Sunscreen for fair skin

Hi MP,

Does anyone has sunscreen to recommend for high altitude mountain expedition. I have fair skin and have been trying a few sunscreens. It seems like the best one working so far for me was the Sol Sunguard Altitude SPF 40 ( solsunguard.com/altitude.html ). Lately I have been burning quite much while wearing on some climbing on Mt.Hood. I am not certain this sunscreen works great with my skin anymore. Does anyone has experience with other brands?

Thanks folks !

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Mineral SPF 50 Tinted Sunscreen

Hey Jessica,
I'm a red head and had my first skin cancer removed from in front of my ear at 38.  You'll need multiple lines of defense to avoid that. First the patigonia sun hoddie is 50 upf and has a hood, rei makes one as well. You can do it as your only layer in heat or toss it over a under shirt or vest for cooler temps.  For your face zinc, the kind that lifeguards wear that looks like paste.  The zinc powder reflects the light. You'll feel so much better not exsposing your skin to sun in the alpine and preform better on longer trips. 

Eric Thompson wrote: Hey Jessica,
I'm a red head and had my first skin cancer removed from in front of my ear at 38.  You'll need multiple lines of defense to avoid that. First the patigonia sun hoddie is 50 upf and has a hood, rei makes one as well. You can do it as your only layer in heat or toss it over a under shirt or vest for cooler temps.  For your face zinc, the kind that lifeguards wear that looks like paste.  The zinc powder reflects the light. You'll feel so much better not exsposing your skin to sun in the alpine and preform better on longer trips. 

Big thumbs up to all of what Eric said!

Light hoodie or at worst a buff at all times.  

For that sort of Zinc sunscreen, a guard introduced me Amavara- amavara.com/ and after years of wearing lots of zinc options, I can't properly promote how incredible Amavara has been for me.   It's been a truly all-day product and seems to help with wind block.

I have one of these dabrim.com/  on my helmet at all times including the approach and descent.  One nice thing about the helmet and dabrim is that it is cooler than a hat.  At high altitude in Peru I also added a curtain of cloth to my helmet with double sided velcro that covered my side and neck.  This had the added benefit of being a nice bit of insulation in the cold.  

Last year I use Neutrogena dry-touch Sheer Zinc sunscreen.  It seemed much more durable than the 80 minute specified on the label.  It is still on me after a whole day and somewhat difficult to wash off; all good things in my book.  I think I will give Obecian's recommendation a try.

I had two more skin cancers removed this week (:.  

SPF rated clothes and covering up is my first line, including a wide/full brim hat for face/ears/neck. Additionally I use a basic coppertone sport sunblock (when backpacking I use one that is like a deodorant stick - otherwise the regular stuff). I use that on all high exposure areas (face, ears, neck, hands). I also set a timer and reapply regularly (depending on conditions ). For reference I am a red head with very fair skin even by red head standards. I have been lucky to avoid any burns this way in the last 12 years.