Every skier knows how irritating it can be when you’re sliding down a snow-covered mountain and all of a sudden your goggles pop off and fly away. To top it off, you’re sliding on a trail that’s already set up for the day, so there’s no one around to help you hunt down your winter sport equipment. But maybe, just maybe, there’s another way of fixing your goggles than what you’re use to. After all, not all ski goggles are created equal, and there are definitely brands out there that make truly custom made products that are far more durable than your average ski goggles. So maybe it’s not such a lost cause and maybe you can repair these goggles after all. But maybe not, because this is a daunting task and it’s quite possible that the damage is just too great for it to be worth the effort.
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The Good News
Fortunately, you don’t need to be a professional mechanic to fix your goggles. All you need are a few common household items as well as some time off work. It turns out that there is actually a way to fix almost all types of goggles with some common household items and minimal tools. Let’s take a look at what you need and how to go about fixing your goggles without causing further damage.
Wash The Goggles In Cold Water
One of the biggest reasons why your goggles pop off is because they become dry and dirty from sliding on the snow. If you want to keep your goggles durable and in good condition, the first thing you should do is wash them in cold water. To do this, simply take the goggles out of the package and pop them on your nose. Next, fill a small bowl with about 10 inches of water and place it next to the sink. After washing your goggles, fill them with additional water and let them air dry on your nose. This will keep your goggles fresh and clean, preventing them from fogging up and becoming unworkable in the first place. If you notice, many snowboarders and skiers have a nosebleed when riding. The dry air and the freezing temperature outside cause the blood vessels in their nose to constrict, leading to a violent nosebleed when they hit a bump or a dip in the road. Using this method, the violence of the bleeding is greatly reduced, reducing the chances of an injury to your nose. This is one of the most basic things you can do for fixing your goggles.
Put New Lenses In The Goggles
Even if your goggles are in good condition and you’ve cleaned them thoroughly, it’s still a good idea to replace the lenses with new ones. When purchasing new lenses, always make sure that they’re UV protected and have anti-fog coating. These are the two most important things to keep in mind if you want your goggles to stay readable even in the brightest of suns and the clearest of atmosphere. The lenses in your goggles will eventually degrade and become unreadable due to the sun’s ultraviolet rays and repeated eye-watering, so it’s a good idea to replace them whenever they become slightly foggy or obscure your vision.
Make Sure The Goggles Fit Well
When putting on your goggles, you want them to fit well around your nose so that they don’t slip down or move around too much while skiing. To fix this, you need to have them custom made or take them to a tailor who can shorten them a bit to ensure they stay in place. If this sounds like something that would be helpful to you, give it a shot and see how well it works before deciding whether or not to keep doing it.
Try On Different Sizes
The last thing you want is for the goggles to slide around on your nose while skiing or snowboarding. To prevent this, you need to try on different sizes and see which one fits you best. There are three basic measurements you need to check for here: the bridge width, the temple length, and the eye padding. The bridge width measures the width of the nose bridge, the horizontal bar connecting the two sides of the nose that sit above your eyebrows when you’re wearing them. The temple length measures the length of your temple arms (the two vertical bars that extend from the top of the nose down to the ear), and the eye padding is the foam or memory foam that lines the inside of the goggles and contributes to their overall fit. With this information in mind, you can determine which size of goggles you need to go for and ensure they don’t slide off your nose while you’re skiing or snowboarding.
Use Nose Pads
Nose pads are small pieces of foam that you stick on your nose when you’re wearing your goggles to prevent them from sliding off while skiing. There are many different types of nose pads out there, so you can choose the one that works best for you by trying on a few of them.
Oxygen Charging
When you charge your personal airbag or an ESSB – Electronic Stability System Bag – with oxygen, you can improve your skiing experience by preventing the bag from fogging up while skiing. Oxygen is also great for repairing scratches on your goggles. Simply take off the goggles and pour some liquid soap onto the scratched area. Let it soak in for about 10 minutes, and then wipe off the excess with a damp cloth. The oxygen in the liquid soap will instantly remove the scratches while you’re skiing. This is a great alternative to buffing out scratches with a dry cloth, as the oxygen in the liquid will keep the mask from fogging up when you wipe it against the glass.
With the proper instruction, it’s not that difficult to fix your goggles. All you need is some time off work, a few common household items, and a little bit of elbow grease. If you follow these guidelines and take your time with it, it’s quite possible that you can end up with a pair of goggles that are as good as new. Of course, this is quite a drastic reduction in the amount of damage that could otherwise occur. But like I said, your goggles are your protection against the cold and wet, so it’s worth it to take the time to fix them rather than replace them altogether.