So Last year on Rainier I got a wicked burn on my face and lips. My lips swelled twice their size and it was pretty hard to eat anything for a week after the trip.

What do you use to protect your face? Constantly re-applying sunscreen doesn't seem to work for me. I've tried having a buff around my neck and pulling it up to my nose, but I feel like I can't breath.

any tips?

I'm sorry to say that there isn't a magic trick to deal with the high altitude sun reflected off of glaciers, but there are a number of products and strategies you can use to good effect. FWIW, I was a competitive swimmer and lifeguard, so I spent a lot of time out in the sun when I was younger. I never sunburned even though I eschewed sunblock. The first time I climbed a glacier in college, (Mt. Baker), I got sunburned so badly I ended up with a horrible case of cold sores that covered my mouth. (Cold sores are caused by herpes viruses that stay dormant in your neural dendrites until they are 'activated' by exposure to UV radiation or some other mechanism). That was the day before I met my girlfriend's parents for the first time, and boy was she pissed. Not only was I as red as a boiled lobster, I had a super nasty case of herpes all over my mouth. Not the impression she wanted me to make. But, like I said there are strategies you can employ to mitigate your exposure to harmful UV radiation

1. A good hat. I personally prefer a Bay Six, white mesh cap http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Bay_Six_No-Logo_Hat_White/descpageUNIQUE-KENUC.html. The brim is large and darker colored on the underside to reduce albedo radiation. I will often tuck a bandanna under the back, as a cape, to protect my neck. Sequel used to make the Desert Rat Hat, which had a removable neck cape (attached by Velcro) which also closed in front (with Velcro). The cape is lose fitting, so you shouldn't have any breathing problems. They look fairly ridiculous, but work well. Unfortunately, Sequel is no longer in business but I suspect you could find one on Ebay or something. You could achieve the same effect with a large, white bandanna and a small safety pin. Or, you could make a bold fashion statement and go with a straw cowboy hat.

2. Good sunblock that doesn't sweat off. I prefer Aloe Gator SPF 40+ in the gel form. https://www.amazon.com/Aloe-Gator-SPF-40-Gel/dp/B001OPH3CI?th=1&psc=1 The gel is less irritating to my sensitive skin, and does not sweat off and end up in my eyes like every other lotion type of sunscreen. Available in 1 oz., 2oz., 4 oz., and 8 oz. sizes. I like the 2 oz. size because it is so lightweight and it fits in the chest pocket of my wind shirt, which keeps the gel from becoming too thick from cold weather. I worked as a lifeguard in the summers and Bullfrog brand was very popular with the other lifeguards due to its water resistance. Available up to SPF 50+. https://www.campmor.com/c/bullfrog-water-sport-lotion-spf-50-h11745oz?gclid=CI6l24WE3NMCFQ6bfgod0tkDeA

3. Sunblock lip balm. In as high an SPF as you can find. Zinc oxide was popular with the lifeguards for the nose and lips and is available in SP 50. https://jet.com/product/detail/f3c36a32b634483d875752e63a2cebd1?jcmp=pla:ggl:NJ_cons_Gen_Health__Beauty_a3:Health__Beauty_Skin_Care_Sun_Care_a3:na:PLA_786070203_37816626461_pla-307606444263:na:na:na:2&code=PLA15&gclid=CJOUgoKD3NMCFYOKfgod3UwCMQ. I use Banana Boat brand lip balm, SPF 30, which does the trick for me.

4. A nose guard with your glacier glasses. I made my own from SAM splint material. And hey, Colin Haley uses one so there you go.

5. Climb at night and be off the glacier before the sun rises too high in the sky. When I alpine climb I aim to leave high camp at 2:00 AM. The guide services often aim for midnight.

6. Apply sunblock before you need it. Right before you start the approach at the parking lot, when you get up in the middle of the night to start your climb, before the sun rises.

Regarding EB's hat recommendation, the OR Sun Runner Cap is similar to what he describes and has always treated me well from 2-21 day trips.

96avs01 wrote:Regarding EB's hat recommendation, the OR Sun Runner Cap is similar to what he describes and has always treated me well from 2-21 day trips.

That is basically the Desert Rat Hat, but slightly less ridiculous looking. Leave it to one of the Nordstrom boys to develop a decent looking sun hat.

I'm Australian, I know sun. I will parrot EB.

Use sunscreen. Use more of it. And then some more. Try putting a bit more on. Lather that stuff on. Buy a big pump bottle and fill smaller bottles for economy and weight savings. NEVER put it on your forehead, you'll sweat and it'll make your day unpleasant.

I'm always getting burnt inside my nose. Zinc works for that, or you can grow a moustache if you're that way inclined.

I tuck my buff in the back of my cap or helmet like a legionnaires hat. This makes my neck and ears happy as well as keeping me stylish as I can display my allegiance to a brand of choice.

I see a bunch of people using nose guards, they look silly but plenty use them.

For non face specific tips, I can offer these:

Long sleeves should be an obvious choice, but they should be SPF rated. Pop that collar too if you have one.

Wear some really thin gloves too. Finger sunburn is the worst.

beean wrote:or you can grow a moustache if you're that way inclined.

