The one thing nobody rents, and the one where getting it wrong is an injury rather than a discomfort.
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For anywhere you walk on snow above 4,500 m.
What to look for: EN ISO 12312-1 filter category 4 (3-8% VLT), wraparound or side shields, full UV block
UV rises 10-12% per 1,000 m and fresh snow reflects up to 80% of it, so you are lit from above and below. Side coverage stops the light ordinary sunglasses miss entirely.
Not road legal in many countries — genuinely too dark to read traffic lights.
Enough for anything below about 4,000 m.
What to look for: EN ISO 12312-1 filter category 3 (8-18% VLT), wraparound, UV400
Poon Hill, Mardi Himal, Ghandruk, Annapurna Base Camp in a normal autumn. Prioritise fit and wrap over darkness — you will actually keep them on.
Above about $60 you are buying brand and frame materials, not more protection.
