Gifts for skiers and snowboarders, one gift honestly checked

1. Ask these before you buy a skier glasses

Skiers are hard to buy for because the keen ones already own the expensive kit, and the kit they own is chosen with care. Anything that goes on the face is personal, so a few quiet questions before you order are worth the small loss of surprise. You can usually ask around them: “what do you wear on a sunny day up there?” tells you a lot.

• Do they wear prescription glasses? No OXIVUE model takes prescription lenses. A skier who needs correction and does not wear contact lenses should get one of the gifts in section 7 instead.
• Do they already ski in sunglasses? Many skiers wear goggles every day and only switch to sunglasses on warm spring afternoons. If they never wear sunglasses on the hill, these will spend most of the season at the lodge, which can still be fine if they like them for après and travel.
• Do they want music on the lift? The M14 is built around open-ear audio. Some skiers love a playlist on the chair; others want silence.
• Do they like filming their runs? A camera started by a touch on the temple suits someone who wants a few seconds of a friend dropping in or the view from the top. Someone who already films everything on a helmet camera may want that instead.

The purchase terms matter more for a gift than for something you buy yourself. No refunds except transit damage (replaced or refunded); faults are repaired or replaced under the 2-year warranty; change of mind and unmet expectations are not refundable.

2. The M14 ($149 at checkout) as a ski gift

The M14 is the OXIVUE frame built for motion, and it is the one we position for skiing and cycling. It is a one-piece wrap shield weighing 52 g, which is heavier than our 41–42 g everyday frames, and it is rated IPX4: splash, spray and rain, not immersion.

• Run clips and photos. An 8 MP Sony IMX219 camera in the frame. A touch on the temple starts a photo or a clip, so a skier can catch the group at the top of the lift without taking a glove off to dig out a phone. Nothing records unless they start it.
• Open-ear audio. Speakers sit near the ear rather than in it, with microphones for calls, over Bluetooth 5.4. The 300 mAh battery is rated 4 hours of listening and 7 hours of calls, the reverse of our M08 family, which favours listening.
• Translation on a ski trip abroad. With the free HeyCyan phone app it translates 139 languages, which helps at a ticket window or a mountain restaurant in another country. It needs the phone nearby and a connection, which can be patchy on a mountain, and only the wearer hears the translated audio; the other person reads the reply on the phone.
• No display. Nothing appears in front of the eyes. Photos and clips go to the phone app afterwards.

The shield is fixed, so the colourway is the lens choice and you make it once: Nero (black frame, smoke shield), Azzurro (black frame, blue mirror), Ghiaccio (white frame, ice-blue mirror) or Tramonto (white frame, sunset-red mirror). There is no clear or photochromic version. Matching their jacket or helmet is a perfectly good way to choose.

3. Sunglasses, not goggles: what that means

This is the most important thing to understand before giving the M14 to a skier. It is a pair of sport sunglasses with electronics in the frame. It does not replace goggles, and it does not replace a helmet. The table sets out the difference plainly.

Prices checked 2026-10-09; checkout price may change.We do not quote any goggle brand’s specifications, because they vary widely. The honest summary: if the skier you are buying for wears goggles every day and never skis in sunglasses, a better pair of goggles is the more useful gift. If they already switch to sunglasses on warm days and like music or photos on the hill, the M14 adds something they probably do not own. Our smart glasses for skiing guide goes deeper into the cold, fog, gloves and fit under a helmet.

4. On the hill: cold, gloves and recording

• Cold drains the battery. Lithium-ion batteries give less of their capacity when they are cold, so the 4-hour listening rating is not a cold-day figure. Keeping the glasses in an inside pocket between uses and charging over lunch helps. The capacity comes back once the battery warms up.
• Gloves and touch controls. A thick glove or a mitten gets in the way of a touch control on the temple. The practical habit is to start music or a clip at the top, before dropping in, rather than mid-run.
• Under a helmet. Helmets vary in how they press on the temples. If they ski in a snug helmet, suggest wearing the two together for an hour before a full day.
• Recording other people. Filming friends on a run is the point for many skiers, but recording people, especially with audio, can require their consent depending on where you are. Our recording laws by state guide covers the US. Resorts, ski schools and clubs may also have their own rules on cameras, so check them. This is general information, not legal advice.
• Keep the volume sensible. Open-ear speakers leave the ears open, which only helps if the volume stays low enough to hear other skiers and lift staff. Wind on a fast run will make incoming audio harder to hear.

5. Gifts for snowboarders

Gifts for snowboarders follow the same logic as gifts for skiers, with one difference worth saying out loud. Falls are part of learning to ride, and park riding involves falls. The M14 has no impact rating, so it is a frame for sunny laps, slush days and the walk to the lift, not for learning a new trick. For riding, a snowboarder still wants goggles and a helmet.

Where camera sunglasses suit a snowboarder is the in-between: a clip of a friend’s line from the side of the run, music on a spring afternoon, calls in the car park. Wrist guards, a stomp pad, a board tune or a lesson are reliable non-glasses gifts for a snowboarder, and the list in section 7 applies to them too.

6. Ski club and group gifts

Ski club gifts tend to fall into two groups. For the whole club, small consumables that every member uses are easy to share out: hand warmers, lip balm with SPF, ski straps or a club patch. For a coach, a club organiser or a trip leader, a single, more personal gift is common, and an experience such as a lesson or a pre-season tune works well.

If two or more people in the same household or ski group want the M14, two or more pairs in one order are 50% off all eyewear, so two M14 come to $199 at checkout. Before buying cameras for a club trip, check the club’s own rules: clubs, ski schools and race programmes may restrict cameras or audio devices during sessions, and anyone filmed should agree to it.

7. Ski gifts that are not glasses

If the skier wears prescription glasses, already owns ski sunglasses they love, or does not want audio on the hill, these categories are reliable. We do not sell them, so we name no brands or prices; a local ski shop is a good place to ask.

• Warmth. Ski socks, glove liners, hand and toe warmers, and a neck gaiter or balaclava. Ask about sock size and thickness first.
• Care for their gear. A boot dryer, a pre-season tune and wax, or a home waxing kit for someone who services their own skis.
• Carrying. Ski straps, a boot bag or a small pack for the lift.
• Experiences. A lesson, a guided day, an avalanche awareness course for someone heading off-piste, or a lift ticket at a resort they have mentioned. These suit the skier who has everything.
• Goggles or a helmet. Only with their input, because fit matters and these are safety equipment. A gift card for a ski shop fitting avoids the guesswork.

For a wider look at smart glasses as presents, see our smart glasses gift guide. For a skier who also travels a lot, our smart glasses for travel guide covers translation and packing.

8. Ordering before the season or for Christmas

US orders typically arrive in 5 to 9 business days, and international orders take 9 to 14 business days after shipment, so for a ski trip or a Christmas gift, order with a margin rather than close to the date. Shipping is free from $99, so a single M14 qualifies. We ship to 39 countries, including the US (contiguous 48 states), Canada, the UK, the EU, Norway, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand; outside the US the recipient pays any import VAT or duties on delivery. If you are unsure whether glasses are right, one of the experiences in section 7 avoids the guesswork.

Shipping, refunds and warranty. Free shipping from $99. US orders typically arrive in 5–9 business days; international orders take 9–14 business days. OXIVUE does not offer refunds except for an order damaged in transit, which is replaced or refunded. Faults after delivery are covered by the 2-year warranty through repair or replacement. None of our frames take prescription lenses. Compare every model on the comparison page.

Frequently asked questions