The reasons skiers and snowboarders father goggles or glasses might seem a small obvious , especially if you ’ve ever shoot the slopes yourself . Sunlight reflected off the snow can make it knockout to see , and UV rays can evendamage your seeing . peculiar colored lens alsocreate demarcation , so your whole way of life wo n’t await like one flat expanse of sinlessness . Not to refer that eyewear cuticle your eyes from any nose candy you displace ( or that the wind blow into your face ) .
Olympic speed skater , meanwhile , are racing inside on liquid ice . So why do they wear glasses ?
According toNBC Olympics , glasses can increase visibility on indoor track , too , and some skater ’ lenses are touch to serve with that . And while the methamphetamine hydrochloride may look smooth from a distance , thosesharp bladescan kick upice chipsthat could model problem if they end up in your eyes . In the event of a crash , shatter - substantiation glassesalso protect skaters ’ eyes from errant blades and body parts .
But the biggest rationality speed skaters choose for eyewear just might be their speed . forgetful - track speed skaters ( who rush around a roughly111 - meter track ) can go as fast as30 miles per houror more , and foresighted - track fastness skaters ( whose trail is 400 meter long ) sometimes hit about35 Swedish mile per hour . The wind resistivity generated by such speed — in a parky arena — is enough to make any skater ’s eyes initiate streaming with tears . Picture leaning your head out the windowpane of a auto that ’s going around 35 miles per time of day on a cold-blooded day : You ’d probably need to be wearing trash , too .
That pronounce , glassesaren’t a requirement , and you ’ll occasionally see focal ratio skater with uncovered visages . Belgium ’s Stijn Desmet , for example , has raced in Beijing without eyewear , as has China’sZhang Chutong .
