriously impact your safety on the slopes or the road. On the other hand, if your eyes are a bit overprotected by the lenses, then you might find that you have trouble quickly reacquainting your eyes with the view in front of you when you stop moving around.
Where Can I Buy The Right Pair Of Goggles?
If you’re on the hunt for the right pair of goggles, then you might as well consider all the fitting and material options that Bolle has to offer, because it’s not always easy to find a match between your specific needs and the large range of winter sports equipment in their warehouses. Fortunately, we’re here to help you make the right choice easier with our in-depth guide to buying a pair of ski goggles.
Choose Your Head Shape
This one might seem obvious, yet many people don’t realize the difference between their head shape and the shape of their skull. Essentially, your head shape is the general shape of your scalp and your ears which can be narrow, medium, or wide. Wide-shaped heads are typically found in Asians and some Native Americans, while medium-shaped heads are more common and can be found in Europeans. Lastly, the square-shaped heads are most common in Africans and some Native Americans.
If you have a round face, then you probably have a narrow head shape which makes you a good fit for the small range of oval goggles from Bolle. However, if you have a square face or a longer jaw line, then you might prefer the large range of goggles from VOGuards which are designed to block more wind than the small range of oval goggles from Bolle. Remember: your head shape is not fixed, so you might change your mind about which choice you make after trying on a few pairs of glasses.
How Much Can I Blame The Weather Conditions For The Fogging?
If you’re new to this, then it’s highly likely that you’re going to get wet or cold when it rains or snows which in turn will cause your lenses to fog up. When this happens, it’s usually due to the salt or moisture in the air causing the surface tension in the air around your lenses to increase, making it more difficult for your eyes to see through the fogged up lenses.
To avoid this, you need to look for a pair of glasses with a scratch-resistant coating on the inside and out which is ideal for driving in bad weather conditions. This coating will help protect your lenses from harm and prevent any irritating fogging up which could otherwise affect your vision or safety on the slopes.
How Do I Adjust The Nosepiece?
The nosepiece of your ski goggles is a small plastic piece which fits between your nose and the rest of the goggles to keep them from fogging up when it rains or snows. To prevent this from happening, you need to make sure that the nosepiece fits snugly against your nose and allows you to take short, frequent breaths without letting any air escape. If it’s too big, then it will prevent you from taking a decent breath which in turn could make you pass out or suffer from asphyxia, especially if you’re skiing off-piste or in poor weather conditions where visibility is low. This could seriously harm your health or even cause you to die.
In addition, if the nosepiece is not tall enough, then it will prevent you from wearing the goggles comfortably which could lead to discomfort or irritation as well. When choosing this piece, make sure it’s large enough to fit your nose comfortably without being too tight which could cause you to experience suffocation or headaches.
Sunglasses Versus Ski Goggles
While we recommend purchasing a pair of goggles over sunglasses for motorists and passengers because of the better protection they offer, it’s not always necessary to have both. If you’re already using sunglasses for driving, then you might as well buy a pair of goggles to go along with it as it won’t hurt to have an extra pair in case you need them.
Additionally, it’s not always easy to tell whether or not your sunglasses are approved for driving which means you might end up in a dangerous situation if you wear them on the slopes or in bad weather conditions where you can’t tell the difference between snow and ice particles and the road spray. This is why it’s safest for drivers to wear goggles when skiing which is also why they are legally required to by law in all 50 states in the US!
What Is The Difference Between The Various Lenses?
As we mentioned above, not all the lenses will fit all of your equipment, and you’ll have to choose carefully to ensure everything works as it should. One of the most important considerations is the field of view which is measured in degrees and specifies the area that the screen of your goggles can see. This is a very important consideration because too large a FOV makes it harder to have an accurate representation of what’s in front of you on the screen, while too small a FOV doesn’t allow you to see far enough to be safe. Another important factor is the impact the lenses have on your night vision which is specified in the form of a “Brightness Level” ranging from 1 to 10, with 10 being the brightest and 1 the dimmest. The higher this number is, the better it is for your night vision.
As a general rule, you want to choose brighter lenses (8 or higher) for better visibility in low light conditions and darker lenses (less than 7) for better protection from the sun’s harsh rays which can cause you to squint or shield your eyes from the sun completely.
If you’re unsure about which lens is right for your needs, then it’s best to ask a professional optometrist or an expert in eyewear from Bolle to help make the right choice easier for you.
In conclusion, if you’ve ever been in the situation where you needed a new pair of goggles but didn’t know where to look, then this article is for you. Hopefully, these tips will help you make the right choice easier so that you can enjoy your winter sports activities without any worries.