Have you ever had your awesome skiing day damped by impaired vision due to logged up goggles? Well, you are not alone. For any snow sports individual, fogging has always been an issue. Regardless of your goggles type, the laws of nature will definitely find a way of fogging them up. While it’s simply not possible to stop the fogging at all times, these tips will provide you with the best opportunity of mitigating the fogging issue.
Table of Contents
1. Understand the Causes of Goggles Fogging
Understanding the causes of fogging is an essential step to preventing it. Through this understanding, you can easily begin to spot out some of the behaviors that you are doing, which might cause the fogging, even if they are not listed in this article or anywhere else.
Fogging usually occurs when the moist and warm air inside your goggles come into contact with the cold surface of the goggles lens. To mitigate the problem, you should aim at:
• Ensuring you reduce the moisture amount inside you goggles
• Keep the temperature inside your ski goggles almost the same as the outside temperature.
Keep in mind that the anti-fog solution being implemented in treating the goggles will only suck up to a certain amount of moisture. This, therefore, means you also have to play a part in maintaining the right temperatures.
2. Remain in Motion
Most of the modern-day goggles come with ventilations. Some also come with battery-powered fan systems. The purpose behind the ventilation system is to allow cold air to move in and force the warm air out.
Remaining in motion is simply the best way of keeping the air in and out of your ski goggles flowing.
Immediately you notice that your goggles are foggy after getting off from the lift; you can to go down the mountain over a short distance at a decent speed and monitor how the goggles behave.
You simply will not wish to ski down the mountain with an impaired vision. Therefore make sure that everything has cleared up before you can commit to the trail that might lead to massive troubles.
3. Allow Air to Flow in while on the Lift
Things will always move slower while on a lift. Therefore even with the vents, there will be not enough air for them to function fully. To ensure that your goggles remain cool, simply lift them off your face a little bit and let air flow in. A few seconds will be enough to allow the air to flow in and out of the goggles.
Remember, avoid touching the goggles, especially if your gloves have snow on them. Doing so will lead to the moisture or snow getting access to your goggles vents, which can worsen the problem.
4. Check your Goggles Vents for Moisture and Snow
Taking a mean fall on a snowy day while skiing, means that the padding and vents of your goggles could allow moisture and snow to have access to your goggles. This might be a significant reason for higher humidity within your goggles, and you must get rid of the moisture immediately.
However, you have to be very keen about using your fingers or gloves when wiping the snow off, which might lead to rubbing the snow. Instead, tap the goggles against a surface to ensure that the snow falls off.
If the padding is already saturated with water, then the best option is to let them dry off naturally.
5. Settle for a Visor Helmet
When snow is dropping down from the sky, a perfectly fitted visor helmet becomes the only protection between the top-portion of your ski goggles and the moisture. However, when choosing the helmet, ensure there is a little space between the top vents of your goggles and the visor. Blocking the vents entirely will interfere with the intended function.
6. Avoid Resting the Goggles over your Head
Resting the ski goggles on top of your head or over a vented helmet can lead to fogged up goggles due to a heat rises from your body. All the hot humid within your body will, therefore, go into your goggles. This is why it’s always a good idea not to remove the goggles from your eyes when skiing unless you really have to.
7. Dry out the Goggles Properly
Once you’re done skiing for the day, it’s vital to ensure that you give your goggles enough time to rest in a safe place so that they can dry naturally. While most people recommend using a drier, this approach can easily lead to significant issues down the line. Therefore practice patient.
8. Change your Goggles Lens
Having another lens with you can help you by offering a quick solution to fogging, which is to change the lens. However, the spare lens has to correspond with the original lens and suit the condition at hand. This simple procedure can help you enjoy your skiing activity without having to worry about clear visibility.
9. Have a Spare Ski Goggle
Drying the goggles takes time, as explained above. At times the inner foam parts of your goggles might get wet, and nothing can be done about this. This is why having a spare is beneficial.
You don’t have to go for an expensive goggle option. Even those going for less than $20 can serve you ideally provided they feature dual-pane vents and lenses. It’s better to ski off with a cheaper goggle than having nothing protecting your eyes at all.
10. Avoid Tucking your Balaclava or Neck Warmer
During a freezing day, you will be tempted to tuck in your gaiter and balaclava under the goggles to seal off your face completely. However,this is a terrible idea.
Your breath is moist and warm, particularly if you’re moving pretty hard and also sweating under your base layer at the same time. If there is a direct pathway to the goggles, then your goggles will be fogged up very quickly.
The right thing to do here is to create a small separation between your balaclavas and goggles, leaving the nose slightly exposed.
11. Ensure your Ski Mask has Ventilation
Having a separation between your goggles and ski mask will not prevent the possibility of hot air rising up when you breathe, especially if the mouth is covered. However, ski masks will have one or two ventilation methods.
• An air-hole which takes out the air you breathe.
• A mesh material that allows air to pass through effectively than the rest.
A better and affordable option is the Ergodyne N-ferno Balaclava.
12. Avoid Overdressing
The fact that it’s cold out there should not be a significant reason as to why you should dress too warmly. Just dress perfectly for the day. Opening vents within your jackets and the peeling off layers are simply a perfect way of preventing fogging.
Sweating more means that your body will be producing more heat and moisture. The moisture, on the other hand, has to go somewhere, and since the temperature rises, most of it will eventually move out through the neck.
13. Choose the Right Material for Wiping your Ski Goggles
If it’s a must, you clean the moisture off your goggle lenses; then, you must resist the temptation that comes with wanting to use your hands. Doing so means you’re likely to simply move it around, thus pushing water into your goggles foam.
Even worse, you might end up scratching your goggles lens or remove the anti-fog coating that is built-in. To eliminate all these effects, ensure you have a soft microfiber material with you for emergencies.
14. Understand the Key Upgrades and Features of your Ski Goggles
Having an old pair of old ski goggles, means you are missing out on the latest anti-fog features. However, at the very minimum, your goggles must have the following features.
• The goggles must have ventilation within the rims for keeping the temperature consistent both inside and outside the goggles.
• It should have pane lenses that work just like the ventilation by harboring the air layer between both lenses.
• The goggles should also have a built-in hydrophilic coating within the lenses to absorb moisture and keep the goggles from fogging.
• The Goggles have to fit your face perfectly.
Every pair of goggles you purchase, including even the cheaper ones, should have these features for effective flog protection.
15. Avoid Putting on your Goggles when Hiking
If you’re hiking, then it’s advisable to avoid putting on your ski goggles. All the sweat and heat can cause fogging in your goggles. Instead, you can choose to wear sunglasses on your way up and keep the goggles safely in your pack any only wear them when skiing downwards.
Final words
Hopefully, all of these tips will help you get less fogging so that you can enjoy your skiing activities by being able to see where you’re going. However, it’s also essential to keep in mind that prevention is better than cure. If you follow all the necessary preventative measures, you might not need even these considerations.
