Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Glacier glasses conversion

I'm climbing Mt. Rainier in July and would hate to buy new non-prescription glacier glasses. Does anyone know of a product that converts regular prescription sunglasses into glacier glasses for snow and ice hiking? I'm trying to picture some way of attaching the slide flaps to regular glasses. Much thanks.
Mike

Well, I have seen people use duct tape, of course.
Black looks and works better than silver color, duh.

Much better is gaffers tape - does not leave sticky residue

Hey MJ !

You can always obtain a piece of plyable neoprene and cut it out to the shape of the side covers of glacier glasses (Triangles) and run the sunglass arms through 2 holes in the material. It's really an easy process. Try it with paper first to get the idea.

MJ,

Be careful - before relying on your prescription sunglasses for Mt. Rainer (at any time, particularly in July), be sure to check their light transmission rate.

Most prescription sunglasses feature lenses that allow 40% or more light transmission - perfect for everyday use or driving, but not appropriate for snow or glacier travel (especially at altitude).

Ideally, you'll want polarized lenses that allow no more than 10% transmission of visible light and a protection index of at least 3 (on a 1-4 scale).

I've seen several climbers, who relied on prescription sunglasses, forced to leave a mountain early due to snow blindness. If cost is a factor, consider wearing contact lenses (also provides a built-in backup - what would happen if your prescription sunglasses broke or were lost) and purchasing a solid pair of glacier glasses ($50-$150).

Good luck on Rainier!

You could probably make some side shields on your own... but the main lens most likely won't be dark enough anyway. Most glacier glasses have between 3%-8% light transmission. Do you know how dark your sunglasses are? Glacier glasses even come with a warning not to drive while wearing them because the are so dark.

You could use either over-glasses goggles or over glasses sunglasses to get the additional optical density and side cover you would get from glacier glasses.

I've used some of Smith's goggles over glasses. Interchangeable lenses allow you to control optical density.

For over glasses sunglasses take a look at:
http://www.sunglassesoverglasses.com/
(for the pictures anyway, I have not used their particular products)

Dale B. Dalrymple

Dale, have you tried over-glasses while climbing in the cold at altitude? Just curious if they fogged or were a fiddly hassle to deal with. I know goggles often fog pretty well when you're working hard. I want to be careful what advise this guy gets re: Rainier. I'm thinking dual glasses would be a fogging issue and hard to defog without taking your gloves off and messing around with both sets of glasses... BUT I've never tried it, just imagining. Plus it doesn't look like those over-glasses would stay on your face very well in a climbing situation. Again, just speculation.

If your sunglasses don't take out ~92% of visible light might be wasting your time.

I had problems with sun related headaches. When I switched to glacier glasses those headaches went away. I use the glasses whenever in the mountains with the side shields. They may look dorky in the summer but I don't have sun related headaches any more. Eventually, I'll make up the cost of the glasses in Ibuprofen savings.

Brent -

Look at overglasses made by Cocoon. I use them all the time, and never have a problem with them staying on. I do use some of those "eyeglass tenders" so that if they fell/blew off they wouldn't go anywhere.

There's a big difference in the quality of overglasses. Cocoon is the best I've seen thus far. Like glacier glasses, they look a bit dorky, but do come in different sizes depending upon the size of your regular glasses. I wear them over my photograys which darken when it's cold, so on some days I get almost a double sunglass.

Cocoons are also polarized.

Guess what? Exerting in the cold at altitude -is- a fiddly hassle when you need significant correction to your vision. I've had both overglasses and goggles over glasses fog. Prescription goggles and prescription glacier glasses also can and do fog. For people who need significant vision correction, even taking off single goggles or glasses to defog means a loss of effective vision and reduced capability (as opposed to just exposure to excessive brightness). Short of new (or renewed) eyes, those who need significant vision correction need to have the discipline to evaluate solutions in their own use in advance of any serious application and in the field may need the discipline to plan and to layer and match clothing to exertion carefully to minimize problems. They should also consider how their capabilities impact personal and group alternatives and goals.

Fiddly is the least of it.

But maybe we can get people to share their experiences coping.

Dale B. Dalrymple

MJ: I have good experience with the Black Diamond where you can get a prescription goggle (801) 278-5533. They know the UV ray subject quite well, and you can ask them lots questions. Here are some quick facts to keep in mind:

- UV light blocking is in the material of the len, and not the darkness of the lens.

- UV light penetrate clouds easily, and they still exists on cloudy days. Don't remove goggle on cloudy days.

- UV light intensity is much stronger on glacier due to additional reflection of the UV light off snow and ice.

- Normal ski OTG goggle is OK to put over normal glasses if you do not stay extended time (more than a day) in high altitude.

Take care of your eye. It is far too important to worry about a cost savings.

personally I have used either:
(A)tinted ski goggles over prescription sunglasses
(B)metallic-coating-appearing prescription glacier glasses

but why not use the originals? Eskimo glasses

My wife and I watched "Atanarjuat the Fast Runner" a couple of weeks ago via Netflix and some of the charactors wore them - it was the first time I realized how they were made.

Fascinating movie, BTW. Supposedly was the first screenplay ever written in the native Inuit language.

Thanks everyone for the good ideas, good information, and links to products. I may try one of the overglasses. I'm not sure I want to rely on goggles all of the time. When I work hard, I sweat a lot and I can easily see fogging to be a major issue. That said, I just bought new goggles and will have them available. I'm guessing goggles might be more of a problem, or hassle, than overglasses for hard climbing in relatively hot weather.

I've tested all variations and had to finally buy the expensive prescription glacier glasses from Opticus.

Three years ago I climbed Mt. Rainier with goggles over my regular prescription glasses. They fogged up and sweated over. I had to stop periodically to clean them off much to the chagrin of my guide and climbing partners.

I tried them two years ago on Mt. Hood with no better luck.

I used the prescription glacier glasses last year on Mt. Blanc. They felt great, looked great, and allowed me to see all of the terrain with comfort. They did not sweat. There was no fog problem.

Good glacier glasses are just as much of a necessity as good boots. Don't stint on them.

Good luck on your climb.

MJ, As Whitwalker mentions, I also have glasses from Opticus (located in Colorado) and they work great and the folks there know their stuff. As Bill mentioned, the sun can give you persistent headaches with inadequate or no glasses, particularly at altitide - I think most all of their "glacier" models allow 8% transmission rate.

If you have a stronger prescription, make sure you don't get a frame with too much wrapping, which will distort your vision a bit.

Also, check with Opticus or others on this point, but I believe you DON'T want a glacier goggle that is polarized, as the polarization doesn't allow you to make a clear distinction between snow and ice in some circumstances - a potentially dangerous fact in the mountains. I've used polarized glasses for fishing and as a filter in my camera with great results, but do some research on this item.

Rob

Ditto on Opticus. Got my prescription glacier glasses from them, too. Not cheap, but worth it to get them done right. If you use them, call for guidance before placing your order. My prescription is so strong that I was very limited in what frames I could have and be able to fold the arms of the glasses.