If you have ever been skiing or riding with full visibility and confidence, until a dark cloud rolls in and suddenly your vision seems to be missing out on some key details… you may be wearing the wrong goggle lens.
Goggles, like sunglasses, come in varying levels of colors and tints. Each variation serves a purpose — they are not all just about matching to your jacket color.
In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to pick the right goggle lens for any day on the mountain—and when it’s time to swap to your low-light lens.
VLT Scale
Lens tints are often measured on the VLT scale. VLT stands for Visible Light Transmission. The scale goes from 0–100%, with lower numbers representing bright/clear lenses that let in very little light, and higher numbers for lenses that let in more light.
The VLT scale is further broken down into 5 categories with a range of light in each. The categories range from S0 (night) to S4 (sunny).
Brands will break up their goggle lens assortments to generally fit into these “S” categories, allowing you to decide which tint is right for you.
In general, you will see a similar breakdown to the following:
Sunny Lenses - S3 or S4
Variable Conditions - S2
Cloudy or Dark - S1
Night - S0 (clear)
Which lens tint is right for me?
You want a low VLT rating on sunny days, as these lenses will let in the least amount of light. Think of it as the days when you really need sunglasses.
A higher VLT rating is great for a snowstorm or dark clouds. An 80% or higher VLT would be a night lens, with little to zero tint.
You don’t want to have too dark of a tint on a cloudy day because it will be too dark to see the grooves and divots in the snow. If you’ve ever been cruising down a groomer and suddenly have your knees in your chest because you hit an unseen cat track — that’s your lens blocking out the small changes in the snow that should have alerted you to a difference in terrain.
Alternatively, a lens that’s too light will not offer enough protection from the light reflecting off the snow and can cause you to squint — doing anything but enhancing your visibility.
What is each tint used for?
S4 — These are very dark lenses. Often these have a black or onyx base tone. They look cool but are not necessarily for every rider. If you are primarily skiing and riding on sunny days, above treeline, S4 lenses are great. If you are going to a summer camp to ski on a glacier in July — hell yeah, an S4 is recommended. However, if you are skiing in primarily shady, cloudy or stormy conditions, S4's are likely going to be too dark for you.
S3 — These are more approachable sunny-day lenses. These lenses can have a number of base-tone colors and typically allow 8–18% VLT. More appropriate for the average rider on a nice day, but these can still challenge your visibility when the clouds roll in.
S2 — This lens will be the happy medium. Just enough tint to give you a break from the sun, but not enough to block out what’s going on around you when you ski through a shady patch. This tint is the most versatile of the group.
S1 — The cloudy-day lens. These lenses are all about increasing your visibility and enhancing the texture of the snow and terrain around you so you are not caught by surprise. Goggles that come with two lenses will often include an S1 as their second “low light” lens. Great for stormy and cloudy days — these lenses do not offer much tint or protection when the sun decides to grace us with its presence. They can be too light for nice days and cause eye fatigue.
S0- These are generally clear lenses with no tint. Great for night skiing and for some racers under artificial light. I wouldn't recommend them for everyday skiing but awesome to have one hand if your a big night skier.
Why do goggles come with two lenses?
While each lens has positives and negatives — there is a nice solution that most goggle brands are using these days: two lenses.
Most major goggle companies have built full collections around offering models that come with a sunny-day lens and a low-light lens. If you can train yourself to swap out lenses as needed, you will have the best of both worlds.
PRO TIP: We recommend making the investment in easy-change lenses. If you need a cup of coffee and a load of patience to change your lenses, you will never do it.
How do I know when I should switch my lens?
If it's sunny out, use your Sun Lens.
Just like is sounds, sun is shining, clouds are small or few and far between. Most of the terrain is lit by the sun and not covered in dark shadows.
If it's darker or snowing, use your Low Light Lens.
Overcast days or snowstorms, start with a low light lens. If you are skiing past 4pm and the sun is setting -> low light lens. If it was a blue bird day when you started but now long patches of clouds are casting shadows more often than letting the sun through, you may be happier in your low light lens.
It's a little different for each person. Some say if you have darker eye color, you need a low light lens more oftern. While light colored eyes prefer a stronger tint. The best thing about quick change lenses is that you can swap them as often as you like with little effort.
What are photochromic lenses?
Photochromic gets ultra techy. Photochromic lenses automatically adjust their tint as they are exposed to sunlight. As it gets darker out, they get lighter. When the sun starts to pop, the tint gets darker.
Photochromic lenses are essentially a chemical reaction to UV light. There is a compound built into the lens that changes molecular structure when exposed to UV. The change is gradual and not instant, but they are an effective way to work with just one lens. It varies by lens/brand/price if the lens will transition between the full S0–S4 range. Most are closer to S1–S3 but vary by style.
Some goggles will offer photochromic lenses with a second interchangeable lens so you can cover more of the spectrum between the two.
Do all goggle brands use the same lens tints?
Every brand is a little different. They all use varying lens technologies and offer lenses with different VLT ratings. Below are a couple of charts provided by some of our brand partners.
Shop GIRO Goggles
Shop SMITH Goggles
