Which glasses should you choose for skiing in the mountains?

Combining style, comfort, and protection is the ultimate goal for a great ski vacation! Extremely important for eye health, protecting your eyes with good sunglasses is first and foremost essential. This will bring you comfort while skiing and enjoyment! The biggest eyewear fashion designers offer sunglasses that combine all the desired parameters!

Eye protection with glasses

Choosing the right sunglasses for skiing helps avoid eye problems like "snow blindness" caused by the power of UV rays in the mountains and at high altitudes. Snow blindness is a very painful inflammation of the surface of the eye that prevents you from opening your eyes because the glare from the light is so unbearable. It can be resolved by staying in the dark for several days in a row, coupled with medical treatment. To avoid this type of inflammation, wearing sunglasses while skiing is essential.

When exposed to strong UV rays, it is primarily the material of the sunglasses lens that will block the UV rays . There are several lens materials: organic glass, mineral glass, polycarbonate glass, trivex, among others. Most sunglasses are equipped with organic lenses (mostly) and some models are made of mineral lenses .

Organic and mineral lenses block almost all UVA, UVB, and UVC rays. This is why it's possible to get sunburned and leave marks around your eyes, thanks to our prescription glasses. Organic lenses, which are found in 90% of sunglasses, are lighter than mineral lenses. They provide significant comfort while still being very well protected. Mineral lenses are similar to those found on glass bottles. They are heavier than organic lenses but offer better optical quality. Brands that offer sunglasses for high-altitude mountaineering offer mineral lenses. This is the case for brands specializing in sports, such as Julbo, Vuarnet, and Demetz.

In addition to the material, the coloring of the glass , also called "glass tint" , will prevent glare . This parameter is subjective depending on the person. Indeed, some eyes are very sensitive to light, others less so. The intensity of the coloring of the glasses is classified into 5 categories:

• Category 0 : 12% light blocking (88% light transmission).
• Category 1 : 20% light blocking (80% light transmission).
• Category 2 : 60% light blocking (40% light transmission).
• Category 3 : 85% light blocking (15% light transmission).
• Category 4 : 90% light blocking (10% light transmission).
  

For skiing, it is advisable to choose sunglasses with a lens category of 3, or a category degraded from 3 to 2, or even 4. Note that category 4, the darkest, is prohibited for driving. It is recommended for mountaineering, high mountains or people who have undergone eye surgery or eye disease/inflammation.

Comfort through the choice of sunglasses adapted to the sport of "skiing"

Choosing sunglasses specifically designed for skiing is the ideal choice. Ski goggles are, of course, the preferred choice for skiing, providing optimal protection, comfort, and even incredible style.

Find our selection of women's ski sunglasses and men's ski sunglasses on our website.

Made in Italy's finest eyewear factories, Gucci ski goggles are extremely well crafted. Gucci offers 3 colors of Gucci ski goggles for its Fall Winter 2024 collection.

We also offer Tom Ford ski goggles. The black and white colorway remains in the collection, and the brown colorway is a new color in this year's winter collection.