Eye Protection for Ice Climbing

I was wondering how many ice-climbers wear eye protection. Has anyone here ever suffered an eye injury while ice climbing?

I don’t like wearing goggles - last time I did, they fogged up, got sprayed with dripping water that immediately froze, and overall just obstructed my vision. It really bothers me when I don’t have a clear view, which is often the case with goggles.

On the other hand, when it’s cold and the ice is brittle, it can break into really sharp shards. I’ve already experienced small cuts on my face, which makes me think it could be really dangerous for the eyes. I usually turn my head slightly and close my eyes upon impact with the tool, but that’s not exactly known to be the best strategy for eye protection. I already had a minor eye injury from a small rock fragment while pounding a piton in the past, and although it healed on its own it’s a really scary thing to happen.

I’m just curious about other people’s experiences - especially any incidents that made them change their mind about wearing eye protection.

I use clear or lightly tinted sunglasses. Wipe them with a no-fog cloth right before you start. On particularly junky days I'll stash them in my jacket if they get too fogged up. Been doing it for many years.

My experience, partners, and what I see out there is that few folks are using eye/face protection, myself included. I rather love the protection benefit of wearing sunglasses on a high reflection day but to be contrarian, I don’t carry clear or yellow glasses for cragging in the shade. I feel like the general perception/bias is that it’s not the norm or weenie behavior. Eye protection is completely justified, I doubt you could find a single ice climber that hasn’t had a bloody face or watched a partner get one. Just like helmets for rock climbing weren’t the norm 20 years ago, it’s just not the norm now. I think that’s reflected in the fact that there aren’t really good commercial solutions. Petzl for example has products like the Vizion Shield but those are clearly marketed towards rope access pros/arborists etc. The climbers that I know that use products like that tend to love them, they’re just the exception.

As per usual, everyone needs to sort out their own risk tolerance.

I have a crappy pair of clear pit vipers I use for ice climbing. They are also great for belaying chossy mixed climbs in Hyalite. I think there’s not really any downsides to wearing glasses climbing. 

IMO, you should usually wear eye protection whenever climbing ice.  I have had a partner that was temporarily blinded by a small ice shard.  

That being said you should be prepared to be able to remove it while climbing, in case water to drips on your eye protection and freezes.

Petzl used to make a clear visor for their helmets that was great because it didn’t fog up and it was easy to flip up, when needed.  If you use glasses, I would suggest using a keeper cord that will allow you to drop them to your neck.

I've noticed that few pro ice climbers wear eye protection, including guides who have been doing it for decades. This seems like a good data point. If Will Gadd doesn't wear glasses (and he seems to think about risk a lot), then maybe it's okay? Has anyone heard of someone getting a serious eye injury while ice climbing?

I have suffered enough dinner plates to the face with resulting bloodletting that I make it a priority to protect my eyes on every climb.  A 10 kg mass with razor sharp edges accelerating at 9.81m/s/s is not something to be trifled with!  I don't know how many eyes you have, but I've only got two, so...

Even routine sticks can generate a surprising amount of ice chip debris (try climbing shirtless on a warm day if you don't believe me!).

Fogging can definitely be a problem.  I have two main go-to options:  A set of Oakley photochromatic glasses (sort of the road cycling weenie type, but not bad), and my prescription shop safety glasses.  I started using the latter just out of laziness (throw 'em on without putting in contacts), and it turned out that I really like them for climbing.  They fog up less than the Oakleys.  That said, if I know I'm going to be in bright sun, or moving between sun and shade, the photochromatic lens of the Oakleys is really nice to have.

I try to suppress the reflex to yank my head back and out of the way of any chunks/plates coming off, and instead do the head-down turtle thing, but that seems to require some deliberate attention.

Bolle safety glasses are high quality and inexpensive. Or ski goggles. Bonus, wear ski helmet to stay warm and the goggles will fit the ski helmet to give you more face coverage.

Countering Karl - If you wear glasses don’t wear a keeper cord! If you need to remove them mid pitch and the cord is under your helmet straps it can be a real struggle. And it’s a pain to put the strap over helmet. If you do manage to get them off from under the helmet, then your glasses are dangling and more likely to get broken. Been there, done that. No keeper cords for me.  Real easy to remove/replace with one hand and put in a pocket if not using a keeper cord. YMMV

I usually wear Julbo photochromatic glasses. Grivel makes (predictably) some funky glasses/goggles. Not an endorsement- just something with looking into. 

