The Gear Report: 4 Top Shades with Substance & Style.Sunglasses may be the most critical element of alpine living, combining powerful protection with their own elegant aspects of sex appeal and style. From the cafe to your car to the ski trail, they also go wherever you go, which is why for this Gear Report we picked four versatile shades that look and work exceptionally well.
POC DO Low Photochromatic, MSRP: $230 POC may be known on the ski scene for its world-class helmets and goggles, but the brand recently took the plunge into sunglasses as well. One stunning result is the DO Low, a simply stylish pair of shades with Photochromatic lens that darken as the light intensity builds. Antiscratch, anti-reflective and hydrophobic, too, the Low features injected grilamid frames for a lightweight sense of cool. Pocsports.com
REVO Guide Extreme, MSRP: $209 Built for action, REVO’s Guide Extreme was developed in conjunction with legendary skier, guide and photographer Jimmy Chin. Anti-fog venting keeps your vision clear even in the face of breathtaking views, while removable side shields give you peripheral protection options on the trail. The Serilium lens is durable and impact resistant just in case you do take a spill. (Also available as the Guide Small, and with REVO prescription lenses). Revo.com
Smith PivLock Overdrive, $239 You may have to wait until August to get Smith’s PivLock Overdrive on your face, but it’ll be worth it for athletes looking for the ease interchangeability with the choice of 3 Carbonic TLT performance lenses. Switch on the fly for optimum clarity no matter what the cloud cover, and appreciate how the adjustable nose pads grip a little tighter to your face when—and if—you start to perspire. Smithoptics.com
Zeal Kennedy, MSRP: $139The cool name and style of Zeal’s ‘Kennedy’ still comes in second to the sunglasses’ plant-based e-illume lens, which eliminate the need for a bonding agent made from crude oil. By maintaining a 38 Abbe value clarity—which measures chromatic aberration—in a pair of active sunglasses, Zeal made sure the process sees as good as it looks, while offering UVA, B and C protection as well. Zealoptics.com
