UV rises by around 10% for every 1,000 m you climb, and fresh snow reflects up to 80% of it straight back at you. Put those together and a day on a ski slope at 2,000 m is a far bigger UV dose than the same day on a UK pavement, even when it's cold enough that burning is the last thing on your mind. Add thin, dry air, an icy wind and a hot shower at the end of it, and your skin takes it from every angle. Lips go first. Here are six things worth knowing before you go up, and what to pack.
1. Why is UV so much stronger on a mountain than at sea level?
Two reasons. First, the air up there is thinner and cleaner, so less UV gets filtered out on the way down. The World Health Organization puts the increase at around 10% for every 1,000 m above sea level. At a typical ski resort that's a fifth to a quarter more UV than you'd get on the beach below.
Second, reflection. In winter the UV hits you twice: once from the sky, and again as it bounces off the snow. Fresh snow reflects up to 80% of UV, which can nearly double your exposure. For comparison, here's what other surfaces send back, using WHO figures:
| Surface | UV reflected |
|---|---|
| Fresh snow | Up to 80% |
| Sea foam | About 25% |
| Dry sand | About 15% |
| Grass, soil, open water | Under 10% |
Cloud doesn't let you off either. Thin cloud lets 80 to 90% of UV through, and even broken cloud lets through roughly three-quarters. That's why so many of us have come down from a whiteout day red-faced and confused. Heat and UV are different things: the damage follows the sun's height in the sky, not the temperature.
UVB is what burns you. UVA goes deeper and does its damage without the warning. Both age skin, and both add to skin cancer risk. According to Cancer Research UK, up to 9 in 10 cases of melanoma could be prevented by staying safe in the sun. A week on the snow is a week where that matters.
What to do: SPF 50+ with the UVA circle or a 5-star UVA rating on every bit of exposed skin. Your face needs about a teaspoon, and that teaspoon covers neck and ears too. Put a second coat on 15 to 30 minutes after the first: that's where most of the missed skin gets covered. Then reapply at least every two hours, which on a ski day means every coffee or hot chocolate stop.
Gloves make tubes awkward, which is why we built our SPF 50+ Mineral Sun Stick for the slope. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, fragrance-free, applied straight from the stick with no hands needed. It protects as soon as it's on. Each swipe lays down a thin layer, so go over nose, cheeks, ears and the strip under your goggles a few times. There are no published reports of allergic reactions to either mineral filter, which makes it the one we'd pick for cold, wind-stripped skin.
Summer mountaineers have an easier option for arms and body: a UPF 50+ long-sleeve top blocks at least 98% of sunburning UV, and the protection is in the fibre and the knit, not a finish that washes out. Nothing to reapply. Sunscreen handles the gaps.
2. Why do lips go first in the mountains?
Because they have less to work with than any other skin on your face. The red part of your lips is only 3 to 5 cell layers thick, against about 16 on your cheek. They have no oil glands, so they can't make their own protective film, and they lose water almost three times faster than the cheek, which is already the leakiest skin on the body. Licking them makes it worse: the saliva evaporates and takes moisture with it.
Sun matters here too. In a controlled trial, UV brought on a cold sore in 71% of susceptible people within about three days, and in none of those who'd put sunscreen on their lips first. Use a lip balm of SPF 30 or higher before you go out, reapplied every two hours. Skip anything minty or tingling: a sting means the balm is irritating your lips, not working.
What to do: keep our SPF 50+ Moisturising Lip Protector in the pocket you can actually reach on the chairlift. It's fragrance-free and flavour-free, and it does both jobs: UV protection and moisture. Top it up after eating or drinking, and at every stop.
3. How do you stop your skin drying out at altitude?
Everything about a mountain day pulls water out of your skin. Cold, dry air outside, the heating on full inside, sweat under layers, the constant switching between the two, and then a long hot shower at the end of it. Hot water does more than you'd think: ten minutes at about 41 °C more than doubled water loss through the skin in one study.
Dry skin isn't just uncomfortable. The outer layer is your barrier against wind, cold and whatever else is out there, and a dry barrier is a leaky one. Tightness, flaking and cracking are the signs it's losing.
