UKC

Just wondering if I need full blown High Altitude sunglasses for Everest Base Camp Trek.

I normally wear a pair of light sensitive specs(with prescription lenses) but presume I'll need something a bit stronger for higher UV.

Grateful for any advice.

In reply to mypyrex:

you are high enough at EBC to damage not only your eyes, but burn your nose and stiff british upper lip.

i recommend using all in one protective glasses like these

http://tinyurl.com/ykwv3vu

In reply to interdit: As somebody who has not trekked in such places before I would have appreciated an intelligent response.

In reply to mypyrex:

Try googling for an equipment list from one of the big trekking companies or have a look in a trekking guidebook (lonely planet, rough guide etc)

Personally I would go for glacier glasses with removable leather nose and eye pieces but that's probably OTT.

In reply to mypyrex:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?PartnerID=79&ModelID=438...

In reply to Neilm: I looked at several sites and some mentioned "Category 4" as being the "darkest" and I just wondered if I needed anything at that "level"

In reply to mypyrex: for trekking i usually wear "normal" good quality sunnies, i prefer vuarnets but oakleys, bolles, cebe are all what i consider to good quality . you wont spend long enough on the glacier to warrant splashing out on glacier glasses, unless you fancy a pair anyway. it used to be possible to pick up 2nd hand genuine bolle glacier glasses in kathmandu quite easily, but they are pretty hard to find now. sunblock on your nose and ears is just as effective as the leather gimp patches. good quality high factor suncream for your face is also a must. if its at all practical, imho the best place in the world to buy sunnies is cham, a trawl of all the shops there would let you try on just about every pair of good quality glasses currently avaialble. genuine 2nd hand oakleys off ebay would be a good call.

In reply to mike123: Thanks very much for that. Mine DO need to have prescription lenses though

In reply to mypyrex:


you've been to the alpes?

i know you've been to the pyrenees!

do you own glacier glasses?

most of the major glacier glass brands offer nose and stiff upper lip protectors.

In reply to mypyrex: OK your prescription is important. If you just need to wear specs for reading because of age (ahem! - prebyopia) then that's one thing - you could consider prescription stick on inserts inside any pair of sunnies/glacier glasses that you fancy. If you don't have need a 'reading add' then you can get many good quality specs e.g. Oakleys made to your prescription. If you wear varifocals then wrap qround styles, e.g. most Oakleys ('base 8s' - they refer to the amount of curvature of the lens) will cost you an arm and a leg if done properly, and even then may not be satisfactory. You could do worse than go to your optician for further advice, though not high street chains, obviously...

On another note I have quite an old pair of Cebe Cechinel 4000m glacier glasses, which I can't drive in because they are too dark - but my word, wearing them on a bright winter's day skiing is like stepping out of the glare into beautiful shade, and give a new lease of life! My 'normal' sunnies - which work fine in the UK - have nothing like that effect. I imagine you might experience the same in the Himalayas.

In reply to mypyrex:

You need lenses that comply with DIN EN ISO 8980-3, transmission Category 4. (Good quality European lenses for normal use would be Cat 3 and medical tints and fashion tints might be Cat 2 or Cat 1.) Only a Category 4 glass lens such as the Cébé 4000 material is likely to be the quality that you will need for a sensitive eye in those conditions.

Companies like Cébé and Bollé do prescription lenses. Only the glass (mineral) versions gives full Infra Red protection.

In reply to mypyrex:

I used prescription shades from here. http://www.optilabs.com/
Didn't have any problems.

In reply to mypyrex:

I used my Bolle (sp?) skiing glasses. Whilst the altitude increases the risk, there is very little 'snow walking' on the EBC trek so you only have it coming from one direction! ie. you don't NEED full blown glacier glasses.

In reply to mypyrex:

I used my glacier glasses over my normal variofocals, worked a treat. Use lots of high factor suncream on any exposed skin.I burned the backs of my hands one day and they were sore for quite a long time afterwards. The sun was very strong even in November. A hat that gives you shade is also useful.