Have you ever tried to ski or snowboard without goggles? Generally speaking, it’s a horrendous idea. Snowflakes bombard eyeballs like X-wings did the Death Star. Wind withers peepers into useless prunes. Skewer-sharp branches threaten at every turn. And blinding UV rays, reflecting off obliging snow, scorch retinas to the kind of crisp a steakhouse maître d’ might describe as “well done.”
Without goggles, even the most proficient of skiers and snowboarders are as blind and helpless as newborn puppies. That’s why we’ve wrangled specs from the top brands and put them to the test.
How to Pick the Right Snow Goggles
Fit and comfort
Picking the right pair of goggles is largely a matter of fit. Sure, you can buy the best goggles in the world, but if they don’t fit your face, wearing them will be a drag. The best way to ensure that your prospective goggles fit your face is to try them on in person. Head to your local ski shop or buy a few contenders online and return those that don’t work.
Helmet compatibility
If you wear a helmet — and you definitely should — purchase your goggles and helmet simultaneously to make sure the goggles fit well inside the helmet and there aren’t any annoying gaps or pesky hot spots. Or, if you already have a helmet you like, make sure you try on your goggles with that specific helmet. Borderline obvious advice: you’ll likely get the best helmet/goggle match with two products from the same brand.
Budget
Anon’s M4 — our top-rated goggles — cost $319.95. Yes, it comes with a magnetic face mask that snaps to the goggle frame, as well as a spare lens, but still, it’s prohibitively expensive. There are definitely cheaper goggles that work well — like the mid-range POC Fovea and Giro Method or the budget Zeal Beacon — but as with most things, you get what you pay for. If you’re spending under $100, you likely won’t get an extra lens, an easy interchangeable lens system or premium optics.
In this buying guide, you’ll find the best goggles available for the 2022-’23 season, including top budget picks for your consideration. We have skiers and snowboarders still in the midst of testing these pairs and more (come on, snow!) and will have an update later in the season with testing feedback and insights.
How We Tested
We tested our cadre of snow goggles on Mammoth Mountain and in the Mammoth, CA backcountry, braving unexpected storms and flurries and enjoying pristine bluebird days to pick the best of the bunch. While testing, we focused on clarity, ease (or complexity) of lens swapping, comfort and price. After testing a wide selection of brands and styles, we landed on the following picks.
The Best Snow Goggles for Winter 2022/2023
Anon M4 Toric + MFI Face Mask
- Bonus Lens? Yes
- Anti Fog Treatment: Integral Clarity Technology anti-fog
- Color + Lens combinations: 8
Innovative PERCEIVE toric lenses help these Anons lead the pack. However, the magnetic lens-swapping system pushes the M4 a step ahead. While more and more brands are hopping on the magnetic bandwagon, Anon's been a forceful pioneer: the M4 is the fittingly named fourth installment of their magnetic lineup. Launched in 2012, the M1 had six contact points. Since then, they've been our go-to goggles. But they required a slight learning curve: grabbing the goggle frame instead of the lens to remove the goggles. Otherwise, you'd remove the lens, and the goggles would stay put.
Now, the M4 has nine contact points, and the connection has never been more secure.
And that facemask? It also has some magnetic fun, clicking into place on the bottom section of the goggle. It's a great system, especially when you're out there on a storm day with 50+ mph winds, and any bit of exposed skin means a free (and painful) exfoliation.
Expansive peripheral vision, plush triple-layer foam, and an included low-light lens bolster the M4's campaign. Lastly, on a neat but unnecessary note, the M4 is the first goggle compatible with both cylindrical and toric lenses. We recommend sticking with the optically superior toric lenses — they're tough to beat.
Dragon PXV
- Bonus Lens? No
- Anti Fog Treatment: Fogshield double lens patented technology
- Color + Lens combinations: 1
From afar, the PXV looks like an oversized cylindrical lens, but that’s merely a mirage: it’s actually a toric lens. The Panotech lenses possess a slight curve in the vertical axis in order to capture the optical benefits of spherical lenses. Science aside, the stylish PXV offers a sweeping field of view, and LumaLenses (plural — the PXV comes with a spare) supply clarity and depth perception that’s only a shade below top-tier goggles that cost an additional $50 to $100. All told, this is a smart choice for the mid-range crowd.
