Snow Skills

The most unprotected body part while skiing and riding is your lips. Of all the features between your neck and forehead, the lips are the most sensitive to weather conditions and need to be protected. Lip balm is a small but critical detail in any awesome day of winter recreation.

My experience is that a great choice of lip balm is Blistex DCT Daily Conditioning Treatment. It’s got an SPF of 20, stays pliable in very cold temperatures, seems to last more than other products, and has a relatively neutral taste. At around $2, it’s a good value as one container will last a couple months of daily use. It’s a good idea to get a number of DCT’s and stage in them in several locations including jackets, the car, and daypacks. I prefer the container-style lip balm as the lid seals tightly and prevents spillage. And, inevitably, I fail to check all my pockets and send DCT through the wash, but it survives just fine.

Lip balm won’t help you out if you leave it in your pocket. After loading a lift, I’ve learned a practiced move where I reach for lip balm the moment the safety bar drops. A small dab on the finger, a wipe on the lips, and the container’s sealed and back in my pocket before I know it. It’s become a conditioned reflex that takes little effort and keeps my lips from drying out and scaling.