 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, I usually ski an Andorra and have a pair of Scott Covert gloves (soft-shell, leather palm patches, 160/120g Holofill insulation, fleece lining) and these are generally fine around 0-5C, but when active and warm, my hands get sweaty, the liner gets damp, and stays damp until dried overnight on a radiator. I have a pair of TNF Apex as a lightweight pair for when its warm and they are great for warmer weather.
This year it was a cold week while I was there: -12 to -25 and strong wind chill, and my fingers were a bit cold, not helped I suppose by the liner staying damp from brief periods of sweaty hands, it doesn't seem to dry out very easily.
Anyway, I'm after a new pair of gloves that will keep my hands and fingers toasty and dry, so good insulation for warmth, and also breathable to hopefully stop the sweaty damp liner issue (makes my hands stink too  ), super waterproofness is not really an issue I'm concerned with. It's very unlikely I'm going to be skiing in Canada/Lapland type -40 temperatures, so I don't need anything for extreme cold like that.
Have had recommendations for Hestra army leather soft-shell short gloves - nice but very expensive, and do feel thin, but is the thermalise and Czone enough to keep you warm? Also, I've read a few mixed reviews on here saying the fibrefill isn't very good insulation, and need to go for one with Primaloft in.
Also been looking at Dakine Ridgeline (280/115g Primaloft), Norrona Narvik long, and the Outdoor Research Revolution glove seems to get good reviews, but I've never heard of this brand before. Other than those what are Salomon gloves like, I generally like Salomon gear, my jacket is by them and I love it.
Looking to spend around £40-60ish, though if the Hestra's really are all that and worth the extra, I could maybe go to £80/90 if they are considerably better for the money.
Any opinions on those mentioned or vice on others is welcome.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'd go for hestra, but various of their gloves have removable liners, which you pull out and stick on the radiator over night to get them properly dried out.
If your hands tend to get really sweaty then carry another pair of liners to swap at lunchtime, will be warmer.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Mountain Equipment Randonee with a pile lining. £50 and twice as good as my Hestras IMHO.
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I've got some schoeller black Diamond softshell gloves which are not insulation filled and they seem to work over a very wide heat range both ambient and body temp. They may not go down to really low outside temp range but also don't seem to make my hands too hot either. The palms are goat skin which has a really good tacky grip for poles and they just don't seem to wear much at all. Can't remember what they cost as I've had them about eight years and used them alot for skiing and cycling in winter. A couple of friends use hestra which they like but they don't seem to be as well made as the schoellers.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I have the Burton Clutch glove - warm and dry (and also easy to dry if you do get it damp inside) not sure of temp specifics performance, but I haven't used my extra silk inners more than once I don't think.
The Salomon gloves I was looking at last year felt very insubstantial, I didn't fancy the stitching at all on any of those they had in the shop.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The best gloves I've found recently are cycling gloves (think spring skiing) from Aldi and some medium gloves from Decathlon. Gloves from the major brands appear to be an overpriced lottery.
Decathlon are delivering increasingly impressive quality.
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Very pleased with my Ortovox swisswool gloves - very broad range of temps , prob not super cold but mild to -10 ok for me. get the from SnowShepherd.
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@Mr bee,
- be careful that they fit properly whatever you acquire!!
- I have stinky hands (and feet ) and gloves rarely last more than a season (~60 days). SO I have been delighted with my Hestra Army Leather Helis https://hestragloves.com/sport/intl/gloves/alpine-pro/heli-glove/560/ which have a removable and washable liner. They're on their 4th season which is, for me, unheard of.
On very cold days I have silk liners underneath so I don't find them too warm. They've even been worn in spring if I've forgotten my spring gloves without too much problem.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| mishmash wrote: |
| Very pleased with my Ortovox swisswool gloves - very broad range of temps , prob not super cold but mild to -10 ok for me. get the from SnowShepherd. |
Just sent some of these back as wanted a warmer mitt for colder temps and blurb is all about how super warm they are. When they arrived, the insulation was very thin indeed. Might be super effective merino insulation but there's not a lot of it and I didn't have any confidence that they'd be as warm as claimed and too much money to waste to find out they're not a cold weather alternative.
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mine were super warm down to -10 and even below - one day -20 recently. I too thought they seemed flimsy or spring only on 1st persual ( and skied on those cold days with Hestra lobsters in my pack as back up but didn't feel the need to break them out). Different strokes for different folks.
