If you’re an extreme sports enthusiast, you might make lemonade out of lemons when the winter comes, and the snow buries your motocross track.
But the cost of a motocross bike and all the safety equipment that goes along with it makes for an expensive hobby.
So if you’re going snowboarding, you’re probably going to want to save some cash and use as much of the motocross gear as you can.
But can you use your motocross goggles for snowboarding?
The good news is that yes, you can use your motocross goggles for snowboarding. But because they’re not designed for the slopes, you are giving up on some functionality that can make snowboarding a little bit harder. As long as you know what you need to do in order to compensate for not wearing snowboarding goggles, you won’t have a problem.
So put away your wallet if you already own a pair of motocross goggles.
You can hit the slopes with the same pair of goggles.
There are some things you need to know before you pull them down from your beanie, though.
Let’s take a look and make sure that you have a safe ride.
What Are The Differences Between Motocross And Snowboarding Goggles?
Even though some motocross and snowboarding goggles look similar, they are very different when it comes to using them for their respective sports.
For starters, most quality snow goggles have complete UVA and UVB protection, whereas most motocross goggles don’t.
This is essential as the snow reflects the sun directly off the ice into your eyes.
This means if you wear motocross goggles, you’re going to be not only battling with the snow but the sun as well.
Motocross goggles also have a single lens as opposed to the dual-lens in snowboarding goggles.
The reason there is a dual-lens is to combat fogging and condensation from building up in the goggles.
Motocross goggles are a little more advanced and have technology built in to stop them from fogging up when on the dirt bike track.
Your peripheral vision will also be impacted if you choose to go down the mountain wearing motocross goggles.
These types of eyewear are designed to sit inside a helmet and block out your peripheral view so that you can focus on the track and avoid obstacles.
Because you usually zig-zag on a ski slope, you need your full vision to see what’s coming at you at all times.
You’ll need to adjust your eyes for the clarity as well as both sets of goggles are completely optimized for their respective terrains.
Snow goggles are optimized for the whiteness of the snow, while the motocross goggles work perfectly with the various color schemes that come on a dirt bike track.
Obviously, both sets of goggles don’t fit inside each other’s helmets.
So if you do wear protective headwear in addition to goggles, you’ll have to leave your helmet at the ski lodge and pick it up after your runs.
It seems like a lot to take into consideration, but once you’ve made the necessary adjustments, you won’t even notice that you’re wearing a pair of motocross goggles.
Do Motocross Goggles Have Better Impact Protection Than Snowboarding Goggles?
As you can imagine, motocross goggles take a beating out on the track.
At any second, you can have rocks, stones, and other pieces of nature flying at your face.
They’re specifically designed to protect your eyes from any disaster that may occur out on the track.
On a ski field, you’re less likely to have as many debris flying towards your eyes.
Most of the time, it will be snow falling on your face.
Unless you happen to crash.
So are you better protected with motocross goggles?
The good news is that there is no difference in impact protection and meet the global standards for their plastics.
They’re both super flexible and bend to absorb the impact of debris hitting them.
The best news is that neither of them shatters and is extremely hard to break into pieces.
So while you might feel like you would be better protected with a pair of motocross goggles, there is no difference between them, and both will keep you safe while on the snowfields.
What Are The Best Goggles For Motocross and Snowboarding?
It is possible to purchase a pair of motocross goggles that work well for snowboarding as well.
The key is finding eyewear that fully protects you from UVA and UVB rays.
This will help with the reflection of the sun on the snow and also with some of the clarity.
Many brands know that motocross riders will likely wear these goggles on the snow, so, fortunately, you’re not going to have to look too hard to find a pair.
Some of the brands include:
Oakley have total UV protection against UVA, UVB, and UVC on all motocross lenses, including their clear ones
SPY protect against UVA, UVB, UVC on all of their motocross lenses
Fox Racing include total UVA and UVB protection on their Lexan lens
Dragon has UVA and UVB protection on all of their lenses
Scott feature total UVA and UVB protection on every one of their lenses
100% do not have total UV protection.
Only their category one and category two lenses have some protection.
But it doesn’t compare to the brands above.
So if you plan on using these goggles all year round, then you should choose a pair from a brand that features total UV protection.
You’ll instantly notice the difference on the snow as you’ll be able to see more clearly because the sun won’t be blinding you.
Is Motocross Goggle Tear-offs Beneficial For Snowboarding?
Tears off or roll offs are considered one of the most innovative and popular features in motocross racing.
It’s essentially several layers of transparent film that runs across your goggles.
As your riding on a dirt bike track, it’s common for your lenses to become filthy.
Especially if the conditions are wet and muddy.
When your visibility is obscured from all the mud and gunk, you can pull a tab and peel off one of the pieces of film.
It will remove anything on your goggles that’s stopping you from concentrating on the track.
As long as you’ve got bits of film on the goggles, you can do this over and over again every time they get dirty.
Snowboarding goggles generally don’t have tear-offs.
It’s rare that these types of goggles will get as dirty as a pair of motocross goggles.
Snowfields can have adverse conditions when snow is falling, and the wind is blowing a gust.
But they don’t get goggles dirty to the point that they need tear-offs.
But if you’re wearing motocross goggles on the slopes, then you can use tear-offs if you want to ski in rougher conditions where snow build-up can occur on your eyewear.
However, they’re not essential for snowboarding and can impact your vision.
Should You Use Motocross Goggles For Snowboarding?
Ideally, you should own a pair of goggles for motocross and a separate one for snowboarding.
Both types of eyewear are designed and optimized specifically for their individual sports.
They have features that are customized to handle the terrain and conditions that both activities have.
But if you don’t want two pairs of goggles that look similar, then you can use your motocross goggles for snowboarding.
You do need to be aware of the differences between the goggles, so you know what adjustments you need to make to your snowboarding technique.
You might not be able to see as clearly due to the lack of UV protection on motocross goggles, and your peripheral vision will be impacted as they’re not designed for the ski fields.
It is possible to purchase specific goggles that are ideal for both motocross and snowboarding.
The key feature you need to look out for is UV protection.
This will help with your visibility on the snow as the sun reflects off it and can be blinding to riders. This is why snowboarders wear goggles in the first place.
The choice is ultimately yours.
While you can wear motocross goggles while snowboarding, you need to make sure that you can adjust your technique and methods in order to have a safe ride down the mountain.
