Goggles fog when warm, moist air meets a cold lens. Your face, your breath and your body heat all supply the warm air; the mountain supplies the cold. Most fogging comes down to a few habits you can change today.
Why goggles fog
Moisture condenses on whatever surface is colder than the air around it. Inside your goggles, that's the lens. The more warm, damp air that gets trapped inside the frame, and the colder the lens, the faster it mists up. That's why goggles fog most when you stop after a hard run, or when you pull them up onto a sweaty forehead.
Habits that stop fogging
- Keep them on your face or your helmet, never your forehead. Your forehead is warm and damp, and a few seconds there fills the goggles with moist air.
- Keep the vents clear. Goggles breathe through the foam vents at the top and bottom. A hat, hood or snow packed into the vents traps the warm air inside.
- Point your breath down, not up. A face covering pulled up under the goggles can funnel your breath straight into them. Wear it so your breath escapes downwards; a balaclava with a breathable mouth panel helps.
- Vent your body heat. Open a jacket zip on the chairlift after a hard run, so less heat rises into your face.
- Keep moving when you can. Airflow while you ski clears moisture; standing still in a queue is when goggles fog most.
If they fog mid-run
- Don't wipe the inside of the lens. Many anti-fog lenses have a treated inner surface, and wiping it, especially with a glove, can damage it.
- Take a slow run or a chairlift ride with the goggles on your helmet, so air can move through them.
- If snow has got inside, shake it out and let the lens air-dry; blot the outside only.
- At lunch, keep them somewhere dry, not in a damp pocket, and let them dry fully before you head back out.
What to look for in a lens
- A double-layer lens: two lenses with a sealed air gap between them. The gap insulates the inner lens, so it stays closer to your face's temperature and mists up less than a single lens.
- A good seal and ventilation: soft foam that seals against wind and snow, with vents that let air move through.
- Helmet fit: goggles that sit flush against your helmet leave no gap at the forehead for warm air to rise into.
Our ski goggles have a spherical, double-layer anti-fog lens, three-layer face foam and a wide strap that fits over most ski helmets, in six lens colours.
FAQ
Should I use an anti-fog spray?
Only if the goggle maker says it's safe for your lens. On lenses with a factory anti-fog treatment, sprays and wiping can do more harm than good.
Why do my goggles fog on the chairlift?
You've just stopped, you're warm from the run and there's no airflow. Open your jacket, keep the goggles on your face or helmet and let air move through the vents.
Is it OK to wear goggles over glasses?
Only in goggles designed to fit over glasses. Glasses under standard goggles add another surface to fog and can press on your face.
