Newbie question - Please help
 

Hello,

I have never gone skiing before, but I would like to try this year.

I have 2 questions, I hope someone can help me out with, I apologize
in advance, if you get these all the time.

1. What is the purpose of googles? Does the snow really fly into your
eyes? Do people ski without them?
2. I wear glasses...I assume I rent googles/skis at the resort. Would
I be able to wear googles over my glasses?

Whoops, a little more than 2 questions.

Thank you

Newbie question - Please help
 

Mike wrote:

Hello,

I have never gone skiing before, but I would like to try this year.

I have 2 questions, I hope someone can help me out with, I apologize
in advance, if you get these all the time.

1. What is the purpose of googles? Does the snow really fly into your
eyes? Do people ski without them?

Different people's eye's behave differently. Any respectable amount of
wind flying into my eyes makes them water. For me, glasses do not
deflect enough of the wind, so I always ski with goggles.

2. I wear glasses...I assume I rent googles/skis at the resort. Would
I be able to wear googles over my glasses?

Several brands make goggles that fit over glasses. Not sure on the
availability of renting them in your area, you may need to purchase them.


Whoops, a little more than 2 questions.

That's what we are here for, ask away...


--
Chester Bullock,
Colorado Ski Conditions and Mountain Cams
http://www.black-diamond.com
AIM: tenxible YahooIM: ccb247

Newbie question - Please help
 

Mike wrote:

Hello,

I have never gone skiing before, but I would like to try this year.

I have 2 questions, I hope someone can help me out with, I apologize
in advance, if you get these all the time.

1. What is the purpose of googles? Does the snow really fly into your
eyes? Do people ski without them?
2. I wear glasses...I assume I rent googles/skis at the resort. Would
I be able to wear googles over my glasses?


The snow does fly into your eyes if you are doing it right ! :)

Normally a beginner won't be going fast enough to be troubled by snow in
the eyes unless it is actually snowing, but if that's the case what you
really need is goggles with lenses that will help you see the snow
surface. A white-out can be VERY disorientating for anyone. If it's that
bad though, a beginner woul dbe better off quitting.

The other reason though is eye protection when it's sunny. The sunlight
is more intense higher up plus you get it reflected back off the snow
too, so you need really good high-factor goggles or glasses. If you go
for the latter, make sure they really fit well so the light can't get in
round the edges - personally I use glacier glasses which have a very
high pf lens and leather edging - I have lovely panda eyes at the end of
the week ! You may already have some prescription sunglasses that are
good enough, but probably not.

I think some goggles will fit over some glasses but it's not a problem I
have fortunately - I'm sure someone else will be along shortly to
advise. I think that some people have prescription goggles, you'll need
those when the bug has bitten you :)

Newbie question - Please help
 

Mike wrote:

1. What is the purpose of googles?

Mainly to keep the wind out of your eyes - they're kinda like a
windshield. As a beginner you won't (hopefully) be going fast enough to
need them for this. Your glasses should be enough.

They also serve a secondary purpose of aiding visibility, i.e. a good
pair of goggles can help bring out features in the surface of the snow
by polarization and coloring.

Does the snow really fly into your eyes?

It can, but only when it's snowing hard.

Do people ski without them?

Yep. Lots of people ski with wrap around sunglasses, ordinary glasses,
or no eyewear at all.


2. I wear glasses...I assume I rent googles/skis at the resort.

You can rent skis, boots and poles at just about every hill. Sometimes
you can rent clothing, but this is much rarer. I've never seen goggles
available for rent.

Would I be able to wear googles over my glasses?

Yep. Some models are made specifically to wear over glasses. Some are
not. If you want to spend real money, you can buy pre-scription
goggles. But for now, until you've gotten a couple of sessions under
your belt, don't worry about the goggles.

--
//-Walt
//
// The Volkl Conspiracy

Newbie question - Please help
 

In article ,
Walt writes:
They also serve a secondary purpose of aiding visibility, i.e. a good
pair of goggles can help bring out features in the surface of the snow
by polarization and coloring.

You forgot the protection aspect. Wacking yourself in the face with a pole
is much more enjoyable when you wear google than when you wear glasses.
(Or so I'v heard. This has of course never hapenned to me...)

There is also the protection from the sun. You probably know how much
a sunburned face hurts. Just immaging what a sunburned eye feels like.
Vision correcting glasses don't offer enough protection in that respect.

bruno.

Newbie question - Please help
 

Bruno Melli wrote:
There is also the protection from the sun. You probably know how much
a sunburned face hurts. Just immaging what a sunburned eye feels like.
Vision correcting glasses don't offer enough protection in that respect.

Would I be correct in my assumption that you DON'T mean vision
correcting sun glasses? All I use are my prescription glacier
glasses. Can't do the goggle thing as my cowboy hat makes 'em
fog up WAY to easy. Hell, I have a hard enough time with my
glacier glasses W/O side shields.

Sam "Skiin' w/o the goggles" Seiber

Newbie question - Please help
 

Bruno Melli wrote:


Wacking yourself in the face with a pole is much more enjoyable when
you wear google than when you wear glasses.

What? They're making eye protection now too?

Um gesh de bork bork!

http://www.google.com/webhp?hl=xx-bork

--
//-Walt
//
// The Volkl Conspiracy

Newbie question - Please help
 

On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 18:54:04 GMT, (Bruno Melli) wrote:

In article ,
Walt writes:
They also serve a secondary purpose of aiding visibility, i.e. a good
pair of goggles can help bring out features in the surface of the snow
by polarization and coloring.

You forgot the protection aspect.

They're also de rigeur for hanging out apres ski. I almost never take
mine off when I'm in Vail.

JP

Newbie question - Please help
 

Bruno Melli wrote:
In article ,
Walt writes:

They also serve a secondary purpose of aiding visibility, i.e. a good
pair of goggles can help bring out features in the surface of the snow
by polarization and coloring.


You forgot the protection aspect. Wacking yourself in the face with a pole
is much more enjoyable when you wear google than when you wear glasses.
(Or so I'v heard. This has of course never hapenned to me...)

There is also the protection from the sun. You probably know how much
a sunburned face hurts. Just immaging what a sunburned eye feels like.
Vision correcting glasses don't offer enough protection in that respect.

I suppose it depends on the glasses - some glass mixes are pretty good
UV blocker, but I wouldn't count on it without additional specifications.

Just to clarify for the OP, it's the retina that sunburns - inside the
eyeball, from both direct and reflected UV - snow is a great UV
reflector, and overcast skies don't block all the UV, so the eyes are
still vulnerable on overcast days. The OP should be sure that either his
glasses are UV blockers, or wear UV blocker sunglasses, or get some UV
blocker goggles (all goggles marketed for skiing are UV blockers.) The
other uses for goggles (snow out of eyes, improved contrast, impacts
with lift towers, etc,) are secondary IMO.

Newbie question - Please help
 

"Mike" wrote in message
om...
Hello,

I have never gone skiing before, but I would like to try this year.

I have 2 questions, I hope someone can help me out with, I apologize
in advance, if you get these all the time.

1. What is the purpose of googles? Does the snow really fly into your
eyes? Do people ski without them?
2. I wear glasses...I assume I rent googles/skis at the resort. Would
I be able to wear googles over my glasses?


Google is an internet tool (www.google.com) that will let you look things
up. For instance you could do a search on "ski goggles".

And if someone tells you to "Go google yourself", it's not an insult. It
just means the writer is lying to you.