what's actually happening
Two things happen on a mountain that don't happen anywhere else, and they happen at the same time.
UV gets stronger the higher you go, and elements like snow throw most of it back up at you. Sun from above and below, when the air feels cold. That's the March burn nobody sees coming, and why the strip between the goggles and the helmet takes the worst of it.
So you'll wear more sunscreen up here than almost anywhere — which makes it worth knowing what's in it. Of all the UV filters sold in the US, only two, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, have been proposed as generally recognized as safe and effective. The rest were asked years ago for more safety data and mostly still owe it. Mineral filters sit on skin. The others absorb into it.
Then the air. Cold air holds almost no moisture, wind takes what's left, and a lodge with the heat blasting finishes the job.
None of this means staying inside. It means SPF you'll actually reapply, made of something you picked on purpose.
the routine
Barrier first. Sun second. Reapply at lunch.
Smooth Sali
salicylic acid and green tea cleansing g
The only exfoliant you need. Once, in the evening.
Routine Skincare Set
all three, together
$117.00 bought separately. Add the kit below and it comes down again.
things worth doing
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Put it on before you leave the house, not in the lift line.
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Get the strip between your goggles and your helmet. That's the one everyone misses.
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Drink water at lunch. Altitude takes more out of you than the skiing does.
things you can stop
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Skipping SPF because it's cold out or you are sheltered by the trees. The sun doesn't know that.
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Trying to build a barrier once you are already out there. Build it before you hit the elements.
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Taking a very hot shower the second you get back. It feels incredible. It's rough on skin that's been out all day.
