Rock Star

Men’s Fashion

By Sandra Ballentine September 5, 2012

Photograph by Richard Burbridge. Fashion editor: Sara Moonves. Fashion associate: Rae Boxer. Grooming by Fernando Torrent using Leonor Greyl at L’Atelier NYC.

The climber Chris Sharma tackles the toughest peaks in the world. But when it comes to skin care, he’s totally down to earth.

Boone Speed

Let’s face it: when you’re clinging to the side of a cliff hundreds of feet above sea level, wrinkles are the last thing on your mind. At that moment, the only two lines you care about are the one you are making up the rock and the one that will keep you from free-falling into oblivion if you slip.

Ask Chris Sharma, who at 31 is one of the most accomplished rock climbers on the planet. The California native (who lives in Catalonia, Spain, the sport’s new epicenter) didn’t even wear sunscreen until a few years ago. And he only started slathering it on when his girlfriend, the top climber Daila Ojeda, told him to.

(See an exclusive film clip, below, from “The Dura Dura,” a short film that tracks Sharma as he attempts the most difficult climbs in the world.)

She gave him Aveeno Baby Natural Protection Mineralblock face stick ($9.99 at drugstore.com), which he now applies religiously, especially before deep-water soloing — a very pure form of ropeless ascent over the ocean. For obvious reasons, climbers prefer solid sun products they can reapply without getting their hands greasy. ‘‘You definitely lose track of how much sun you are taking,’’ says Sharma, who with Ojeda spends hours swimming around the Mallorcan coastline looking for the perfect piece of dry limestone to climb.

Ojeda also introduced her man to moisturizer. ‘‘She bought me a L’Oréal anti-aging cream that was really nice,’’ he says. (RevitaLift Triple Power Deep-Acting Moisturizer; $25 at drugstores.) ‘‘I’m not picky, though. When it ran out, I just started using her cream,’’ (Nivea Q10 Plus Anti-Wrinkle Cream; $18.70 at amazon.com). Sharma also likes Jergens Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer and Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream. Antiaging elixirs aside, climbing is what really keeps him young. ‘‘It’s important not to get too caught up in the rat race. When I climb, I fully disconnect from all the stresses of everyday life and am completely in the present.”

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