HOW TO STOP YOUR GOOGLES FROM FOGGING
Snow goggles are made from two main ingredients, plastic and foam. The foam, like a soft sponge, can absorb moisture. This foam seals to your face to ensure cold air stays out of the space between your eyes and the inside lens and also, it seals your double layered lens to reduce fogging by creating a thermal barrier (like a double glazed window). It also, allows heat to pass through the top vents so that your goggles stay fog free. Now, I will just re-iterate that, it’s made from foam,which is like a sponge, which absorbs moisture. Snow is made from water,which is wet. Wet goggles block heat which will cause fogging.
So firstly, if your goggles aren’t dry, heat can’t escape as the foam acts as a barrier. If you don’t dry your goggles out overnight, it can make your goggles fog almost instantly the next day.
Secondly, if it’s snowing a lot and your top vents get covered in snow,the heat that is trying to escape out of the goggle, will melt the snow and cause those vents to become wet and fog your goggles. If that is the case, you will need to dry your goggles out. Warm them up by putting them inside your jacket during lunch or while you’re on a chairlift. If you wear a helmet, this problem should be reduced. If you don’t have a helmet and that seems to be your problem, get a helmet, you should wear one anyway. Speaking of helmets, if you wear a helmet and you’re experiencing foggy goggles, make sure you have a slight gap between the brim and the top of the goggle frame. This will allow your goggles to ventilate. If there is no gap, you can make your goggles fog.
Thirdly, you might notice your goggle will fog when you’re sitting on the gondola or after you’ve done a big run. That’s because the energy you have just used has turned into heat and is now trying to leave your body. Because goggles have an anti-fog treatment, they should go back to normal if you leave them on your face.The next thing you need to consider is what you’re wearing on your head and face. If you’re wearing a balaclava or neck warmer and you’re tucking it inside your goggles from the bottom, you could be breathing hot breath into your goggles. Make sure there are no gaps between the bridge of your nose and the goggles if there is the goggle doesn’t fit you properly and this will make your goggles fog.
The next big question is, do you run hot? If you get really hot and sweaty when you’re skiing or even just in general, you might need to check what you’re wearing. When you’re skiing or snowboarding, your heat will travel up and out of your gear. This heat will escape out of your head which, can make you more sweaty, which will cause your gogs to fog.If that’s the case, reconsider your layering, for layering tips head to our blog article. You might need to ditch a layer to cool your body down.
Speaking of anti-fog treatments, we’ve made it to our last point. It’s all about the anti-fog treatment. If you’ve purchased your goggles in the last 4-5 years, your goggle lens would have come with an anti-fog treatment. Some are more advanced and better than others, but even if you only spent $50 on them, they would have had an anti-fog treatment.This treatment absorbs moisture by spreading it over the surface of the goggle lens to reduce fogging. If your lens becomes foggy, it means the anti-fog is activated and as soon as you get your fingers in there and start rubbing, you are destroying the treatment. Basically, just don’t touch the inside of the lens. If you need to clean the goggle, wait until it’s dry and use the bag that it came with to gently clean out marks, fluff or tears.
Okay, so those are the reasons why goggles fog and now I will quickly just go over those points with some tips on how to look after your goggles so they don’t fog!
- Dry them out overnight - Near a heater but not on top, in a dry room - not in a drying room. Ski gear drying rooms are often humid and full of moisture, this won't help.
- Make sure they fit you correctly, no gaps and sealing to your skin.
- If you get snow in them, shake the snow out and the heat from your face should evaporate any moisture inside the google.
- Ensure there is no snow on that top vent otherwise it won't work.
- If you're hot and sweaty, open your vents, lose a layer or stop and cool down.
- Don't rub the inside of your lens!!!!!
If you’ve followed all of these tips and you’re still getting foggy goggles, get in contact with the place you got the goggles from or contact the brand directly. The easiest and quickest way to fix a goggle that can’t be fixed, is to get a new lens or just buy a new set of goggles. So if you’re traveling down this way for a skiing or snowboarding holiday or you’re already here, keep these things in mind when you’re out on the hill. It will save you in the long run! Don’t forget to have fun and enjoy the snow!
Article and Video by Aurora Braid. After 10 seasons back to back Aurora has all the snow tips you could need. Watch for more blogs from Aurora and check out her Youtube channel. If you didn't want to head to Japan before you will want to after watching a couple of clips!
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