[Closed] On the piste - eyewear question

depends how watery your eyes get at speed - I wear gogs nearly all the time now, massive improvement IME

I normally just wear prescription sunnies (rayban + good lenses), but after the last trip to the snow in the whiteout, blizzard and hail belting around at a massive rate, I would say Goggles are a must! 🙂

depends on the weather. goggles are ace in shite conditions.

i've always worn goggles and always will. they keep your face warmer. they stop wind blowing in your eyes. when you fall over they don't get lost in the snow/smashed. only upside of sunnies is they look better in some people opinions.

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goggles for me too

Was always an M-frame man myself till I got on a tray and needed to try goggles - whether I'm on sticks or a tray now, I stick with goggles either way. Since the manufacturers started improving them a few years back, they're a joy to wear...and if you fancy wearing a helmet, they work better with one. Sounds obvious, but you get what you pay for. I've found the good Smith and Oakley ones are the best.

Only wear googles, they're easier with a helmet. OMG I've mentioned helmet!

Helmet wearer and goggles. A pair with yellow lens for poor weather or when the suns going and a pair with a lovely silver mirrored lens for when the sun is shining, ideal for checking the ladies out too 8)

goggles all the wear (and helmet) googles fit better with helment as already mentioned. Great in poor weather conditions, don't slip off, dont' get watery eyes. Must have IMO.

conditions will depend on the eye ware.M frames are awesome but you still need goggles for whiteouts and flatlight

if it's bad weather then it has to be goggles for warmth and general eye protection duties. sunnies are fine if the sun's out, but most conditions worse than that require goggles.

Right, looks like it's time to order some Oakley goggles!

LBS no longer stocks Oakley, so where's good online?

Will be taking my flying ones too, just for giggles.

I'd probably head for a shop first and try some on - lots of different shapes and sizes so you'll need to pop some on for best fit - I'm thinking XL for your head size old chap 😉

Steptoes are ace for Oakley stuff online. Good discounts and very good service. http://www.steptoes.co.uk/

And I'm another voter for goggles. Persimmon for skanky days and Fire or Gold Iridium for nice days :o)

look at smith goggles on ebay.

Get some of these:

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Adidas ID2 goggles for me. Highly, highly recommended

I've got m-frames, but always wear goggles when skiing. YMMV

Goggles. Numerous seasons including working on the hill itself have proved they are the only way to go. Sunnies for the deck at lunch, or when working and going for less than half a run to change lift stations. Every other situation it's goggles.

No goggles is like no glasses on the bike; you just can't do it for more than a few minutes 😉

Goggles; I wear them over my glasses - no UV leakage, no wind or snow in the eye, usually stay on in crashes esp. pow, fit helmets. Fit them as firmly as you can without getting a headache because it keeps your breath out better. Orangy lens is a good compromise for all conditions IMO, but the best models have interchangeable lenses.

there aren't too many (any?) people I know who live here year round and ski hard who wear glasses..

fine for pootling around the pistes though.

and never. ever. glasses + helmet. you just look stupid 🙂

Thanks all, great advice as ever! Am off to try on some goggles later today. Steptoes link looks good, thanks for that as well.

It massively depends on conditions though - When in Colorado where it was damn cold, there's no way I could have used glasses (M-frames too incidentally) but in France I was happy to use my glasses.

I got my oakleys from [url= http://www.rxsport.co.uk/ ]RX Sport[/url].

All of the above, but still not wearing a helmet, which when you think about it is pretty mad. I mean, steeps, couloirs, trees, powder and all wi' nowt but a wooly hat on! Yet biking, always on? Number 1 son now learning and obviously I bought him a helmet, so I reckon I'll have to give in soon.
I just don't like the idea of lack of peripheral awareness both visually and aurally on a busy piste.

aviemoron, you won't lose anything visually with a helmet - goggles already take care of that! but sound you do a bit; however you do get used to it pretty quickly and to be honest you'll be surprised how little of an impact it makes overall.

... still not wearing a helmet, which when you think about it is pretty mad. I mean, steeps, couloirs, trees, powder and all wi' nowt but a wooly hat on! Yet biking, always on? Number 1 son now learning and obviously I bought him a helmet, so I reckon I'll have to give in soon

Same here... three kids with helmets on. It's only a metter of time before one of them asks why I'm not wearing one.

"because I never have" isn't a particularly good answer.
"because I haven't whacked my head yet" may be tempting fate.

Other way round here too - Skiing with kids and organised them helmets - shop ran out of my size - oh well...
At the snow with my parents - Dad caved in (was not going to ski as is 73!) and hired skiis as the weather was so good. I made him hire a helmet!
1st day fine then halfway through 2nd he caught an edge and went over like a sack of spuds. Head smacked onto snow and he was dazed for a couple of mins. Hate to think what may have happened if he was not wearing a helmet.
Next day i face planted over a jump with no helmet. Not too serious apart from the fat lip and cuts around my eye where glasses were pushed against my skull. As I'm lying on the snow, I'm thinking, "I always wear a bloody cycling helmet - what am I thinking...?"
Hint from here - Ski with helmet!!!! (I will next time)

If you have a lid, bring it with you to try goggles. You'd be surprised how incompatible some of them are. Any gaps will really frustrate you when its cold, windy or snowy.

My eyewear of choice

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Those are the sunny lenses, have some different ones for flat/bad light.

Never steam up, fantastic vision, wouldn't be without them these days, although they are getting on a bit now.

Essential that you check how the fit with a helmet, if you wear one.

Cheers, Rich

Take a look at Adidas clima cools, interchangable arms and nose pieces to wear as sunglasses or goggles, and can even take a prescription clip, been using them for years, and still think they are the best thing around.....

there's shit loads of choice when it comes to goggles. oakley's are very good (i own a set of a-frames) but they're way overpriced IMO. bought some von zipper bushwick last season which included 2 lens for less than the price of a replacement a-frame lens. they're massive too, you can barely see the frame at all when you have them on your face.

some other top brands: quiksilver, spy, dragon, electric, anon.

always with goggles & always with a helmet. seen plently of unconcious folk lying around in the mountains to make me think it's a good idea to not wear a lid!

Last year in Tignes, we got out of the funicular to find a family with 2 small children sheltering from the swirling snow and wind. Hubby walked over to them and took off the smallest childs helmet because she had it on back to front. All of us laughed for quite a while after. The parents were grateful that it had been spotted and sorted out.
I have helped a small child before now in a hotel bootroom, his boots were on the wrong feet, also made me smile.