Altitude, reflection, shade and the forecast
Ground and sky change the exposure more than kit does. Altitude, reflection off snow and rock, shade in a route, and the two numbers that should set a session plan.
Altitude and ultraviolet
Ultraviolet increases as you climb, and the air gets colder as it does. The two signals point in opposite directions, which is why hill days catch people out.
Snow and rock reflection
Under the chin, under the nose, the underside of the forearms, the roof of the mouth. Reflected ultraviolet reaches surfaces that no plan ever accounts for.
Hiking in changeable conditions
Layers come on and off a dozen times in a British hill day. Every removal changes the exposure map, and nobody re-plans when it happens.
Shade and route planning
Shade costs nothing, works on every uncovered surface at once, never degrades and never needs reapplying. It is also the control people are least likely to plan for.
The UV index and session timing
Forecast index and intended duration. Those two numbers between them determine almost everything, and neither of them is the temperature.
The session brief
One email a month on exposure, heat and sun protection for people who train outdoors and people who work outdoors. No product recommendations, because we do not make any. Each issue carries a single clearly labelled sponsor line that has no influence on anything above it.
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