Smith 4D MAG + ChromaPop
- Bonus Lens? Yes
- Anti Fog Treatment: 5X anti-fog inner lens
- Color + Lens combinations: 8
Thanks to creased lenses — what Smith calls BirdsEye Vision technology — the 4D Mag is arguably the most innovative goggle on the market. Compared to the popular I/O Mag, the exaggerated curvature of the 4D Mag boosts the field of view by 25 percent. That's handy not just when you're scoping the slopes but when you’re looking for your CamelBak hose or reaching into your chest pocket for a walkie-talkie or Snickers Bar. As amazing as the lenses are — they're the reason this goggle is our Step-Up pick — we also love Smith’s lens-swapping system. It’s not as simple as Anon’s, but it’s easy enough to do on the chairlift, and by relying on both locking levers and magnets, Smith’s adopted a belt-and-suspenders approach that hardcore skiers and snowboarders will respect.
Oakley Fall Line L Snow Goggles
- Bonus Lens? No
- UV Protection? Yes
- Color + Lens combinations: 27
The sleek, frameless Fall Line L offers futuristic, oversized styling and a solid lens-swapping system (though not so easy that you’d want to whip out your low-light lens on the chairlift). Prizm lenses earned two thumbs up from our test crew due to consummate pop and contrast. One snowboarder, who happens to sling goggles at a ski town optics shop, commented, “Prizm is like looking at an HDTV.” Cylindrical lens lovers will fall head over heels for the Fall Line L, and those who aren’t on the hunt for an L fit will be satisfied with the medium-sized Fall Line.
Giro Method
- Bonus Lens? Yes
- Anti Fog Treatment: Anti Fog Coating
- Color + Lens combinations: 22
Introduced in 2020, the Method fittingly serves up 20/20 vision. At $140, these goggles are one of your most affordable avenues to sample Carl Zeiss’s lens expertise. In fact, the Method comes with two of Giro’s VIVID lenses, and the Slash Seal interchangeable system isn’t too tricky, although it definitely isn’t the best lens-swapping system out there for on-mountain adjustments. The Method’s cylindrical lenses and suave, minimalist frame are stylish enough for even the most nit-picky of park riders, and Giro’s Adapt Straps allow you to get creative and customize your kit.
Spy Marauder
- Bonus Lens? Yes
- UV Protection? Yes
- Color + Lens combinations: 14
It's almost impossible to argue with the ease of magnets for changing goggles lenses. But some folks get nervous about the tenacity of the bond. Right or wrong (they're the latter, btw), the Marauder is a perfect compromise: magnets plus two intuitive and easy-to-use latches. Just push the "Deadbolts" up, pull the lens off, grab the other lens, and magnets guide it into place before you lock it back down. Voila, your lens is beyond safe from any upcoming crashes/yard sales. Note: Want Spy's proprietary HappyBoost lenses that the company claims "enhances color 15 percent more than its closest competitors?" They’re $240. We're not sure about that specific percentage, but we've been using the HappyBoost on and off the snow and love how it cranks up the hues.
Editor's Note: HappyBoost is not yet available on Spy's website. The brand says the tech will be released in Fall 2022 - here are some other options if you need a pair, now.
Smith I/O MAG Imprint 3D
- Bonus Lens? Yes
- Anti Fog Treatment: 5X anti-fog inner lens
- Color + Lens combinations: 8
Many goggles are available in different sizes and Asian Fit or Low Bridge options, which feature an extra layer of foam lining to sit on the face more securely and comfortably. But for folks with atypical face shapes, whether that’s a bit of asymmetry or, like this tester, a very strong nose, going custom is a goggle Goldilocks moment: “ahh, they fit just right.” We’ve tested countless goggles in the last decade-plus, and sliding these on was an experience like no other.
