Alpine expeditions require a set of protective equipment, including protective eyewear for reflective surfaces and wind, as well as helmets to protect your head in the alpine. Eyewear brands like Julbo have created wide lens sunglasses and snow goggles, to protect from peripheral light penetration and damage. When heading to altitude or high glare environments, always bring your alpine and snow eye protection.

FAQs

What are the different categories for snow goggles?

Lens categories are classified by the Cancer Council Australia to ensure buyers understand the level of protection they are getting from their eye protection. Higher numbered categories mean a greater reduction in light penetration, whilst eyewear with a range are photochromic and can change depending on the amount of ambient light.  Always understand your alpine expedition environment before you purchase eye protection, as darker tint eyewear can limit light penetration greatly, and are not suitable for driving and low light activities.  

Do the ski and alpine goggles fog?

Treated with durable anti-fog, most inner lenses are covered in an anti-fog coating to keep your eye protection clear while you’re living on the edge. Cross ventilation slits on the sides of expedition goggles also allow for airflow, ensuring your eyes keep cool and help reduce the formation of fog on the inner lens. Additional temperature and fog control systems for alpine eyewear is the ability to push the lens forward, allowing upward venting, ideal when exerting yourself whilst climbing, skiing or trekking.

How do I know my helmet size?

Protective helmets for alpine exploring and rock climbing have to fit securely to offer the greatest protection. Many helmet brands including Black Diamond, Camp, Kong and Petzl offer a range of sizes and you can measure the circumference of your head to ensure that it is the perfect fit. Most protective helmets have a size adjuster at the rear, meaning you have some wiggle room when selecting your helmet size.

What extras should I look for when choosing an expedition helmet?

Airflow is a must when exerting yourself on any expedition, whether it be spelunking, climbing or mountaineering. Having sufficient gaps for airflow is not ideal in dusty environments or for those prone to sunburn on their scalp. Removable padding and cushioning in alpine helmets means easy cleaning, keeping your helmet stink free. Headlamp clips are a useful feature for any helmet, as wearing a head torch with your protective helmet can compromise fit and add uncomfortable bulk. Finally, suspension protection alpine helmets offer the greatest form of impact resistance. 

What extras can I get for my technical alpine eyewear?

Additional alpine eyewear side shields are a great way to make your eyewear even more protective, and can be attached to different sunglasses. They include leather and fabric options that can clip on and off with ease. To keep your protective sunglasses on during your adventures, brands including Croakies have created handy attachment cords made from leather, fabric, neoprene and metal. Looping around your neck, these alpine eyewear retainers make sure that you won’t lose your sunglasses in the backcountry. 

What alpine headwear protection brands does Paddy Pallin stock?

Paddy Pallin stocks a range of protective gear including Helmets, UV protection sunglasses, Anti-fog goggles and cases. Brands including Julbo, Camp, Black Diamond, Petzl, Croakies and Kong.

How do I fit my alpine expedition goggles?

Snow and ski goggles come with adjustable straps that can fit around most helmets which can be pulled tight to fit on most faces. Most snow goggles are flexible, being able to bend around the contours of most faces. Some expedition eyewear comes in different shapes and sizes, with larger or smaller goggle sizes available.  

How do I protect my eyewear?

The best way to protect your eyewear is to keep it in its protective case until you’re using them! Picking up a hard or soft cases for your alpine eyewear is important to keep them scratch free. Croakies also act as a security feature to keep your protective sunglasses secure while on the go.