What to do: moisturise at both ends of the day, without fail. Use something heavier than your usual, because the thicker layer sits on the surface for longer. Keep showers warm rather than hot, and put moisturiser on straight afterwards while your skin is still damp. Hands and body won't say no to a layer either. Our Daily Repair Moisturiser is built for exactly this: on after the shower, it supports barrier recovery while you sleep.
4. Do you need to protect your eyes from snow glare?
Yes, and the reason goes beyond comfort. The front of the eye takes the hit from UV: the WHO estimates up to 10% of cataracts may be caused by overexposure to it, and cataract is the world's leading cause of blindness. Photokeratitis, better known as snow blindness, is a painful inflammation of the eye surface that comes on after a bright day on snow, cloudy or not. Wearing sunglasses roughly halves the odds of developing pterygium, a growth across the surface of the eye.
What to do: goggles or sunglasses with full UV protection are essential kit. Cheap lenses can do more harm than good, because a dark tint without UV filtering opens the pupil and lets more in.
5. Does drinking more water help your skin in the mountains?
It helps you, and your skin comes with you. Dry air and a full day of effort mean you lose more water than you would at home, and most of it goes unnoticed because sweat evaporates fast at altitude. Dehydration shows up as a headache and heavy legs long before it shows up in your skin, but there's no version of a long cold day where drinking less is the right call.
What to do: drink more than you usually would, and more again if you're skiing, climbing or hiking hard. Moisturiser works on the outside. Water works from the inside. You need both.
6. What should you do for your skin at the end of a mountain day?
Get into the habit of helping it recover, which in plain terms means cleanse and moisturise. Thirty seconds, done every evening, makes a real difference to how your face feels on day five. Wash with something that doesn't strip, then put a repair moisturiser on while your skin is still damp from the shower.
If you did get caught out and you're red and sore, the NHS advice is to cool the skin, use an unperfumed moisturiser or aftersun, drink water, and leave any blisters alone. Then be more generous with the SPF tomorrow. The damage is done before you look red, so the win is in not getting there.
What should you pack for a ski trip?
Three things do most of the work: SPF 50+ for your face, SPF for your lips, and something to repair with in the evening. Our Mountain Set puts a 200ml Sun Gel, the SPF 50+ Mineral Sun Stick and the Daily Repair Moisturiser in one order, and it works just as well on a summer ridge as a winter slope. Add the SPF 50+ Moisturising Lip Protector and you're covered from the chairlift to the shower.
Frequently asked questions
Can you get sunburnt skiing on a cloudy day?
Yes. Thin cloud lets 80 to 90% of UV through and broken cloud lets through roughly three-quarters, so a grey day on the mountain is still a high-UV day. The snow is still reflecting up to 80% of it back at you. Apply SPF 50+ before you go out and reapply at every stop, whatever the sky looks like.
How often should you reapply sunscreen when skiing?
At least every two hours, and sooner if you've been sweating hard or wiping your face. A second coat 15 to 30 minutes after the first roughly doubles the amount most people manage to get on. The easiest habit on a ski day is to reapply at every coffee or lunch stop, before you put your gloves back on.
Is a mineral sun stick better than sunscreen lotion for skiing?
Both work once the film is on. The stick wins on the slope for a practical reason: you can apply it through a glove, to your nose, cheeks and ears, without getting your hands out. Each swipe lays down a thin layer, so go over each area a few times. A gel or lotion is better for larger areas in summer.
Do you need SPF on your lips when skiing?
Yes. Lips have only 3 to 5 cell layers, no oil glands and lose water almost three times faster than the cheek, and UV is a major trigger for cold sores. Use a lip balm of SPF 30 or higher before going out, reapplied every two hours and after eating or drinking. Ours is SPF 50+, fragrance-free and flavour-free.
Does cold weather protect your skin from UV?
No. Heat and UV are separate things. UV follows the sun's height in the sky and peaks around midday, while temperature peaks later in the afternoon. On a mountain you can be well below freezing and still taking a bigger UV dose than a summer beach, because of the altitude and the snow. Protect for the UV, dress for the cold.
Now you know. Go and find the snow.
