Does the following sound familiar? You’re standing at the top of the slope, ready to have an amazing day of skiing. You zip up your jacket, put on your goggles over your glasses – and get annoyed right away because they start to fog up.
Unfortunately, most glasses wearers will have experienced this or a similar situation. The good news: You’re not alone. About 64 per cent of people wear prescription glasses to help with vision issues. And for most of them, skiing with goggles can be challenging. The even better news though: There are ways to avoid the most common problems, for instance with special OTG ski goggles.
Sounds interesting? Read on to find out what our RENTertainers have to say about skiing or snowboarding with prescription glasses!
Skiing with glasses and goggles – where’s the problem?
As we said earlier, a day on the slopes can be tricky for spectacle wearers. After all, ski goggles are essential items for both skiing and snowboarding – and they can be notoriously difficult to wear with prescription glasses. Some of them fog up the instant you put them on, some of them lack a good seal, and others simply feel uncomfortable.
Does this mean you can’t wear glasses under your ski goggles? No, it doesn’t! It only means that you might have to choose your goggles more carefully than people without prescription glasses.
What are OTG goggles?
OTG stands for “Over the glasses”, referring to goggles specifically designed to work with spectacles underneath.
OTG goggles usually have …
- … more spacious frames to keep your glasses from being pushed up your nose.
- … a lens suspended further away from your eyes to leave more room for your glasses.
- … thicker foam padding on the edges to improve the seal around the arms of your glasses.
In addition to leaving enough space for your glasses, OTG goggles also need to offer excellent ventilation. Otherwise, we’re back to our fogging-up problem from before.
OTG goggle manufacturers try to avoid this problem by …
- … providing more vents or
- … integrating a special ventilation fan.
What do I need to keep in mind when buying OTG goggles?
If you opt for OTG goggles, the most important thing is that they fit properly and feel comfortable. What’s more, the frame should not cause any extra air gap between the face and the goggle. Plus, your glasses should not touch the inside of the goggle lens to avoid scratches.
If you don’t want to get OTG goggles, you could also try larger standard ski goggles. For instance, some manufacturers have moved on from manufacturing special OTG goggles to simply fitting their models with extra side cut-outs to fit spectacles.
How about prescription ski and snowboard goggle inserts?
Another alternative to OTG goggles are prescription goggle inserts. Essentially, they are something like built-in glasses, with prescription lenses suspended just inside the goggles. They work with most goggle types and feature special coatings to avoid fogging.
The downside: When you take off your goggles, you also take off your spectacles. So don’t forget to bring a pair of backup glasses!
Do glasses wearers need a special helmet as well?
It depends! The most important thing is that your helmet and goggles are compatible. Some manufactures also offer special OTG visor helmets for glasses wearers. If you would like to find out more about this topic, check out or blog article on ski helmets that work with prescription glasses!
INTERSPORT Rent tip
Finding ski or snowboard goggles that offer a perfect fit with your glasses can be difficult. So why not try several different models in action before settling for one specific product?
At INTERSPORT Rent, you can choose from a vast selection of rental goggles that fit over glasses. Our RENTertainers on site will be happy to help you choose the best products for your needs, so don’t hesitate to drop by!