The process is quick and easy. Just download the app (iOS or Android), scan your face, and choose the initials you want them to add to the frame, strap color, and lens types. A week or two later, the goggles arrive. Equipped with Smith’s sophisticated ChromaPop lenses and a low light lens, they’ll set you back $450, roughly $150 more than off-the-shelf I/O Mag goggles. You can read our full review of Smith's 3D Mag + Chroma Pop here.
DynafitTLT Pro Goggle
- Bonus Lens? No
- Anti Fog Treatment: Fogshield double lens patented technology
- Color + Lens combinations: 1
When it comes to backcountry riding and skiing, you must climb the mountain before sliding down. Every once counts, and you heat up in a hurry as you ascend. Billed as the “lightest ski goggle in the world,” they probably are, tipping the scales at just 59 grams. On your face, the frameless goggles feel more like a large pair of sunglasses. Italian-made photochromatic lenses adjust the tint on the fly. The goggle case also includes a carabiner, so you can easily stash them during cloudy ascents. They’re the yin to the yang of our other fave backcountry eye protection for days we just want a pair of sunnies, the POC Devour Glacial.
Sweet Protection Interstellar RIG Reflect
- Bonus Lens? Yes
- Anti Fog Treatment: Special acetate antifog inner lens
- Color + Lens combinations: 4
Straight out of Østerdalen, Norway, this goggle boasts a ton of great features, including high style, easy-to-swap toric lenses and a wide, distortion-free field of view. But it earns the durability nod on the strength of a couple key ingredients. First off, the double lens boasts a GORE protective vent that equalizes pressure and helps the lens maintain its shape in varying atmospheric pressure. Second, the co-molded frame is reinforced with carbon fiber, providing plenty of support and stability over the long haul.
Shred Simplify+
- Bonus Lens? Yes
- Anti Fog Treatment: Super Anti-Fog
- Color + Lens combinations: 2
While Smith and Zeal offer pretty nifty visibility solutions at widely different price points, two-time Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety's brand hits a price point right between the two while delivering its own optical breakthrough. Developed with the MIT Sports Lab, the Simplify+'s Contrast Boosting Lens brightens the picture when it's cloudy out, so you can see clearly and schuss safely. Like many of the goggles on this list, it also comes with a spare lens that's easy to swap when conditions change.
POC Nexal Clarity
- Bonus Lens? No
- Anti Fog Treatment: POC proprietary anti-fog treatment
- Color + Lens combinations: 8
Like its Swedish corporate brethren, Volvo, POC gear looks safe, even when it also looks fast. Thanks to outriggers on the frame and a protective cover just underneath the eyes, the Nexal Clarity Comp doubles down. Arguably the coolest-looking goggle on the market, they’re built for going full tilt. There’s a switch on the top to reduce airflow for high speeds, which aren’t specified, but we’re guessing for 60+ MPH. This is also good for folk who ride in Artic/Lake Placid-like conditions. Even if you don’t use the lever, it’s a fun flex: “Sure, I’ll take a run with you, lemme adjust my air intake to accommodate the slower speeds…”
Editor's Note: If you crave an extra low-light lens, step up to the Nexal Clarity Comp + ($300).
100% Norg
- Bonus Lens? Yes
- Anti Fog Treatment: Dual Pane Anti-Fog Lens
- Color + Lens combinations: 7
The brand 100% is old news to the throttle-twisting set—they started building goggles in the early 80s. Since then, they expanded to non-motorized two-wheel fun of mountain biking and road cycling as well as running and even baseball. The SoCal-based company is swinging for the snow fences with a full line of winter goggles. The Nog is their futuristic flagship model with lenses that connect via eight magnets and include a low-light lens. Both are scratch and impact resistant. Bonus points for a sleeve that completely covers the spare lens, in addition to the traditional bag. Looking for something more budget-friendly? Check out their entry-level Okan ($110.)
