Sunny skies, a perfectly prepared slope and a day pass in your pocket: exactly how skiing and snowboarding fans imagine a perfect winter day. Unfortunately, they are all too often ripped away from this dream — because they get too close to someone in front of them. The reason: they are blinded by the sun. This could have been avoided with proper ski goggles.

Winter sports are extremely stressful on the eyes: wind, cold, higher UV levels in the mountains and up to 90 percent more reflection of the sun's rays off the white snow. This can bleach the retina, making it more difficult to switch from light to dark and considerably reducing vision. As a result, many days come to a painful end with a lot of tears, red eyes and even cramps in the eyelids — despite the lack of an accident.

High-quality ski goggles can prevent these consequences:
UVA and UVB protection shield the eyes against the sun's rays, a hard protective coating repels foreign objects, water and dirt-repellant surfaces ensure a good view despite bad weather and anti-reflective lenses reduce glare. Furthermore, ski goggles provide a clear view so that obstacles can be better recognized. Ski goggles by GIRO, SPY and SMITH featuring Carl Zeiss optics ensure that winter athletes do not spend their evenings in pain in bed, but rather at a party in the ski lodge.

January 26, 2011