Written by: Cassie Markham (Peak Experiences Blog)
The first time I heard of Julbo was two winters ago; we were on a two-day touring trip in the Squamish backcountry with Aurora Backcountry and our guide Sam loaned me his Shields. In typical Cassie fashion I’d forgotten my sunglasses only to remember once we hit the uptrack. I’d like to blame it on the baby brain as I was around 3 months pregnant at this time, but let’s face it, I’m always forgetting something. Normally, I would just suffer and go without as a punishment for forgetting my gear but eye protection is where I draw the line.
I know adaptive lenses aren’t exactly new technology but I was blown away by these glasses! We spent the day traveling in and out of the trees and normally this would mean taking my glasses on and off the whole way, dealing with fog, and trying to keep them somewhat clean enough to be useful. With the Shields, that was absolutely not the case. I honestly forgot I was even wearing glasses, they were incredibly comfortable, and the light stabilization was so instantaneous that it went unnoticed. Plus, they never fogged, even during the heaviest climbs; I was instantly hooked!
Since then I’ve been testing out these glasses in a number of different environments. Not only are they amazing in the snow but they are great for hiking, biking and paddling as well! We recently went on a road trip through Utah and California. It was incredibly windy while we were in the desert and sand was blowing everywhere, I loved having the added protection of the fabric side shields. The adaptive lenses worked great even in dark slot canyons and the venting kept me fog free, even on the hottest place on earth, Death Valley!
I’ve also been wearing the Shields out on the water lately and they’ve been amazing when it comes to glare and reflection off the water. They come with a cord attachment that gives me peace of mind knowing I won’t toss them in the lake, with the added nostalgic bonus of feeling like my grandpa out on his fishing boat.
I know I’ve said they’re perfect for everything and I honestly mean it, they’re the only eye protection I need. I’ve also been wearing them biking, which normally I prefer a clear lens for, but they’re great, even in the trees or on cloudy rainy afternoons with low light. I truly do feel like I have “all-terrain vision” as advertised.
