Excessive winds and snow can harm hikers’ eyes and depart them unable to navigate—a recipe for hazard on a excessive peak.
Mount Columbia in Colorado (Photograph: Kathleen Lockhart / iStock by way of Getty)
Up to date March 14, 2026 05:54PM
From hypothermia to falls on icy terrain to whiteouts, a lot of the hazards that often get hikers in hassle throughout the winter are well-known. However typically the surprising ones are probably the most harmful. Two hikers found that earlier this month after considered one of them ended up partially blinded and unable to navigate excessive on a Colorado 14er.
In a Fb put up, the Chaffee County Search and Rescue North staff stated that on March 7 at 9:15 p.m., the staff acquired a name about two hikers in misery excessive on Mount Columbia, a 14,072-foot peak situated within the Sawatch Vary.
One of many hikers stated that they have been having issue seeing attributable to “snow crystals having been blown of their eyes.” As temperatures plummeted post-sunset, the hikers have been unable to make their method down. “With an avalanche evaluation and chilly climate checks, CCSARN fielded a staff, and the unhurt hiker was in a position to help their pal down the route concurrently.”
The SAR staff lastly reached the stricken hikers at 1:00 a.m., roughly 4 hours after being activated, and helped them to the trailhead with what the staff described as minor accidents. By simply earlier than 4:30 a.m., everybody was down safely.
When most hikers hear the phrase ‘snow blindness,’ they image photokeratitis—successfully corneal sunburn—which happens when vibrant daylight displays off snow-covered terrain. However that’s not the one method that ice and snow can injury your eyesight within the mountains. It’s troublesome to know precisely what occurred to the hiker from the SAR staff’s temporary report, however there are a minimum of two ways in which chilly temperatures, wind, and ice can render an individual unable to see.
One is corneal frostbite. Whereas your physique warmth and the layer of moisture in your eyeball typically forestall it from freezing in even frigid temperatures, excessive winds can strip away that safety, as occurred to four-time Iditarod champion Doug Swingley in 2004 after he eliminated his goggles in a snowstorm. One other is abrasion. Identical to sand or grime, sharp ice crystals can straight trigger harm to the floor of the attention, irritating it and making it troublesome to see out of. Typically each of those—frostbite and abrasion—can strike climbers without delay. (Fortunately for the stricken hiker, these accidents typically heal with few to no lasting results.)
The implications of being rendered blind excessive on a mountain in winter could be critical. Stopping this sort of injury is pretty easy. Wrap-around sun shades with good protection or goggles can shield your eyes from each wind and blowing ice and snow, and needs to be a necessary a part of any winter hiker’s package.
Anticipate it’s possible you’ll be out earlier than dawn or after dusk? Clear eye safety or clear glasses can protect your eyes with out hindering your visibility. I often toss a pair of ironmongery store security glasses in my pack for each daybreak patrols and nighttime ski missions. (Phrase to the sensible: Evening climbing on 14ers has loads of different risks past frozen eyeballs. Begin your ascent early and be sure to’re ready.)
