eyewear for alpine climbing

What factors make you bring eyewear other than everyday sunglasses when climbing? So far, I haven't felt the need to own glacier glasses or ski goggles, and I'd like to know when I should think about getting either/both. Are glacier glasses generally called for only when you're talking about multi-day trips? 

Really this is prompted by my everyday polarized glasses coming to the end of their life, and I'm debating what to get next (especially lens color). I also fly fish and generally need low light lenses for that, so it just adds up to lots of sunglasses and I'd like to cover my bases with as few pairs as possible. 

Just a thought: there are glasses out there will lots of interchangeable lenses. you can have one frame but 3-4 lenses that cover what you may need. i do this with ski goggles so i have my super bright light, standard light, and low/night lenses that just pop in and out. simple and cheaper than 3 pairs of goggles.

A note about glacier glasses. What really sets them apart is that they have "seals" that eliminate light from sneaking around the sides of the lens. True glacier glasses are also not polarized which is a weird concept to me but science backs it up... but you do want polarized glasses for fishing so it looks like you may need at least a couple of pairs of glasses.

Photochromatic lens. On lens to rule them all. I have pair of Julbo 2-4 lens that I've had for an easy 10 years. I can wear from sun up to sun down in all condion you describe. They came with extra side shields for high altitude. Polarized. One of my best outdoor purchases of all time. 

Things I look for in alpine climbing sunglasses:

Polarized lenses (reduce glare and eye fatige.)

Photochromatic lenses that adjust from Cat 2 to Cat 4 based on brightness (allows them to be worn earlier and later in the day and adjust for cloudy conditions)

Enough coverage that my eyes are protected from wind and also blocks out reflected light.  (This can be achieved with side shields and/or a wrap around lens design.  If they have side shields, then the ability to remove them is good.)

Enough ventilation that I'm not constantly fogging them up when working hard

Fit my face well and don't slip down on my nose even when sweating

Comfortable

A feature that is nice (but not necessary) is the addition of a nose shield to protect my nose from sunburn.  

depends on is there snow?

are u wearing contact lenses?

photo changing lenses are best and get brown they make everything look more natural and not gray/black everything looks dead and unnatural

Maybe Consider wrote:

depends on is there snow?

are u wearing contact lenses?

photo changing lenses are best and get brown they make everything look more natural and not gray/black everything looks dead and unnatural

For the purposes of this thread, yes, there is snow, because I'm very comfortable picking glasses for non-snow conditions.

Actually, yes I am wearing contacts, I hadn't considered that as relevant. Why is that important? Edit: wraparounds for wind protection?

Def seeking warm tone contrast enhancing color.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Sounds like a well fitting cat 2-cat 4 photochromic lens would cover me for most lower 48 trips? I will be spending a lot more days ice cragging than living on a glacier in the immediate future. I'm accustomed to rather lightly tinted glasses from fishing, so I don't want to end up with a pair I never use, but I'm probably at the point where it's time to buy a snow specific pair of glasses.

Love my Julbo photochromatic 1-3 lenses. Personally prefer 1-3 because I bring them skiing in the winter as well, and 1 seems to work well when going into the trees/ on a low vis pow day!

alpinejason wrote:

Photochromatic lens. On lens to rule them all. I have pair of Julbo 2-4 lens that I've had for an easy 10 years. I can wear from sun up to sun down in all condion you describe. They came with extra side shields for high altitude. Polarized. One of my best outdoor purchases of all time. 

Another photo for these Julbos. They're pricey, but they've lasted me. Really helps me with eye strain. If you're not always above treeline, they may seem to dark, but I wasn't as happy with the 1-3 as I am with the 2-4. 

Take the time to measure your own temple length, and shop based on that. I had the Explorer 2.0's, which look comically large on my face (like you would think glacier glasses would). I know have the Shield, which still look technical, but fit on my face much better (5mm difference!) 

Same as most, Julbo Montebianco 2 progressive lens for alpine (cat 2 to 4)
For ice climbing I go with another from Julbo, the Aerospeed but from cat 0 to cat 3, since, while ice climbing, I want to wear glasses even in bad weather 

I cannot say enough about the quality of Julbo glasses, 

Fabien M wrote:

I cannot say enough about the quality of Julbo glasses, 

Also they sell replacement parts! 

Their customer service/warranty dept. also: amazing.

Any tips for ordering online? I'll read up about measuring my temple distance. 

Sounds like 2-4 would be good for above tree line, but 1-3 is more versatile. If I plan to own a couple other pairs of light-medium shade lenses (I like Costa for fly fishing), I'm thinking I'll benefit from having the slightly darker cat 2-4 lenses. Any lens color recommendations from Julbo? I'm not sure if I'll have much choice, once the other criteria are met, but hoping to find something warm toned/brownish. 

Does anyone have the Julbo prescription lens of the lenses described above? Is it an insert? I dropped 800$ on my Oakley Jawbreakers a few years back and they are ugly inserts. (they have held up ok and never punched out but now have two deep scratches) Great glasses, love the ventilation and eye protection. 

 Also how much thicker are they? Thanks! 

J C wrote:

Any tips for ordering online? I'll read up about measuring my temple distance. 

It's an awkward thing to try to measure from your face, but you can also just find a pair of glasses that you like the fit on, and measure those instead. 

The 135mm Explorer 2.0's worked fine for me, just looked huge on my small face. The 130mm are really great for me. They make narrower width ones as well (See the Shield M).

I have prescription julbos - Explorer 2.0 with polarized cat 2-4 reactive lenses. They're fantastic.  I ordered them directly from Julbo and the HSA paid for them.

They're not inserts. They're replacement lenses. Look just like the normal lenses except prescription.

Note: I recall them saying that there's a max prescription because the lenses can only be so thick.  You'd need to contact them for more details.