Add the straw cowboy hat and you can pull off a Sam Elliott vibe.

ExcitableBoy wrote:Add the straw cowboy hat and you can pull off a Sam Elliott vibe.

I second the OR Sun Runner hat. I've used it for years with no complaints, and hey, it's "mountaineering cool."
FWIW, the khaki color seems to hide the dirt and climbing grime better as well.
I've also used the mexican-made straw hat on easy summer cascade climbs. It's a little bulky, and the thing kinda sucks when it gets windy, but it's cheap, disposable, eccentric, starts a conversation and DOES keep the sun off.

Peter Grimm Sebastian Extra Wide Brim Lifeguard Hat
https://www.swimoutlet.com/p/peter-grim ... wAod9PMBRw

Definitely the OR Sunrunner hat. You can also take a rectangle of mosquito netting and clip it into the snaps and let it drape down in front of your face instead of using a full head net, when bugs and sun are both a problem.

Beko's newer nose guards are more comfortable and a little less dorky than their original style:
https://bekogear.com/category/beko2010-2/

And they have products that cover more of your face too, but I'd think they'd be hot and I haven't tried them:
https://bekogear.com/category/peeko/
https://bekogear.com/category/fantom/

I have the same trouble with burned lips, and since my lungs are toast and I pant my way up everything, the inside of my lower lip also gets badly burned when hiking on snow. Lip balm isn't effective inside the lip. At some point when I couldn't find a commercial product to solve the problem, I made a lip guard that fits over my lower lip out of duct tape. I folded a piece over on itself to start with, then started adding bits and pieces until I had something that was like a rounded hinge that fit over both the outside and the inside of my lip, between the lip and teeth (with no sticky sides of the tape exposed). Then I trimmed at it a little bit at a time with small sharp scissors, repeatedly trying it on in between, until I'd shaped it to fit comfortably on my lip. Then I lined the inside with moleskin to make it more comfortable. I poked little holes with a needle at the points where it meets the outside corners of my mouth, and threaded very thin elastic cord through them to form ear loops. I adjusted the length of the loops until they were just perfect to stay put without really being able to feel them. The whole thing is more comfortable than it sounds. You can wash it with soap and water. I use this in addition to a lip balm with sunscreen. If anyone is actually interested in this, I'll post a picture when I get home in a few days.

The whole combo of the hat, over-the-prescription-eyeglass sunglasses, nose guard, and lip guard is a pretty intense fashion statement.

Not directly related to the OP's post, but relevant, these also come in handy when dealing with sun:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00T0R4N ... 1xw54kLkBL

Massive sun exposure and some skin cancers led me to the approach I use now. I do start super early and reduce midday exposure but always long sleeves and gloves plus the full drape hat with nose guard. I found the OR hat version mentioned above left me exposed and sunscreens never worked for me, I was still feeling burnt. I use the hat in this link below but add some small snaps to cover all my face including upper lip. Yes, the breathing techniques have to be modified but I just can't have any more sun on my face. Too many lifeguard friends have died after disfiguring surgical attempts to remedy the late stage cancers.
http://www.sunprecautions.com/product/48100

Yury wrote:Teresa, do you have a photo of your lip guard by any chance?

I don't have the lip guard with me. I'll take a photo and post it in a couple days when I get home.

Thanks everyone,
the main problem is cheeks, mouth, and lips area. Hood/buff protects the neck, becko for your nose, long sleeves, etc. but my face always gets burned.

hats like the sunrunner, is the brim wide enough to protect your full face?


I'm also wondering if something like this would work, but it's for construction hard hats. And probably annoying in the wind? https://goo.gl/images/WjAogW

Buckie,
As you know there's gonna be trade-offs in almost all approaches you take with sun protection.
The OR Sun Runner is a good option but it doesn't provide that total wide-brim protection of a sombero style hat.
Are you going to be wearing a helmet? The Sun Runner works with a helmet, though it can get a little cramped in the head and it can get hot sometimes though on the climb as you move through the day and weather conditions change. Is it going to get super windy? You will need a chin strap for that sombrero style hat. You also could consider a boonie style hat with modern synthetic and flexible (packable) fabric. Presumably, the boonie hat would still work ok with a helmet?

Outdoor Research Helios Hat
https://www.rei.com/product/745932/outd ... helios-hat

Another option, Kavu Chillba
http://www.kavu.com/Product/175/Chillba.aspx

The facial burka approach would work, but you might overheat at times. Hot, sunny days on the glacier? Hmm..

Not sure what or where you are climbing, but traditional mountaineering sunglasses with the larger side protections can provide more protection than conventional sunglasses: glasses like the Julbo Sherpas or Vermont Classics. Then there's always snow goggles, but they get hot/sweaty pretty quickly depending on conditions.

Here's one extreme option: a type of face mask that was used on K2 in 1979. Not sure if was ever commercially produced, but you might construct something of your own or modify some type of existing mask of some sort. Just some thoughts for battling The Lord of Light.

outdoorabstract wrote: Too many lifeguard friends have died after disfiguring surgical attempts to remedy the late stage cancers.

Now I'm thankful I lifeguarded in Seattle where hypothermia in August was a bigger issue than sun exposure.

Lip guard: