Best New Ski Goggles and Sunglasses for 2025 To Protect Your Eyes on the Slopes
Skiing without goggles is like driving without a windshield—uncomfortable and dangerous. The price tags on goggles (usually $150 and up) may make you want to try anyway, but we don’t advise it. Any modern ski goggle from a name brand manufacturer will do the job, but your budget, skiing style, and aesthetic preferences will help you narrow things down.
To assist, we’ve shared our favorites in a range of categories below as well as some general buying tips for ski goggles and sunglasses. Our overall pick are Zeal Cloudfall Automatic+, which rarely fogged and have a secure, but easy-to-switch lens system. If you're looking for more great new snowsport gear, take a look at our best of for 2025, from skis, jackets, and aprés-ski essentials.
Best Ski Goggles and Sunglasses of 2025 at a Glance
Best Ski Goggles Overall: Zeal Cloudfall Automatic+
Best Budget Ski Goggles: Dragon DX3 OTG
Best Ski Sunglasses: POC Devour Glacial
Best Budget Ski Sunglasses: Tifosi Rail
Best Ski Goggles for Lens Swapping: Smith I/O Mag with Chromapop Pro Lens
Best Fog-Free Ski Goggles: Glade Adapt 2
Best Glacier Glasses: Obermeyer Rallye
Related: This Is the Most Important Ski Equipment That Skiers Overlook
Best Ski Goggles and Sunglasses of 2025
Best Ski Goggles Overall: Zeal Cloudfall Automatic+
Zeal’s spherical Cloudfall goggle paired with their photochromic Automatic+ lens is their highest-end goggle and one of the best I’ve ever tested. Like any high-end spherical goggle, the Zeal Observation Deck Technology gives a massive field of view and, on my face at least, the frame made only minimal intrusions. In my testing, the high-volume Cloudfalls rarely fogged and if they did, cleared quickly.
In addition to the photochromic lens, you get a low-light option such as Rose. Most photochromics do reasonably well in low light, but a yellow, rose, clear, or other high-transmission lens will always be better for storm days or night skiing. Switching lenses is straightforward once you get the hang of the Rail Lock system. While not quite as dummy-proof as purely magnetic systems, the Rail Lock combo of a secure slot and magnets avoids any moving parts which could fail but adds a layer of security. Most magnet systems work great, but I have seen magnetic lenses explode off their frames in crashes more than once.
Best Budget Ski Goggles: Dragon DX3 OTG
Good goggles don’t come cheap and if you haven’t bought a pair in a while you might be disappointed to find the big brands’ flagship models are between $200 and $300 these days. Those goggles are great and most sub-$100 goggles are not, but Dragon’s DX3 OTG goggles are an exception.
The cylindrical lenses won’t give you quite the field of view as bubble-like spherical models, but they’re built to accommodate prescription eyeglasses and the extra volume can help with fogging, even if you don’t wear glasses. The big downside is the lens isn’t interchangeable, so you can’t swap in different lenses for different conditions or replace a scratched lens. Still, for the price, you could buy two pair and still come out ahead on price compared to most goggles.
Best Ski Sunglasses: POC Devour Glacial
These are the snow version of POC’s excellent Devour biking shades and the main difference is the addition of side and brow shields to keep glare from the snow from sneaking in. While they don’t have a photochromic option, I reach for the Devour Glacials because of the extra large lens which serves the dual purpose of providing a greater field of view than most sunglasses as well as blocking more snow and wind, especially on descents where consequences are higher.
I mostly use these for fairweather ski touring days, but they are also an option for bluebird resort days since the mirrored, dark lens shuts down the rays and they obviously allow for a lot more airflow on warm spring days when fogging is a constant threat in goggles. There’s also an included clear lens for overcast days but I would suggest switching to goggles if weather turns stormy.
Best Budget Ski Sunglasses: Tifosi Rail
While marketed as a baseball or cycling pair the Rail sunglasses have served me well as backcountry ski sunglasses and despite a friendly price point, the photochromic lens is one of the most responsive I’ve used.
The biggest downside is the lens isn’t as large as some others and they lack the side shields that most ski-specific shades have, so I’m more likely to reach for a full sun pair like the POC Devours on a bluebird day. But for shifting weather, it’s hard to beat the price and adaptability of the Rails.
Best Ski Goggles for Lens Swapping: Smith I/O Mag with Chromapop Pro Lens
These are a close runner-up to my top overall pick and provide a similar construction and quality to the Zeal Cloudfall, I just personally prefer the fit and change mechanism of the Zeals. Your face may vary, however, and the Smith’s I/O goggle has been one of the most popular ski goggles on the market for a long time for good reason. The magnetic lens change system is rock-solid and one of the easiest to use and the lens quality is high. The inclusion of a photochromic version of the Chromapop primary lens along with a low-light option gives you good value for the fairly high price tag.
