Skiing or Snowboarding this winter? Here’s a few handy tips to get the most out of your vision.
The high altitude, vast open spaces and reflection from the snow all increase the effects of glare from the sun. The glare in these alpine conditions is significantly stronger than experienced here in the UK and it is important to think about the type of eyewear you use whilst skiing and snowboarding.
Having recently come back from a week-long trip in Andorra, Pas De Le Casa (2500m) where I had blue bird skies and intense sun for 5 days straight I can recommend a few things to help enhance your vision enabling you to fully enjoy the view!
Sunglasses:
Polarised sunglasses reduce glare significantly and are a handy thing to have whilst relaxing at the mountain café, chilling at the viewpoints or when you’re back in resort soaking up the last of the sun whilst at après. They also help when skiing, allowing you to see through the glare giving you clearer vision. Bear in mind that a wrapped frame (a frame curved to fit around your face more closely) may be more suitable to help shield your eyes from the wind whilst also providing better protection from UV rays.
If you’re looking to add a bit of colour to your sunglasses then mirrored lenses might be the thing for you! They also have the effect of reflecting a lot of the sun/glare and they look good at the same time.
Ski Goggles:
Goggles are a necessary part of your winter sports attire. Not only do they afford you greater protection from the sun and the wind, but they are also more impact resistant if you take a tumble. There are various frame styles and brands to choose from, with various tints and coloured lenses to suit all mountain conditions. A lot of goggles have good ventilation systems and anti-fog coatings that stop them from steaming up too.
All goggles should be UVA and UVB protected giving you adequate protection from the suns harmful rays. If you’re going skiing in the southern hemisphere i.e. New Zealand or Australia than you need to be using goggles that are UVC protected due to the thin ozone layer in the southern hemisphere allowing UVC light to reach the earth.
If you want goggles made up with your prescription, then there are a couple of options to explore. You can have lens inserts put into goggles or some goggles have sections cut out of the foam allowing you to wear your glasses underneath with comfort. If you’re a contact lens wearer than you can simply wear your contact lenses as normal with your goggles.
The image below demonstrates how intense the glare can be:
Polarised sunglasses and goggles with good anti glare coatings will enable you to see through the glare providing clarity as pictured below:
If you are going skiing this winter and are wanting to look at polarised sunglasses then feel free to come into the practice and have a discussion with our lens experts. Also, you can read some further information about our range of sunglasses on the link below:
https://www.molsom.co.uk/sunglasses/
Enjoy the Snow!