I received a pair of Guideline Eyegear’s Alpine polarized sunglasses to try out this season1 and I’ve been really impressed.
Build Quality
When skiing I always carry a pair of goggles to the slopes and throw a pair of sunglasses in my pack to pull out when outside at lunch or driving or on a patio during après.
I’m usually hesitant to bring my nicer metal-rimmed or higher-end sunglasses because I fear I’ll fall or throw my bag down and bend or break them inside. Since the Alpine sunglasses are a very solid build of plastic, I don’t have to worry at all. Plus they come with a nice semi-soft case with a hard front to help keep things protected.
These glasses feel great, not cheap but sturdy and the right about of heft in my hands. After a few months of use, the hinges still swing freely but not loosely like they’ve been worn down.
Plus, there are rubber nose and temple pads to help prevent slippage which have held up very well against the sun and moisture this season. Plus, this means they never fell off my face.
Style & Look
The Alpine are a sleek, semi-transparent frame. You can faintly see through them it picks up the color behind them making them feel a bit more part of your face. I didn’t notice any light ‘leaking’ through the transparency since the rims on front are fairly muted.
While the Alpine comes in green, brown, clear and graphite, I love having a plain pair of dark frames. With the dark gray frames, I can wear them with any outfit on the slops. And when skiing, I’m almost always in black ski pants and probably have a black hat on.
The Alpine frame style is described as a “modified oval” which seems to fit my face fairly well and is said to work well with a medium to large face. The style is perfectly ‘sporty’ or ‘active’ so they work well on the slopes.
The lenses are polarized which is a big must-have for the bright, high-altitude sun and I wouldn’t recommend these without them.
Overall Impressions
Coming in around $60, I’m very pleased with the Alpine and they’re my new go-to snow sunglasses. In fact, I’ve start wearing them around town as it warms up when I go out jogging because the soft temple and nose pads keep them firmly in place while the light plastic doesn’t weigh down on my face.
Exclusively for Colorado Snow readers, use coupon code “cosnow13” at checkout and receive 20%-off an online order at glpolarized.com. Coupon expires June 15, 2013.
- As always, our opinions are offered as freely (and honestly) as the items provided to us. ↩