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Travel Himalaya Nepal
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Eyes & Sun

UV climbs about 10-12% per 1,000 m, and snow throws most of it back up at you.

About the links on this page.Some go to Amazon, and as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend: every card here also says who the item is not for, and a few things we think you should simply rent in Kathmandu or Pokhara instead, which earns us nothing.

Julbo Shield M — Side coverage without committing to full glacier lenses
Best overall

Side coverage without committing to full glacier lenses

Julbo Shield M

Removable side shields, photochromic options

The one pair that works from Lukla to the Cho La — shields on for snow, off for the walk-in. You pay roughly double a normal sports sunglass for that flexibility.

Side shields stop the reflected light that actually burns eyes

Photochromic versions cover a whole day of changing light

Grips a sweaty nose better than most wraparounds

Expensive

Shields are easy to lose once removed

Big on a small face

Not for you if: A short trek that never touches snow. A decent Category 3 wraparound at a fifth of the price does that job.

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Neutrogena Sport Face SPF 70+ — The one that stays on when you sweat and does not stingBest overall

The one that stays on when you sweat and does not sting

Neutrogena Sport Face SPF 70+

Survives an eight-hour uphill without running into your eyes, which almost no cheap sunscreen does; it is a chemical filter, so it needs twenty minutes before you set off.

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Smith I/O MAG Goggles — For wind-driven snow, when sunglasses stop workingBest overall

For wind-driven snow, when sunglasses stop working

Smith I/O MAG Goggles

The only thing that works in a whiteout on a pass, and the second lens covers flat light — for most teahouse trekkers this is an expensive item that never leaves the duffel.

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Julbo Explorer 2.0 — Category 4 lenses for a day spent on snowBest overall

Category 4 lenses for a day spent on snow

Julbo Explorer 2.0

The right glasses for Island Peak or a snowbound pass, and the wrong glasses for everything either side of it — Category 4 is too dark to walk into a lodge or read a map in shade.

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Julbo Vermont Classic — Leather side shields, unchanged since the 1950sThe classic

Leather side shields, unchanged since the 1950s

Julbo Vermont Classic

Still the reference for a reason, and the glass lens is optically better than anything plastic; it is also heavier, and the leather takes days to dry once soaked.

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OutdoorMaster Ski Goggles PRO — Good-enough goggles for one pass in bad weatherBest value

Good-enough goggles for one pass in bad weather

OutdoorMaster Ski Goggles PRO

Does eighty per cent of what a premium goggle does for a fifth of the money, which is the right trade for kit you hope to use twice; the anti-fog coating wears off after a season.

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Goodr OG Polarised — The spare pair you can afford to loseBest value

The spare pair you can afford to lose

Goodr OG Polarised

Genuinely good optics at a price where losing them off a suspension bridge is annoying rather than expensive; the frames are plastic and they will not survive being sat on.

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Sun Bum Mineral Face Stick SPF 50 — The physical block for the bits that always burnBest for nose and ears

The physical block for the bits that always burn

Sun Bum Mineral Face Stick SPF 50

A stick goes on thick where a lotion goes on thin, which is exactly what a nose at 5,000 m needs — it leaves a visible white cast that no amount of rubbing removes.

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Burt's Bees All Weather SPF 15 Lip Balm — The thing people forget and then think about all weekBest lip protection

The thing people forget and then think about all week

Burt's Bees All Weather SPF 15 Lip Balm

Cracked lips at altitude hurt more than they have any right to and take a fortnight to heal; SPF 15 is on the low side, so it needs applying often rather than well.

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