I was taught to glance away at the last second when swinging and it’s served me well on brittle ice. I’ve taken some shards to the face but tilting my head just a tiny bit protects my eyes. Obviously not saying don’t look wear you’re swinging- just a microscopic movement.

I wear glasses so I've always had innate protection. I am almost always wearing sunglasses on the ice anyway. I always recommend to people to wear sunglasses.

I love that this is being discussed, I've always advocated for eye protection. I saw a group of clients who were wearing the Petzl visors at the crag once, a party nearby was scoffing at it, but I thought it was a great idea by the guide. It's the same old story of "safety is lame" or whatever the hell we tell ourselves, until we get over it and it becomes the norm.

My very first time ice climbing, my partner took a dinner plate to the forehead and had dried blood dripped down his face the rest of the day. He looked like a god damned Viking warrior and I thought it was the raddest thing ever. Since then my partners and I have had countless bloodied faces and lips, I've even had my thigh gashed through my pants from a dinner plate. It's not a stretch to imagine any one of these being an eye injury. This sport is no joke and its why we love it.

Adam Mills wrote:

I've even had my thigh gashed through my pants from a dinner plate. It's not a stretch to imagine any one of these being an eye injury. This sport is no joke and its why we love it.

This.  After you get a bloody gash through your pants or jacket, you start to realize that maybe your blinking eyelids aren't the impenetrable eyeball armour you think they are.

I have been wearing prescription glasses since I was 5 years old. they suck. There is no doubt that I would have had several serious eye injuries over the years if I had not been wearing glasses. Especially when i was a kid and not smart enough to don safety glasses. that being said I have always felt that I would have been able to climb a grade harder on ice if I was not blind all the time. On hard leads my glasses almost always fog up. I have tried numerous anti fog potions and eventually gave up wasting my money on them.  quite a few hard leads over the years I have resorted to taking my prescription glasses off and climbing with my severe near sighted mess. All fuzzy is better that total gray... 

I currently use the Oakley Holbrook gaming glasses that have anti fog. They do the job. You can probably find a pair on sale. 

I used to wear clear 3M Securefit 400 protective glasses, the same I use for shooting. Not ideal for ice due to fogging and freezing.

Currently running a Kong Mouse helmet with their visor. IIRC, they make a full face version, and a shorter one that covers just the eyes. I have the latter. The visor attachment mechanism has 4 steps, from fully raised to lowered. I like having the visor up by a notch or two, so it protects the face from any debris displaced by the tools above, yet I can look down and sort the gear or place screws without any obstruction. Besides, the Mouse is the only helmet on the market that fits my giant head.

Avoid polarized sunglasses, however, because they change how the ice looks.

A couple seasons ago a chunk of ice shot into my eye and split my contact lens, half of which then retreated into my skull. With depth perception thus hosed I finished the lead, rapped down and had my partner dig the lens out my eyeball.

I don't wear eye protection except the contact lenses.

Safety squint 

Sam Bedell wrote:

I've noticed that few pro ice climbers wear eye protection, including guides who have been doing it for decades. This seems like a good data point. If Will Gadd doesn't wear glasses (and he seems to think about risk a lot), then maybe it's okay? Has anyone heard of someone getting a serious eye injury while ice climbing?

A buddy of mine has a band around his eye preventing retina detachment because of ice climbing. Granted, he was on the ground and got hit by ice from above, but it's hard to argue against eye protection in my novice opinion. 

I use a pair of $5 Walmart Wayfarers. They don't wraparound so you don't have fogging issues and aren't all that dark, so they work fine in both sun and shade. Best of all they're so cheap I could care less if I drop them, lose them, or bust them.

I really miss the Petzl and Grivel visors, even if they sucked for durability.

Mike Larson wrote:

I really miss the Petzl and Grivel visors, even if they sucked for durability.

MEC Canada had Petzl visors on sale 50% off, as of yesterday

I typically wear sun glasses. I have a few pair of frameless reactiv Julbo glasses. While I’ve never liked that style, I find they do not fog as easily as framed glasses. I’m primarily wearing them for sun protection, even on low light days. Secondary would be protection from debris including ice, dirt, tree branches, etc.