UPDATE: See our list of the Best Snowboard Goggles for 2017/2018 here
We all had a good chuckle last year when, talking up the benefits of his latest goggle, legendary pro Jake Blauvelt summed up his thoughts thusly: “if you can’t see… you can’t snowboard.”
Poetry it ain’t – but he’s right, obviously; Mother Nature has ruined many a day on the hill by throwing up blizzards, fog, flat light or – ironically – blazing sunshine. If you’ve not got the right eye protection for the conditions, expect to have a tough time.
“A well-ventilated, comfortable pair of goggles has the potential to become your most useful bit of kit”
Fortunately it’s easy to stay one step ahead, thanks to the vast range of snowboard goggles and lenses available on the market. A well-ventilated, comfortable pair has the potential to become your most useful bit of kit, especially if it’s easy to swap the lens out and swap a dark sunny-day one for a tinted low-light one when the conditions dictate.
Nowadays you can also get models with lenses that automatically lighten and darken, like those of a fighter pilot (but without the flip-down element, thankfully).
As with everything else in this game, shop around and try and get your hands on as many pairs as you can before handing over any dough. Also do some research on how to get the most out of your pair – for example, read our tips on how to stop goggles from fogging.
Without further ado, here are the best goggles to look out for in 2015/16:
Scroll through the list to your heart’s content, or skip to your favourite brand using the links below.
Anon | Dragon | Electric | Giro | Nike | Oakley | Quiksilver | Roxy | Shred | Smith | Spy | Von Zipper | Zeal
All photographs by Sami Tuoriniemi
Production: Ed Blomfield / Mike Brindley / Andrew Duthie / Sami Tuoriniemi
