Downhill Skiing

What type of terrain will you ski most?
Match your skis to the conditions and areas on the mountain you like to ski. Choices include all-mountain, powder, freestyle and backcountry skis.

Find your preferred ski length
Factor in your height and skiing ability. In general, the ski should reach between your chin and the top of your head.

Consider a ski's dimensions
A ski's dimensions are measured in width at 3 places: the tip, waist and tail. The waist (middle) is key; a narrow waist gets on edge quicker; a wider one floats better on powder.

Understand lens shapes

• Cylindrical lenses: Lens curves left-to-right across your eyes and face, but the lens surface is vertically flat. These are lower priced and work for most. The flatness can cause more glare and slightly reduces peripheral vision.
• Spherical lenses: Curves across eyes and face and vertically. You get better peripheral vision, less distortion and less glare. They cost more than cylindrical lenses.
• Toric lenses: Newer to the market. Curves both horizontally and vertically. The vertical curvature is more subtle than the horizontal. These tend to be the priciest.

Consider the lens tint and visible light transmission (VLT)

VLT is the amount of light that passes through your lenses and reaches your eyes. A 0% VLT lets no light pass through while a 100% VLT is clear.

• For bright sunny conditions: Look for a VLT less than 25%. Darker tints—like black, brown and copper—usually have low VLTs.
• For partly cloudy conditions: Aim for a VLT of 25%-50%. Tints in this range vary tremendously in color—green, blue, pink and red.
• For overcast, stormy or low-light conditions: Look for 50% or higher VLT. Consider light tints, like amber, gold and rose.
• Riding at night: Look for clear goggles, or ones with 80%-100% VLT

Other features to consider:

• Many higher-end goggles come with two lenses
• Interchangeable lenses let you to swap lenses depending on the conditions.
• hotochromatic lenses automatically lighten or darken depending on conditions—but there is a lag time.