you leave the hut in the dark as you gain height the sun begins to get up. The first rays hit the snow creating enough reflected light that your eyes can feel the strain you squint a bit so you should really put on your glasses to protect your eyes from long term damage.

You get out your normal category 4 glasses (which must reduce the light transmission to less than 8%) and it feels like someone has turned the lights out so you stick them on your head and keep squinting until the light is strong enough that you can see through your dark lenses. Having been left with light sensitive eyes after suffering meningitis as a student I always have to wear eye protection in the high mountains so this has been a big problem I need glasses that I can see through as soon as the sun gets up. The way I have got round this in the past is to carry 2 pairs of glasses one with a dark cat 4 lens and a pair with a cat 3 lens but not an ideal solution more to carry and a faff to change.

The obvious solution was to try photochromic or reactolite lenses the lenses in these products are designed to darken in stronger sunlight and lighten in lower light conditions, models are produced by a couple of the big outdoor eyewear manufacturer. Unfortunately on the hill in spite of the manufacturers offering cat 4 protection non of the models I have tried were dark enough for me and I ended each day with eye strain.

I had pretty much given up and gone back to my 2 glass system when a friend gave me some Tifosi Tyrant glasses to try. The glasses came with their Brown Polarised Fototec lenses which while not a Cat 4 lens they do reduce the light transmission to 9%. The Polarising on the lens reduces glare and the Fototec element adjusts the lens quickly to changing light conditions. All Tifosi lenses cut out 100% of damaging UVA and UVB light

After previous experiences I was sceptical but headed out on the hill with my dark glasses in my bag just in case. I have now stopped carrying the dark pair and just take the Tyrants on the hill every day. The lenses have coped with huge range of light conditions bright sunlight on glaciers all over the Alps even to the summit of Mount Elbrus. Where I have been particularly impressed is their ability to cope with changing conditions. I was climbing the N Pillar on the Pointe d'Amone in the Ecrin where the route moves from one side of the pillar to the other so constantly moving in and out of light and shade. This would normally result in my glasses getting squashed in a pocket for half the day but I could leave the glasses on my face and let the lenses do the work. Similarly when rock climbing in the Val di Mello the sun was coming at us from different angles and the glasses could adapt to different levels of intensity.

The frames on the Tyrant are light comfortable and easy to adjust so they stay glued to your face, the venting in the lenses means that they don't steam up when you are working hard and I have had a whole summer with no eye strain. After many years of searching I think I have finally found my pair of glasses for all mountain conditions. You can find more info about Tifosi by clicking on this link.