Best Fog-Free Ski Goggles: Glade Adapt 2
There are plenty of cheaper goggles on the market, but Glade has scratched out a place in the ski goggle market by providing more affordable goggles for people who don’t want to skimp on performance. The Adapt 2 have everything you expect out of the most expensive brands such as interchangeable lens mechanism, an included photochromic lens, no-slip strap, and fog prevention with a “fog-free” guarantee. What you don’t get is an included low-light lens but you can add one for $70.
Best Glacier Glasses: Obermeyer Rallye Glacier Glasses
These classic “glacier glasses” from Obermeyer are dripping with classic style thanks to the rounded lenses and removable leather side shields to keep out glare. The acetate frames are thick and sturdy to resist warping but they aren’t heavy which can help gravity pull them down your nose during activity. The mineral glass lenses are sharp but also provide durability comparable to the glass used in high-end watch faces. The Rallye are made by hand in France and the price tag reflects it but they’re actually a few hundred bucks cheaper than comparable options for well-known brands such as Vuarnet. Wear these on warm spring days when you spend as much time apres as skiing.
Related: Our Favorite Ski Boots for 2025 Are Topped by One That Totally Blew Us Away
What to Look For in Ski Goggles and Sunglasses
Ski goggles haven’t changed a lot in terms of their basic design over the past 20 years, but lots of incremental improvements come each year to the frames and lenses. Fog reduction has gotten much better but no one has found a way to completely eradicate a foggy goggle despite multiple failed attempts to sell battery-powered fan goggles. The most significant development in ski goggle tech recently has been the spread of photochromic lenses that, like transition lenses for eyeglasses, automatically darken or lighten based on the amount of UV light.
While you may still want the ability to swap in other fixed darkness lenses for the sunniest and cloudiest days, good photochromic lenses cover the substantial ground between partly sunny and partly cloudy. This mostly eliminates the annoying switching of lenses and lessens the importance of carefully evaluating the proprietary lens-swapping mechanism developed by goggle manufacturers. We love photochromic and most of the favorites we share below feature photochromic lenses.
Backcountry skiers and more casual resort riders can get away with rocking ski-specific sunglasses instead of goggles. While ski touring, ski shades allow more airflow to keep you from steaming out your eyeballs and fogging up irreparably and the oversized lenses preserve your vision on the descent provided you maintain a speed limit and it isn’t too stormy. For fairweather ski area use, ski sunglasses again have a speed limit and good weather requirement, but ski-specific models usually wrap around or use side shields to keep reflected light at bay and snow out of your eyes.
Size and Fit
Goggles have grown over the years with skiers and snowboarders loving the fighter pilot look and increased field of vision. But bigger is not always better, unless you have a large head. Smaller riders may even need to look for XS versions of goggles which are sometimes called Asian Fit since they’re frequently made for that market. Brands will also offer XL versions of popular goggles to accommodate bigger faces. Trying on goggles in-person at a ski or eyewear shop is your best bet to dial in fit.
Fixed or Interchangeable?
We touched on the magic of photochromic above and strongly recommend it for most people, but even though a photochromic lens will cover most situations, most goggles still allow you to swap in other lenses. Cheaper goggles will often have one, fixed compromise lens that is meant to cover a broad range of conditions and this might be enough for folks that want to save money and only ski a handful of days each season.
Interchangeable lens goggles are the most common and they usually come with two lenses: an all-rounder and a low-light option. This also allows you to add lenses to your collection and easily replace them if they’re damaged or lost without having to purchase a brand-new pair of goggles.
Lens Shape
There are two basic lens shapes when it comes to ski goggles: cylindrical and spherical. If you don’t care about the details, spherical lenses are better, generally.
Cylindrical lenses have been around longer and while they curve around your face from one side to the other, they are flat vertically (from nose to forehead). Spherical lenses have a bubble look because the curve in all directions back to the frame. Toric lenses are a less common third type that are basically just a hybrid that results in a flatter spherical lens.
Cylindrical lenses are considered superior because they grant a larger field of view, reduce glare better, and are higher-volume inside which can help with airflow and fogging.
Why You Should Trust Me
I’m a lifelong skier raised on icy upstate New York hills currently based in Breckenridge, Colorado, where I ski over 100 days a year, split fairly evenly between backcountry and resort. I spend those days testing all manner of gear from skis to jackets to apps to avalanche beacons for Men’s Journal, Powder, Tripsavvy, Gear Junkie, and I serve as editor of the backcountry ski site WildSnow. I’ve skied on four continents and aim to hit all seven eventually, but some of my favorite runs are in my backyard.