Skiing kit question - eyewear

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Brigadier

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First-born is off to the French Alps in March.
Never skied before.

I want to get him some sunglasses for him to wear while actually skiing.
I have a pair of these, which he has taken a shine to.


With the appropriate strap around the back (to stop them falling off), would they be suitable, given they have open sides?

I'd rather not spend a fortune on something he might only wear for four days (goggles, which he could only wear while skiing without looking like a t!t), whereas the Ray Bans, he will be able to wear as normal sunglasses back in the UK.


Thanks in anticipation :)
 
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Brigadier said:
First-born is off to the French Alps in March.
Never skied before.

I want to get him some sunglasses for him to wear while actually skiing.
I have a pair of these, which he has taken a shine to.


With the appropriate strap around the back (to stop them falling off), would they be suitable, given they have open sides?

I'd rather not spend a fortune on something he might only wear for four days (goggles, which he could only wear while skiing without looking like a t!t), whereas the Ray Bans, he will be able to wear as normal sunglasses back in the UK.


Thanks in anticipation :)
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As long as they are polarised then he should be ok and can likely wear them on sunny days, in place of his goggles. I tend to by the Oakley sunglasses along with their Prism lenses. Anything cheap (non-polarised) on the slopes will be a nightmare and that goes for the goggles too. When visibility is reduced, decent lenses are a must. Cheaper goggles or sunnies means you don't pick up the humps and hollows as well and end up falling over - a lot.
 
Brigadier said:
So, goggles are a must then?
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Yes. When the weather gets bad or its really cold or he's on the wrong side of the mountain, or he just wants to see where he's going - YES. You can manage with decent sunnies as long as it is fair, sunny and not windy. I lifted my goggles in Canada earlier this year for a few seconds, whilst skiing in very low temp's with a headwind. I thought my eyes were going to freeze. It can get quite painful sometimes when its really cold.
 
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Final question then, any recommendations for goggles (not expensive, seeing as he might get as little as four wears out of them, even if the weather's harsh!)
 
Brigadier said:
Final question then, any recommendations for goggles (not expensive, seeing as he might get as little as four wears out of them, even if the weather's harsh!)
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That's a tough one. The decent gear is expensive and that's difficult to avoid. A step down in price means a step down in his visibility if things turn nasty. Look at second hand Oakleys or some such. (y)
 
Get him a proper skiing safety helmet. The straps will hold sunny's in place but goggles (with a helmet) are much better.
 
Best ski goggles I ever bought have a tiny battery-operated fan to blow fresh air in to prevent misting and condensation.

Especially useful if you wear specs.

As a second best you can get double glazed with two layers of plastic, or some kind of vent at the side

For better conditions you can get a darker grade of sunglass lens (the optician told me, used by glider pilots) because sunlight above the clouds is very strong, and worse when reflected off the snow. Might be a bit expensive but otherwise get the darkest you can. The Aviator shape purposely gives the fullest protection. Yottie shops have something similar.

A useful tip with goggles, when not needed, strap them to your upper arm, don't wear them on your head or they will get very misty
 
Well fitting sports style sunglasses can substitute for goggles most of the time, but if it's -15 you want the goggles to prevent your face falling off. If he hasn't got a buff get the get him one.
 
He already has a pair of Aviators, but they're probably neither dark enough, nor tough enough. Not polarised either.
 
Brigadier said:
He already has a pair of Aviators, but they're probably neither dark enough, nor tough enough. Not polarised either.
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I wouldn't go for aviators.

And I did mean the round the neck tube things. When it's cold you pull them up and cover your mouth and nose so you've only got a few bits of flesh exposed.

Have the people he's going with skied before? If they have and he's the only beginner then some lessons at one of the indoor centers is a good idea.
 
Brigadier said:
First-born is off to the French Alps in March.
Never skied before.

I want to get him some sunglasses for him to wear while actually skiing.
I have a pair of these, which he has taken a shine to.


With the appropriate strap around the back (to stop them falling off), would they be suitable, given they have open sides?

I'd rather not spend a fortune on something he might only wear for four days (goggles, which he could only wear while skiing without looking like a t!t), whereas the Ray Bans, he will be able to wear as normal sunglasses back in the UK.


Thanks in anticipation :)
Click to expand...
Those sunglasses would be fine. But people generally wear goggles nowadays because most people wear helmets and sunglasses with helmets look odd.
 
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