Have you ever felt annoyed by fogged up goggles? If yes, then you are not alone. The falling of snow and the cool breeze are incredible to have fun with. But within a couple of minutes, everything gets blurry, and you start feeling frustrated.
If you’re a snow sportsperson, then fogging of ski goggles is a standard issue. It doesn’t matter what brand of goggles you’re wearing; foggy ski goggles can’t be avoided. There are no goggles made that prevent fogging up completely, but following some useful tips can avoid this issue.
Before learning how to keep ski goggles from fogging up, we need to understand the scientific reason behind why ski goggles become foggy?
Why Ski Goggles Fog Up?
The reason why ski goggles fog up is air temperature. Ski goggles use anti-fog technology, but they don’t have temperature settings. Hence, fog appears when moist and warm air comes in contact with cold lenses. Because of this, water vapor begins to condense fogging the lenses and making your vision blurry and fuzzy. Having fogged glasses can cause significant problems. With technology and techniques, we can keep our ski goggles fog-free and enjoy a clear vision, even in heavy snowfall. So, let’s see how to keep ski goggles from fogging.
Most Effective Ways to Keep Ski Goggles Fog-free
Indeed, you can’t prevent the fogging of ski goggles completely. But here are a few ways you can prevent or slow down your goggles from fogging up. Have a look.
Anti-fog Products
There are countless anti-fog products to choose from to prevent fogging. One such product is the anti-fog spray. These sprays are beneficial at higher levels because they use alcohol and other chemicals that easily prevent lens fogging by locking the moisture in. You can also find anti-fog vans that create ventilation. Another great product you can use is a microfiber lens cloth that is perfect for avoiding condensation on your lenses. It’s a good idea to put a microfiber cloth in your pocket to clean your vision.
Choose Anti-fog Goggles
One of the best ways to avoid fogged up goggles is to invest in anti-fog goggles. With advanced technology, ski goggles have used anti-fog coating on the lenses that absorb moisture and prevent your lenses from fogging. Also, some goggles use excellent quality air vent that keep the moisture locked in, enabling a clear vision at all times. In this, you will also find in-built fan goggles with double-pane lenses that are meant to stop water condensation.
Tips to Prevent Ski Goggles from Fogging
Even though you have invested in the most advanced technology, fogging can still occur, thanks to a wild difference in the temperature of the lens and the human body. Hence, it is important for us to adopt a few habits to reduce chances of your goggles fogging up. So, we’ve made a list of tips and tricks you can use to uplift your snowboarding/skiing experience.
1. Make Sure you have Space Between your Garments and Goggles
Try to make space between your scarf, face mask or hat and your ski goggles. Breathing close to your goggles is a common cause of fogginess. It can be tricky to figure out how to breathe through your mouth if you’re new to the whole experience. So, here are a few tips to make the process simpler.
When you exhale, the direction of the air is changed due to obstruction in the path. This causes the air to move upwards towards your goggles and in a few moments the glasses become cloudy. Similarly, this happens when you are wearing glasses with a long collar or jacket. Hence, to keep your goggles free of condensation, fog and dew, you need to create space between your nose/mouth and your garments.
This will let the moisture out, making your goggles fog free. Therefore, be sure to add enough space to ventilate so that the air passes out easily. That way, you’ll be free from the foggy lenses. You can also expose the neck gaiter to protect the goggle frame from moisture.
2. Do Not Put your Ski Goggles Over the Forehead
Many people wear ski glasses on their forehead and neck while playing snow sports. When not in use, this ends up creating a perfect environment for fog/condensation. This also creates an imbalance between heat and sweat, and you are more likely to have moist goggles making them cloudy.
So, keep your glasses on your eyes to avoid fogging and to support better durability. If you want, you can place your goggles safely someplace to prevent them from condensing. It’s better to place them in the jacket pocket as the heat of your jacket also helps to get rid of any condensation that may have previously formed.
3. Check if the Vents are Clear
On the edge of your glass, you will find vents created to allow ventilation in goggles. But when you are in the snowy area, always cross-check the vents to see if they are clean. If you find your vents clogged with snow or dirt, you need to clean them as soon as possible to get rid of the moisture.
4. Give Your Goggles Little Time to Breathe
If you’ve been wearing ski goggles for a long time, then it may be time to take them off for a little while and allow some fresh air on the inner side of your goggles. This will allow your goggles to cool down, if they have heated up from being in contact with your body for too long.
5. Your Goggles Should Be Completely Dry Before Wearing
The most crucial step you need to follow while putting goggles in your bag is to make sure that they are completely dry. Hence, set them in a dry place where there is enough airflow to dry out any remaining moisture. You can use a heating vent to remove such moisture if it’s available.
On the other hand, if there is snow in your ski goggles, it will melt and make the goggles wet. The edges of the glass often hold a lot of moisture and can be a tough area to dry out. Using heating vents can be a great solution as the heat can easily reach places natural air might not be able to, completely drying your goggles.
6. Match Your Outfit According to the Weather
Another useful habit you can add while getting ready for skiing or other snow sports is to dress according to the weather and temperature. This may sound like common sense, but it is a common mistake that may cause your goggles to fog. If you wear multiple layers of clothing, insulated body heat can create a big difference between your body temperature and the surrounding temperature. This can cause your goggles to fog up faster. Choosing appropriate clothing can allow you to avoid a striking difference between your body temperature and the surrounding temperature.
7. Keep Going with the Sport
Standing still for a long time can quickly fog your goggles up. So, you should keep moving and enjoy the game. You may have noticed that the fog starts to fade once you start moving again, allowing your goggles to be ventilated from outside.
This simply proves that fogged up goggles are a temporary problem and once you start to enjoy your sport, fogging up of your ski goggles won’t be a noticeable issue anymore. However, it is advised that you remove your goggles if you’re standing still in one place to avoid moist and cloudy goggles.
8. Clean your Lenses Carefully and Safely
When you are done with your snowboarding, make sure to clean the lenses carefully. You don’t need to wipe the inside of the lens as this can damage the anti-fog coating applied on it. If you notice building up of moisture inside your ski goggles, then the best way to get rid of the same is to place your goggles near a heating vent to let the moisture dry out.
On the other hand, you can use dryers or any other heating methods to melt the fog. Another option is to use toilet paper to remove the droplets by dabbing softly so that you don’t rupture through the anti-fogging coating.
Conclusion
To put it simply, you should definitely buy a pair of high quality glasses including double layer and spherical lenses with ventilation and anti-fog coating. With this, you can simply avoid any risk factors that can get in the way of easy skiing/snowboarding.
There are many well regarded brands available on the Internet, but choose the ones that fit your face and serve the purpose well. Please remember that utility comes first, fashion comes second. It is also advisable to buy ski goggles that are reviewed as top-notch quality by other snow sports enthusiasts to avoid wasting your money on sub-standard products.