The Best New Ski Goggles and Sunglasses for 2024, Tested and Reviewed
Goggles are indispensable equipment for skiers. Without them, you can’t properly see what you're doing (especially at speed) and you risk harming your vision. In addition to intense UV rays and blowing snow, other constant hazards include slivers of ice flipped up by skis, tree branches, and even bugs. So, you’ll want a pair of well-fitting goggles—not too big on your face, but not too small—with a lens that seamlessly segues from your forehead to your helmet, with no exposed skin in between. You can avoid this “gaper gap” by buying the same brand of goggles as your helmet. You’ll also want a lens with a good field of vision, including optimal peripheral views so you can look left and right quickly without turning your head—plus decent vertical vision. Can you see your skis without looking down?
The following top ski goggles and shades represent the finest eye shields you can invest in this season. Our overall favorite ski goggle is the POC Vitrea for its sharp, interchangeable lenses, added facial coverage, and overall excellence in a variety of terrain. When it comes to shades on the slopes, Vuarnet's Glacier Genesis sunglasses are in a class of their own.
Related: We Tested the Best New Ski Pants and Bibs for 2024
Our Testing Process: Why You Should Trust Us
Our team of nine testers knows how to do our homework out in the field. Collectively, we’ll rack up more than 1,000 on-snow days in a given season just testing out ski gear to see if it lives up to its promise. Most of us have been running ski apparel through the ringer in every type of alpine terrain and weather condition imaginable for over 20 ski seasons.
We’ve run glades, bowls, couloirs, steeps, and remote backcountry in this gear—and we’ve taken copious notes. We’ve skied the slopes of New England and Eastern Canadian hardpack, Whistler powder, Pacific Northwest cement, and everything in between, including months in the French, Italian, and Swiss Alps. We offer a combined ski history of more than 100 years of high-level race and big-mountain experience racked up from Japan to North America to the Alps—and we know exactly what we want and need from the gear we’re relying upon. We also love being dazzled and inspired by the latest, greatest ski gear innovations, which never stop.
We’ve rigorously tested and compared thousands of items, harnessing not only ambition, but wisdom and experience, with testers from their early 20s to seasoned vets. We also tested a lot of this stuff with less experienced skiers to assess their own valuable takes. It's never easy putting so much great ski gear and apparel through its paces before whittling it all down to our favorite performers—but it's always a ton of fun.
Related: The Best New Ski and Snowboard Gloves for 2024
Courtesy image
Why Two Lenses Are Better Than One
When choosing the right pair of goggles, first look to see if it has interchangeable lenses—which can be a major benefit for varying light conditions in the mountains. Some goggles come with a darker lens for sunny days and a yellow or clear lens for better visibility when it’s overcast, snowing, or flat light conditions. Make sure you know how to switch out lenses—and that your second lens is safely stowed in a soft lens bag in your ski bag. Some skiers (like myself) always bring along two pairs of goggles—one with a dark lens (I like blue or red mirrored ones) and the other with a yellow or clear lens. That way, I’m covered in any condition. In the off-chance I take a tumble and scratch or lose a pair of goggles, I have a backup.
The other option is using a single lens all day. We included several photochromatic lenses in the review. They work great, especially on days when skies are going from clear, to overcast, and back again before you even finish your first run of the day. They can also be nice when you’re skiing trees and ducking in and out of shade and sun on a regular basis.
Related: The Best New Ski Jackets of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
How to Care for Your Ski Goggles and Sunglasses
The most important thing to remember about goggles is to remember that they’re the most fragile piece of ski equipment you own, and to treat them accordingly. Whenever you’re not wearing them, always keep them in that soft goggle bag that comes (for a reason) with your new pair. Once you scratch the lens, it’s game over. Those great goggles are now pretty much useless, unless you have a spare lens you can fit onto the frame.
I always pack a pair of sunglasses to wear at lunch and for an après ski drink. Treat them with just as much care and protection. There’s nothing like sitting in the sun on the deck with a great pair of shades—and also nothing more important for your eyes up at those UV-saturated altitudes.
