Glacier Glasses or Sunglasses

[Ryan Canfield]

What is the real difference.. Just the area of your eyes that they cover, or the darkness of the lenses? How many of you just use regular sunglasses when traveling on snow and glacier?

[fenderfour]

cost

 

a cheap pair of dark sunglasses that cover well are great for local mountains. I would probably get some glacier glasses for higher peaks to make sure there were no light leaks around the edges.

[G-spotter]

a $25 pair of fitovers gives as good coverage and uv protection as a $200 pair of glacier glasses and is cheaper to replace when you break them

[summitchaserCJB]

I used to think that glacier glasses were all that works on glaciers or on mountains. Not true. Get a good pair of polarized glasses with a larger coverage and you'll be fine for anything relatively short.

[Water]

i'll 2nd cost.

glacier glasses will generally have 3-10% light transmission (97-90% blockage) listings (CAT 4-5 I think). In addition they may have some coatings that help with fogging or what have you, and of course come with little pieces of leather or plastic to block the gaps.

 

i picked these up UFO Galaxis goggles in silver mirror which is suppose to be 3% visible light transmission, based upon the info sheet about their lenses which the manufacturer emailed me upon request. Id like to see some jublo glacier glasses that are 3% and compare..

For the price ($5-8) they are not marvels, the lense can scratch, they can fog, etc, but at that price! and they do great for blocking gaps, and making you look totally-bug eyed. And of course all these industrial glasses meet the ANSI/CE standards for impact resistance, unless otherwise stated.

[zhanx]

Now what about Oakley's? I already have a pair of polarized ones. Safe bet to use them? After Michigan doesn't have glaciers like Washington does.

[Water]

michigan? oakleys?

so long as the oakley block a good percentage of visible light (ie: they're pretty dark), they will work fine on most volcano climbs. higher altitude, or middle of summer spending a long time on snow, make sure to cover up the edges/gaps where light can filter in. they just cost a lot more for the fashionable O.

what does michigan have to do with it?

 

[zhanx]

I am from Michigan, stationed out at Lewis. I did St Helens in wrap around wiley x's (really dark issued sun glasses). But I think the Oakley's are about half as dark. So I might need to test it out. It should be getting brighter out over here. Which will give me a chance to test them a bit on sand. If they suck I still got the other pair waiting on me.

 

I say Michigan, but wonder if the Glacier reflection was any worse then ton of snow we had all winter.

[Topher]

Willey X's are pretty simillar to glacier glasses, prolly more durable, I'd use the template on em rather than the straps. If your Oakley's aren't dark enough for you to wear on a sunny day at the slopes without squinting then get something else or wear the wiley's.

Cheers

[olyclimber]

john lennon glacier glasses or go home

[zhanx]

I got a fat head can't wear those.

[Coldfinger]

Well gee, where are you planning on going?

 

My 2 cents: glacier glasses!

 

Not too hard to find good cheap ones and your eyes will thank you (shields help with wind too). If you're going to altitude these are a must; pretty hard to believe how irritating the little bit of light that leaks past the shields and frame can be. Don't underestimate the power of light, especially reflected light off the ice: I once got sunburn INSIDE my nose.

 

Lenses are the meat of these and something comparable to what Julbo used to call x-6 lenses are the minimum way high up (now spectron 4). I like glass better than polycarb as it resists scratches much better. Besides, there are many affordable frames that are stylish as both sunglasses and glacier glasses (Julbo Dolgan) for a bit more than $50 with removable shields.

 

Goggles suck: they get in the way, are bulky, fog up, and look real dorky as you waddle up approaches or sit in camp. They're designed for skiing not climbing.

 

But if you hang with the Mounties find a pair of pink goggles to match the obligatory shorts and gaiters outfit.

[DanO]

A cheaper pair of glacier glasses is number 5 welding lenses

on a pair of construction sun glass frames.

 

You can find these in welding shops.

 

Works Ok, but don't know about many days on the mountain on the

longer trips.

 

Dan

[nhluhr]

I say Michigan, but wonder if the Glacier reflection was any worse then ton of snow we had all winter.

1) michigan is low altitude

2) michigan snow is in the winter, when the sun is low in the sky

 

On a glacier in june/july at 10,000+ ft, you're going to have a couple magnitudes brighter light than a clear winter day in michigan. My wife tried to use a pair of Natives that she had and they just were not dark enough, plus the contrast was all wrong for picking out subtle features in the snow when the fog rolls in.

Edited April 23, 2010 by nhluhr

[Josh Lewis]

I vote Glacier Goggles! Now thats the stuff.

[denalidave]

I vote Glacier Goggles! Now thats the stuff.

Glaggles...

[Josh Lewis]

I like goggles better because they seal onto your face while the other ones (glacier glasses) I have had issues in the past, fortunately I have a better pair (of glacier glasses) now but have not gotten a chance to test them out.

[Buckaroo]

I don't like glacier glasses with the leather sides cuz they cut off your peripheral vision.

 

cheap wraparound dark sunglasses, but I've never been above 14K so don't know about high altitude.

[Le Piston]

I'm with you...I like to have the full field of vision. I like my eyes too much so I go with quality protection. My personal favorite is the Julbo Advance, but there are plenty of fine wrap-around polarized sunglasses out there.

[BirdDog]

Here's an article from yahoo about misleading and falsely labeled UV protection on sunglasses. Whatever you use, make sure they actually work.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100531/sc_livescience/sunglassescarryshadyuvprotectionclaimsstudyreveals