How To Ski With Glasses: 4 Key Tips For A Safer Experience

Skiing with glasses can be a challenging experience, but it doesn't have to be. Here are three essential tips for skiing safely and comfortably with glasses.

What Are The Challenges of Skiing With Glasses?

Before we dive into the solutions, let's take a look at the main challenges that skiers who wear glasses face on the slopes:

• Fogging
• Tight goggles
• Bending frames
• Goggles pushing glasses upwards toward the forehead
• Pinching at the bridge of the nose
• Loose or slipping down the face

Why You Need UV Protection

You might wonder why you can't just wear your regular prescription glasses instead of ski goggles. The truth is, normal clear prescription lenses won't protect you from UV radiation, which is stronger at higher altitudes and even more intense when reflected off clouds and snow. In extreme cases, unprotected eyes can suffer from snow blindness due to high reflectivity.

Additionally, it's easier to see where you're going with protection from glare that obscures shadows and slope contours ahead of you.

How To Ski Safely With Glasses

Tip #1 - Wear OTG Goggles

OTG (Over The Goggles) are oversized goggles designed specifically to fit over glasses. They're bigger than standard goggles and internally spaced so they don't squash your face or bend your frames. While larger non-OTG goggles may work for some people, they often cause discomfort because they aren't designed for this purpose.

True OTG goggles have cut-outs in their frame allowing temple pieces to rest comfortably without squeezing or digging into your face. When buying online, measure how far your glasses protrude out from your head while wearing them so you can compare them against OTG specs before purchasing.

Tip #2 - Helmets with Built-in Visors

If wearing bulky OTG goggles isn't appealing to you but still want full coverage including your glasses, buying a helmet with a built-in visor is another option. The visor sits far enough from your face not to interfere with most spectacles. Just be sure to double-check the measurements of your glasses and how far the visor sits from your face before purchasing.

Tip #3 - Prescription Inserts

Prescription inserts are larger frames without arms that clip into the front of ski goggles giving you a wider field of view than wearing glasses under OTG goggles while sitting further away from your face reducing the potential for fogging in the same conditions. You buy these separately with a unique prescription and fit them into ski goggles by flexing the top and bottom arms so they stay snugly in place.

Contact lenses can also be used instead of glasses or inserts as they do not fog up and protect eyes better than regular clear prescription lenses when skiing. With UV protection contact lenses, users can take off their goggles during breaks on the mountain without compromising eye safety.

Skiing safely and comfortably with glasses is possible if you follow these three essential tips!

Tip #4 - Use Helmets with Built-in Visors

Consider investing in a helmet that comes equipped with a visor, conveniently positioned at a distance from your face to avoid any interference with most types of eyewear. However, it is crucial to verify the dimensions of both your glasses and the visor's position relative to your face. The advantage of having an integrated visor is that it eliminates the dreaded 'google gap.'