Goggle lens categories, colours and what else you may look for

When going on a winter sports holiday, it is important to buy a good pair of ski/snowboard goggles, or goggle. They protect your eyes from harmful UV rays and help you see better in both light and dark weather conditions. In this blog we discuss the different lens categories, what they mean and which one you should use when.

There are 5 categories, numbered from 0 to 4. A lower number means more light transmission (expressed in VLT), the more light is transmitted, the better you can see in low light or bad weather. VLT stands for Visible Light Transmission; the higher the VLT, the better your eyes are protected in bright sunlight.

Category 0

Ski goggles with lenses that fall into category 0 are suitable for days with extremely low light. Think of skiing or snowboarding at night or snowboarding during very heavy snowfall. The lens can provide more contrast and depth. These lenses are usually only used by competitive skiers.

Weather conditions: heavy snow, heavy cloud
Light transmission (VLT): 80-100%
Lens colour: clear or yellow

Category 1

Ski goggles that fall into category 1 have lenses that absorb almost no sunlight. They are therefore suitable for situations with low light, such as heavy cloud, fog or snow. Click here to find your category 1 ski goggles.

Weather conditions: snowfall, cloud, fog
Light transmission: 43-80%
Lens color: Light yellow or orange

Category 2

Ski goggles with lenses in category 2 are suitable for partly cloudy conditions. These lenses offer protection against weak sunlight. They are therefore very suitable if you often ski in forests or on the shady side of a mountain. Click here to find your category 2 ski goggles.

Weather conditions: Partly cloudy, shade
Light transmission (VLT): 18-43%
Lens colour: Orange or red

Category 3

Ski goggles with category 3 lenses let in very little light and are often pink or amber in colour. This makes them ideal on a sunny day. On such a day, your eyes can be damaged by UV rays from the sun, because a lot of light is reflected by the snow. It is therefore important that your field of vision remains clear and that the sun is well blocked. Click here to find a category 3 ski goggle.

Weather conditions: Sunny
Light transmission (VLT): 8-18%
Lens color: Pink or orange

Category 4

Ski goggles with lenses from category 4 are very suitable for extremely sunny days, high in the mountains or when skiing on a glacier. These lenses are also ideal for people with sensitive eyes. Click here to find your category 4 ski goggles.

Weather conditions: Bright sun
Light transmission (VLT): 3-8%
Lens colour: Brown or black

What should you pay attention to when choosing goggles?

When choosing ski goggles, it is important to know under what conditions you are going to ski or snowboard. If you are not going snowboarding in the dark, or even on days with heavy snowfall, categories 0 and 1 are definitely not interesting for you.

In general, it is better to have a 'too high' category than one that is too low. Even if you have sensitive eyes, you almost always go for category 3 or 4.

Some ski goggles belong to multiple categories, these are glasses with a variable VLT and have a photochromatic lens. The amount of light that the ski goggles let through is often stated on it. This way you can see which category they fall into and for which situations they are suitable.

In addition to these lens aspects, the fit on your face is of course also important. We therefore advise you to always come and try them on in the store. It is best to do this together with your helmet, so that they also fit together properly.

What if you want to use your ski goggles for more than 1 circumstance?

Now you know which lens is suitable for which circumstances and you can make a good choice here. But what if you want to use your goggles in all weather conditions? Then you have 2 options;

Interchangeable lenses

If you are a fanatic winter sports enthusiast, then glasses with interchangeable lenses can offer a good solution. This way you can choose a lens that fits well depending on the weather. This way you always have a good view and you don't have to take multiple glasses with you.

You can change the lenses of almost all of our goggles, the biggest difference is whether or not this is magnetic. At Anon this is called Magna-Tech, you can easily change lenses and adjust the color to the weather thanks to the magnets in your lens and frame.

Photochromatic lenses

Another option is photochromatic lenses. These lenses can change color and adapt to the weather conditions. This way you no longer have to change ski goggles or lenses and you have all categories in one ski goggle. So, the brighter the sun, the darker the lenses become and the less light, the lighter the lenses become. Check out our photochromic lenses here.

Please note! The colour of the lenses does not determine which category they fall into. Glasses with orange lenses can also fall into category 3. The category of a ski goggle only indicates how much light passes through the lens. The colour of the lens determines how the view is and how much contrast the goggle offers. Ski goggles with pink lenses are the most versatile. These usually let less sunlight through than a yellow one, but also filter some of the blue light.

Well-known brand names for photochromic lenses are Photochromic by Smith and the Prizm lenses by Oakley.

Other lens features

Not only is the category of the lens important, but there are also a number of other features that you should take into account. You can find the specifications of each goggle on our website.

Cylindrical vs spherical

In short the curve there are 2 shapes for the lenses of your goggle. A cylindrical lens, also called a "flat lens" and a spherical lens, also called a "convex lens". Relatively new is the toric lens, where there is a minimal curvature in the lens, which is less strong than with the spherical lens.

Cylindrical lenses are often found with cheaper lenses and give you sufficient vision, but can distort the image more. A cylindrical lens has a curvature from left to right.

A spherical lens not only has a curvature from left to right, but also from top to bottom. This prevents your image from being distorted, because the convex lens bends with the curvature of your eye.

Mirror

Reflective lenses reflect the glare of the snow, so that you are less bothered by it. In addition, they ensure that people from outside can see your eyes less easily or not at all.

Polarizing

Polarizing lenses filter the glare of the snow, so that you suffer less from glare.

Ventilation

Ventilation holes give your face breathing space for the necessary cooling. Condensation will also occur less quickly due to the ventilation holes. Most goggles have ventilation at the top of the lens and at the bottom, so that there is a continuous flow of air when you are moving.

Double lens

These ski goggles have two lenses with a piece of air in between. This ensures less condensation and perfect vision. At Down Town we mainly sell goggles with a double lens. But Oakley has also specially designed single lenses in its latest collection, because these give less chance of a distorted image.

Antifog

A lens with antifog has a layer that prevents condensation. This is een standard that all better goggle brands meet.

OTG

OTG stands for Over The Glasses. You can wear these ski goggles if you also wear regular glasses. Smith has various OTG models, at Oakley you will often find a recess in the foam of the larger goggles to create space for your glasses. And larger models from Anon and other brands also give you enough space for glasses under your ski goggles.

The perfect match will save you a lot of irritation and ensure better performance. Good luck finding the right ski or snowboard goggles!