Advice about glasses when climbing

I’ve been wearing contacts for decades, but may need to switch to glasses for a while. I am pretty much exclusively a boulderer at this point and fall a lot. I have no idea what features to look for. Any suggestions welcomed.

Try to minimize how much you need to bend your neck to look down and see you feet. Not sure what vision issue your glasses are trying to correct for, but for old fogies like me, progressive lenses are frustrating when climbing because I need to look at my feet out of the top of my glasses. I bet it's worse when you're falling so you have to look at the ground through different parts of your glasses depending on how far up your are--a small effect, only after impact, but maybe important; I don't deck much, so I don't really know...  I prefer to wear distance glasses for climbing & hiking.

Seems obvious but most people don't do it: wear chums, especially for multipitch. I even wear them in the gym when I remember to

I tried climbing in both bifocals and progressives--hated them both, so stuck wiith 'static' distance glasses and it has been okay--at least with my eyesight ( post cataract surgery for both eyes).
Definitely chums or similar glassses holder--I always use one when climbing.

Frames with cable temples that loop around the ears. Only fell off once in 55 years. Or chums, they're likely better. 

Thanks to all.
I should add that I also have behind the ear hearing aids so it’s going to get crowded back behind my ears. 

+1 for cable temples. I keep the lower lense in my bifocals weak enough  that they are fine for seeing small footholds. I can still read ok to. 

I have used just like… regular-ass glasses for a ton of multipitch climbing and never had them fall off. Surprisingly. No leashes or anything.

if you’re gonna be bouldering and falling a lot, my best recommendation is just to get a couple of cheap pairs to beat up - no need to take your super nice ones onto the rock. They will wear out surprisingly quickly, especially if falling and laying in the side arms.

Check out Roka eyeglasses. I love them for climbing.  I've been wearing mine for 2 years now while climbing sport and trad outside and bouldering in the gym. They've seen plenty of small and big ships and they always stay glued on to my face. 

They are Super lightweight, and have a sticky rubber on the bridge and the arms of the glasses. They are very durable too and have held up great throughout all of my outdoor adventures. 

When these finally break I'll be buying another pair for sure. 

Happy trails,

Lightweight glasses will stay on better, won't flop around, won't slide down your nose. Titanium frames. Re lenses, smaller lenses closer to your face. Also, ask if there's any options for extra-thin plastic lenses.

For regular outdoors usage, the photo-reactive (is that the right word? Ones that go darker when exposed to UV) lenses are helpful.

since everything is a throwback these days...might as well go all the way and get some "rec specs"

We made fun of them in the 80's, but it probably works for what you are asking for.

Use Croakies!!

Chums glasses keepers hold my hearing aids in place as well as the glasses.  Note:  if the hearing aids pop out you may not notice, and they can be really hard to find.  I now carry the charging box if I want to remove my hearing aids, e.g. for ski touring yesterday.

Not your stated usage, but my eyeglasses are most likely to get knocked off by a toprope or autobelay webbing that is always near my face.  A helmet or ball cap keeps both in place.  

Wait til you add a hoodie, a beanie, belay glasses....

Daniel Kaywrote:

I have used just like… regular-ass glasses for a ton of multipitch climbing and never had them fall off. Surprisingly. No leashes or anything.

if you’re gonna be bouldering and falling a lot, my best recommendation is just to get a couple of cheap pairs to beat up - no need to take your super nice ones onto the rock. They will wear out surprisingly quickly, especially if falling and laying in the side arms.

I had them fall off once. It's not easy to lead several pitches - no way to rappel off - when effectively, you can't see. So, a piece of twine, anything cheap; worth it sometimes. 

Mark E Dixonwrote:

Thanks to all.
I should add that I also have behind the ear hearing aids so it’s going to get crowded back behind my ears. 

You may look at Oakley frames as an option. The arms on Oakleys are basically straight, no curving down behind the ear, so may be a bit more comfortable. 

I didn't love the design for a feeling of security, but in reality I don't think they fell off my face any more frequently than "normal," frames.  They do take the rubber ended, slide on glasses straps pretty well, too, for added security.  

[edit] Also, make sure to get the extra scratch protection, and maybe a cheap pair of prescription sunglasses if you don't want to go transitions on your main lenses. 

I am both short and long-sighted. I have lenses with one prescription optimised for 3-5' distance so I can see footholds and the next handhold ideally and everything else clearly enough. This is better for me than the expensive varifocals I was recommended with 5' distance looking down and infinity looking up. 

My frames are nothing special but I add a loop of dental floss when I fear they might fall off. I find this less intrusive than chums or their ilk, equally effective, and costs pennies. 

consider a pair solely for climbing as well, they will get scratched up from the wall if you are climbing slab and then it permanently looks like you have smudges where the scratches are. which is manageable when climbing, but mildly annoying throughout the day.

Mark E Dixonwrote:

I’ve been wearing contacts for decades, but may need to switch to glasses for a while. I am pretty much exclusively a boulderer at this point and fall a lot. I have no idea what features to look for. Any suggestions welcomed.

Mark, I recently got a basic pair made by Nike that fits pretty snugly and has more wraparound style rubberized earpieces that help keep them securely on my face. I used to have a pair that were too flexible and required some kind of retainer like chums. Those wound up being a nuisance in the end. The new pair is much more reliable. Re: focus, work with your optometrist but my guess is that multi-focal lenses might not be the best option and a compromise between near-distance and far-distance is the best solution.

I wear contacts and have never had a problem with it, I couldn't imagine trying to wear glasses doing anything active  https://100001.onl/  https://1921681254.mx/

Getting swamped by bots!

Thanks for all the great (human) advice.

Mark, I meant to respond, but forgot. I recommend (if you like them) supplementing your behind the ear aids with inside ear ones. My husband has both but exclusively wears his in ear ones for sports. Can be less expensive than you would think - Apple now makes a pair that pair with an iphone. My sister got these and likes them. Might not be as good for all circumstances as your current ones but in the outdoor encironment could be fine.
as far as glasses, I have always used them. My close vision is quite good so I just have my distance vision RX in the climbing glasses, not the progressives I use for daily wear. I think once I had a pair made as bifocals for climbing and hated it. But that might be good for you if your close vision is poor. I only have my climbing glasses made as sunglasses. Don’t get the frames that have the curve in the stems like lots of cycling glasses - they rub against a lot of helmets. I secure mine with croakies.