Instant Hollywood! Slip these shades on and you’ll be a star. Really? Not really.

Nick Yardley up at Julbo shipped a box of these shades to Alpine Endeavors earlier this season. As far as I can tell I’m the only guide wearing them, which is too bad for everyone else. All loudness aside these are the best sunglasses I’ve ever owned. They go everywhere I go and stay on my head night and day. I’ve been wearing them exclusively for four months now and they help relieve some of the eye redness that I tend to experience on an almost daily basis.

Julbo doesn’t seem to have huge market share in the United States, and most people know them exclusively for their glacier glasses. I think we’re going to see that change over the next few years as glasses like the Dirt begin to win people over.

The Dirts are meant for mountain biking and are full-coverage sunglasses. The size of the glasses seem large at first but you get used to them, and during bright light conditions I’ve come to appreciate the extra coverage. The Zebra lenses, which are an upgrade, are well worth the money. This is my second pair of Julbo’s with the Zebra lenses and you can wear them from sun-up to sunset. They’ll change according to light conditions meaning you won’t have to switch lenses or take you sunglasses off when the sun goes away.

So far I’ve used them for rock and alpine climbing, running, and cycling. They’re comfortable and remain on my head regardless of the activity. They feel tight at first but the frame seems to stretch, quickly allowing for a more comfortable fit.

From my perspective however, the best feature is how scratch resistant the lenses seem. I’ve stored the glasses in chest pockets, thigh pockets, pack lids without the case, I’ve even dropped them on pavement, and 4 months later I don’t have any appreciable scratches. My last pair of Smith sunglasses had scratches from day one. I’m sold.

The only downsides I can see so far are that the white paint seems to be scratching off (very hard to notice) and that one rubber earpiece is loosening slowly. Nothing a bit of crazy glue won’t fix though.

So, if you don’t mind (or you like) the Hollywood white and can stomach the price tag ($120-$190) I highly recommend these sunglasses for any outdoor activity you can dish up. I know the white seems loud but strangely enough they look pretty good. They come in other colors too, and with other lens options (polarized or camel – photochromic and polarized) for those of you who don’t appreciate the rockstar look.