Visors are slow in a speed sport like skiing. Simple as that. Plus in a tuck you can’t see. Plus if you catch a visor on the snow in a fall, bad things happen unless it is weak enough to break away and if it’s weak enough to break away, it will do so at high speed. And skiers do hit gates with their heads at times. Goggles keep snow out just fine. Dark lenses keep out the sun. At one time skiers wore chin bars but they went away other than some slalom helmets. There was concern about catching a chin bar on snow in a sliding fall and there may have been an aero issue too.
So ironic how DH and EWS riders wear pretty tight clothes now. I remember seeing pictures of riders in stiff baggy shorts not that long ago bagging open and catching air. Pretty stupid really. Trying to go as fast as possible but wearing air catching clothes. Even full pants and jerseys, if they’re flapping, they are slowing you down. If races are determined by fractions of seconds, speed suits will make a difference.
Visors do keep the sun and rain out of your eyes as well as deflect leaves and branches. My understanding is that visors were invented in motocross to keep roost from hitting the goggles. And muddy roost on top of the helmet slides onto goggles. Visors can block your view from low hanging stuff. Like the leaned over tree I broke my helmet on last year.
Baggy clothes were always about guys uncomfortable with their bodies. Visors were always more about form than function.
Nov. 3, 2022, 9:50 a.m. - Andy Eunson
Visors are slow in a speed sport like skiing. Simple as that. Plus in a tuck you can’t see. Plus if you catch a visor on the snow in a fall, bad things happen unless it is weak enough to break away and if it’s weak enough to break away, it will do so at high speed. And skiers do hit gates with their heads at times. Goggles keep snow out just fine. Dark lenses keep out the sun. At one time skiers wore chin bars but they went away other than some slalom helmets. There was concern about catching a chin bar on snow in a sliding fall and there may have been an aero issue too. So ironic how DH and EWS riders wear pretty tight clothes now. I remember seeing pictures of riders in stiff baggy shorts not that long ago bagging open and catching air. Pretty stupid really. Trying to go as fast as possible but wearing air catching clothes. Even full pants and jerseys, if they’re flapping, they are slowing you down. If races are determined by fractions of seconds, speed suits will make a difference. Visors do keep the sun and rain out of your eyes as well as deflect leaves and branches. My understanding is that visors were invented in motocross to keep roost from hitting the goggles. And muddy roost on top of the helmet slides onto goggles. Visors can block your view from low hanging stuff. Like the leaned over tree I broke my helmet on last year. Baggy clothes were always about guys uncomfortable with their bodies. Visors were always more about form than function.