UKC

Recently suffered a non-climbing related head injury, and am left a bit wary coming into the Winter season.

I see Grivel do a visor to go onto their helmets, but anyone else currently wear any eye protection, or seen anything, that does the job...

In reply to Paul035: I wear these for ice climbing, skiing and mountain biking. http://www.gosportsspex.co.uk/AdidasSunglasses.asp

They are brilliant but expensive as I need a prescription lens insert to fit inside.

Al

In reply to Paul035:

Workplace eye protection would do the job and is cheap as chips so no tears when a dod of ice puts a scratch in the lenses. No tint so better when its clagged to buggery and spindrift keeps raining down.

Bolle even do them:
http://www.safetysupplies.co.uk/trolleyed/3/


Some from a cycling website:
http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/116044.html

In reply to Paul035:

I have experimented with alternative eye protection over the years.

Top finding is that £2.99 for B&Q safety glasses is a much better idea than £40 for ski goggles that will get ruined in you sack before you get a chance to use them. Some might want a cheap bit of shock cord to hold them on better but it just complicates things. Good in 70% of driving snow conditions. When they get fogged or iced they are easier to wipe off than goggles.

I also tried a slim visor (made from a strip of old m/c visor) around the front edge of the helmet. Helps protect the eyes from falling ice and in driving snow you just dip your head a bit.

That approach to visors needs a bit of development but the B&Q safety glasses seem to work pretty well.

In reply to Paul035:

The Grivel visor is a bit of a faff especially if you put slings over your head as they tend to get caught between the visor and the helmet. It also gets knocked askew quite easily. Jim is on the right track. I use bike glasses because I need a prescription lens.

You are right to be concerned, I am blind in one eye as a consequence of not wearing eye protection whilst climbing.

This is however no reason to get massively alarmed, the main dangers are looking upwards while belaying (thats what happened to me!)brittle ice when climbing, and being on routes below other parties. All are likely to be sorted with Jim's £2.99 safety glasses, if not the eye injury may not be your major concern.

In reply to Paul035:

The grivel visor is really good - it's more like a peak than a visor, but it hinges down if it gets hit by anything substantial and deflects it all away from your face. It also steers spindrift away. Very simple, but very effective.

In reply to Paul035:

I have a Petzl Meteor III and fitted a visor for Norway earlier this year. I took a half housebrick sized lump of ice to the face at Krokan without injury.

In reply to Paul035:

I've been using the Petzl Vizor for two seasons and swear by it. Protects all your face except your chin sometimes, but the ability to pull it up and down with mitts quickly beats all other systems

In reply to nniff:

Well that shows what different experiences two people can have with the same bit of kit!

Will weigh up all options, thanks a lot for all replies.

Paul

In reply to Paul035:

Another vote for the Petzl system. It really is good. And I was not easily convinced. Now I don't climb water ice without it.

In reply to ramon marin martinez:

What's the Petzl Visor like for steaming up? And when it is in the 'up' position does it protrude far in front of your head. I ask because years ago I did a DIY conversion with a m/cycle visor and these two problems caused me to ditch the experiment.

If these issues have been solved then this sounds like a rather good bit of kit. (pbly still go for glasses on scottish mixed though)

In reply to rogerwebb:

The visor has a double coating. Inside to prevent fogging and anti-scratch on the outside. I've never had a problem with mine.

http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/verticality/helmets/helmet-accessories/vizi...

In reply to Paul F:

Thanks for that, I'm going shopping!

In reply to Paul035:

I do and I think eye protection is crucial especially on deep hard waterfall ice. I'm in a impression that eye damage due fractured ice on such routes one of the most common injuries. I know atleast two fellow climbers here in Finland who have suffered such.

I'm using Petzls Ellios with vizor, I've tried few gogles too, but so far it seems that vizors work the best for me (less foggy + you can look around the vizor if there's need).


- Juho Risku / http://www.climbingextreme.com

In reply to Paul035:
The Grivel visor is good for keeping spindrift off your eyes but rubbish for protecting your face. I use it with a pair of safety glasses or sun glasses to protect my eyes and just put up with the fact that occasionally I catch a block of ice with my face

In reply to Paul035:
Tifsoi evey cycling glasses. 40 quid. They come with 3 interchangable lenses - sunnies, yellow night riding and clear. I wear my clears quite a lot when cie climbing or on the bike in dry weather <dust>

In reply to niallk:

I second the Bolle Spec you use i have been using these for the last couple of years.

Good for cycling aswell!

In reply to Paul035:

In NZ we have warm temps, and I imagine you do there too. Visors keep stuff out of your eyes and protect your face, if it is cold visors are great... but they mist up in the warmer conditions. As do glasses.

I was hit by ice this year and the impact was anything bony from my eyebrows down. Basically my temples and where the hair grows were all that were protected.
If I had resisted the urge to try to turn away from it, probably would have been on my helmet more not my face though

In reply to Paul035: Another vote for the Petzl Meteor III helmet & Vizion visor:
- http://www.facewest.co.uk/Petzl-Vizion.html

In reply to Paul035:You could wear ski goggles and a balaclava. That way both eyes and face are protected. It has to be really cold though or you will be too hot. I've not tried the visors but almost certainly will get the one that fits my Grivel helmet this winter.
Margaret

In reply to Paul035: I tend to use a couple of different shade glasses, goggles or nothing(I know, don't lecture me). Depending on weather and ice conditions, on brittle ice I always try to wear something, though.

You might want to try a few things out and find what works for you.

In reply to Paul035:
Do any off-the-shelf visors fit the ecrin roc or the edelrid targa ?

In reply to Paul035: Bolle silium polycarbonate safety specs - £10. Don't get glass specs - broken glass in your eye isn't much help

In reply to niallk:

These look pretty impressive. Which ones do you use?

In reply to Tony the Blade: I'd like to get a Petzl Vizion, but £35 is a bit over the top.

Looks like arborists with Petzl helmets use MSA visors http://media.msanet.com/NA/USA/HeadEyeFace/OtherHeadProtectionAccessories/H...

With a visor carrier http://www.clark-engineering.com/forestry-equipment-shop/detail/475/249/vis...

Looks a bit more affordable - £15-20 and a choice of polycarbonate or metal mesh.

Presumably if they are up to chainsaw use, they should be OK for ice etc.? Admittedly their disclaimer says "not for sports use", but let's be sensible

In reply to Paul035:

I don't wear a visor, but when I head of to Slovenia for some ice in Jan I will wear one.

To understand why - feel free to perus my photo gallery.

In reply to John Rushby: Feeling that. I was drytooling last week and an axe popped off in my face, not quite that much claret - but I stopped feeling so brave when someone pointed out I could have smacked my teeth out

In reply to John Rushby: So you are coming then? Best visor in my opinion is the Simond one. Remember my riot police look? Looking forward to your new pretty visor!

In reply to francoisecall: Yeah tried simond bumper, unfortunately fitted my head like a vice

In reply to Paul035:

Another vote for Petzl Vizor - hefty price tag (cheaper than a tooth-job though ), but definitely worth it (no fogging, takes a lot of abuse, works well with Meteor III, and presumably many other helmets, not just Petzl ones).

In reply to iksander:

Thats quite uncanny. My fractured skull came from an accident using a chainsaw ... if only I'd known about the visor you've shown. By plastic helmet and mesh visor ended up 10ft away!!