Men’s Journal aims to feature only the best products and services. We update when possible, but deals expire and prices can change. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.
Best Overall Ski Goggles for 2024: POC Vitrea
POC's Vitrea goggles come with two lenses—one for low light, the other for bluebird days—which you can quickly and easily swap while wearing them, even with gloves on. They sport an oversized frame with great vertical and horizontal fields of vision, perfect for scanning mogul fields for the right line while keeping a lookout for rocks. The Vitrea is best for skiers with bigger faces, as smaller ones are dwarfed by the oversized goggle frame that drops low on the cheek. Ideal for skiing and ski-mountaineering, the oversized frame also provides extra coverage and protection. The shallow-angle slightly rounded lens keeps things sharp, especially in the lower periphery.
Best Overall Ski Sunglasses for 2024: Vuarnet Glacier Genesis
French downhill champion Jean Vuarnet attributed part of his training edge at the 1960 Winter Olympics to sunglasses with Skilynk mineral glass lenses made by optician and ski enthusiast Roger Pouilloux. The two men teamed up that year to create Vuarnet, a glamorous, high performance luxury brand of sunglasses and goggles. Worn by everyone from Mick Jagger to James Bond, Vuarnet mineral lenses are still a benchmark for skiers worldwide. Testers coveted the Glacier Genesis sunglasses, with their elevated mineral lens optics and Category 3 protection against UV, infrared, and blue light. Frames are made of bio acetate and beta titanium, with polarized, removable sides shields and a nifty leather keeper leash. Vuarnet's Edge Regular ($395) sunglasses features stainless steel lenses with an acetate rim and scratch resistant, shock proof mineral glass lenses.
Best for Adapting to Various Light Conditions: Rēvo Outback No. 12
Rēvo Outback No. 12 is a new cutting-edge goggle developed in collaboration with Bode Miller, the most-decorated American ski racer of all time. The goggles feature Rēvo’s signature Blue Water SuperNova lens, which offers crystal clear optics that seamlessly adapts to changing light conditions. While the field of vision is superb, the goggles aren’t super wide—making them a great fit for smaller faces. Testers also loved the colorful, checkered strap options, which combine a flair of style alongside optimal performance. The Outback is available in three colorways: Blue Water Lens with black/white strap or blue/orange strap, and Solar Orange Lens with red strap. Testers also loved the new Rēvo Harness sunglasses ($219) featuring a versatile frame and a variety of lens options (the brand’s polarized NASA-lens technology is state-of-the-art) that are customizable with any of Rēvo’s signature color lenses. The graphite lens is our favorite for its clarity.
Best for Handling the Fog: Julbo Lightyear Goggle
The award-winning Julbo Lightyear Goggle amazed our testers with one simple trick: When your exertion is overwhelming the anti-fog coating, a simple glove-friendly hinge system lets you extend the lens about a quarter-inch away from the frame (it’s still attached) to immediately eliminate fog and prevent moisture build up. Combined with Julbo’s REACTIV photochromic technology, this large, spherical-lensed goggle truly ups the goggle technology game. We also like the new Razor Edge Goggle ($260), with its proprietary REACTIV lens. You don’t get the heat/moisture dumping ability you do with the Lightyear, but you still get a lens that automatically adjusts to incoming UV light, darkening up in brighter conditions, and allowing more definition when clouds flatten the ambient light.
Best for Quick and Easy Lens Swapping: Smith Squad MAG Goggle
Brands are upping their games when it comes to ease of changing lenses. Smith’s new MAG Goggles utilize strong N52 magnets to securely guide the lens into its locked position. Tested in both snow and rain, these lenses remained secure regardless of extreme conditions. For bluebird days when you can leave your goggles in your pack, the Venture Sunglasses ($215) are Smith’s take on glacier glasses. Side shields give you goggle-like protection against glare from ice and snow, or you can take them off for all-season wear. Chroma-Pop lens technology is one of our favorites for moving from bright sun to end-of-the-day flat terrain. You’ll want to sport these glasses both on the slopes and sundeck for that end-of-day glass of vin chaud.
More Ski Goggles and Sunglasses That We Love