For the OP, I d be inclined on further consideration to go for Hestra Heli with spare thicker and thinner liners to swop at lunch or for a guaranteed dry glove the following day.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I have painfully cold fingers and use Hestra lobsters
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Scarpa, they do look good don't they, I've not seen those before. I bought my black diamond gloves from a outdoor shop Bucannon st Glasgow when I was working up there, had no real reason to but just liked how thin the palms were as I don't like gloves bunching there when you've got to hold something, but they've turned out to be really good. I've been looking for something like those randonee for my OH as I lent her gloves to my nephew which he lost, they were some she really liked so I was in the doghouse. Interesting what you can pick up on a thread like this, thanks for the suggestion.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@ski3, it was someone on here that recommended them to me 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Just bought a pair on 'the outdoor shop' for £48 with free postage, very reasonable I thought! That's 3 pairs of gloves I have now, I'm a sucker for buying gear. What I don't like I often re-sell on eBay for a minor loss or sometimes better. At least that way I get to find exactly what I like and what works for me. Last year I bought a pair of gloves on sportpursuit, didn't rate them so sold them on eBay and got more than I paid for them 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks for all the input so far everyone, I've been looking and have narrowed it down to 8, but am still unsure which is best.
Is it better to go for one with Primaloft over a brands own insulation?
Is Gore-tex always going to be better than any other membrane for weatherproofness and breathability?
Currently my favourites are (yes, limiting myself to what Ellis Brigham stock so I can actually try them on, but then can look online for best bargains):
1) Dakine Ridgeline - DK dry, DWR waterproof, Primaloft 115/280g, leather palm
2) Norrona Narvik (short or long versions) - Dri1 membrane (20k/20k), softshell outer, Primaloft gold 113/170g, goat leather palm
3) Norrona Lofoten - Gore-tex, softshell outer, Primaloft Gold (??g), only online but I assume fit would be same as Narvik model
(Interestingly, both the Narvik and Roldal models have the Dri1 membrane with 20k/20k waterproof/breathability, but they rate the Roldal as a higher breathability score, the same as their Lofoten model which has gore-tex, but say Narvik is their warmest glove)
4) Mountain Equipment Couloir - looks good, is gore-tex, but no information on the insulation
5) Hestra Army Leather Softshell - CZone membrane and Thermolite/fibrefill; but is this as good as gore-tex and Primaloft?
6) Hestra Army Leather Short GTX - this one is gore-tex, Hestra website says its thermolite/fibrefill insulation, Ellis Brigham says its Primaloft (but this is most expensive at £125, would have to be on offer to buy this one!)
7) Black Diamond Patrol - BDry waterproof, sofshell outer, 142g Primaloft, goat leather palm
8 ) Salomon Vision GTX - Gore-tex, Primaloft (??how much grams), softshell, goat leather (looks a good contender on paper)
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I have a pair of the short Narviks, absolutely love them! Only used them 2 seasons; both times skiing in Tignes in first week of January. Not that cold this year so not much to go by but last year was a lot colder. I never really got cold hands on either trips with them. I wanted a pair of under cuff gloves as the slim(mish) fitting jacket I use just looks wrong with big bulky gloves. These are really soft and super comfy, defo my fav gloves yet. Not sure what they would be like in really cold conditions though, can't vouch for that! Bear in mind the length of them, if they need to go over a jacket defo get the long ones if you opt for these gloves.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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My next step is always to rule out gloves that don't have a loop to go around my wrist...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I have three gloves that cover all conditions
Mountain equipment Randonee – The glove to rule all gloves for climbing and skiing – warm, dextrous, breathable doesn’t cost the earth. http://www.mountain-equipment.co.uk/randonnee-glove Also now available in a gauntlet version for climbing/those who want a long cuff http://www.mountain-equipment.co.uk/randonnee-gauntlet (These are the ones Scarpa recommended, I’m sure we have waxed lyrical about these in the past)
Black Diamond Mercury Mitts – The go to mega mitt. Rarely come out for skiing, mainly sit in the pack for belaying or when things go wrong. Very warm but your hands will sweat if you wear them when it’s not cold enough, removable inner so easy to dry. http://eu.blackdiamondequipment.com/en/apparel-gloves/mercury-mitts-BD801118BLAKMD_1.html
Cham Guide/Binman gloves – Want to feel like a pro? These are gloves for you. Bombproof and obviously hardwearing, warm enough but can use a liner, not very dextrous but the take them off for fine motor work approach is a good one. Available at snow shepherd, http://shop.snowshepherd.co.uk/Venitex-Leather-Gloves-size-8
Regarding your other points:
Primaloft is the gold standard for synthetic insulation but come at a price premium but will you actually notice the difference? Primaloft doesn’t breathe that well, especially combined with a membrane.
Why Gore-Tex? Do you ski in the rain a lot?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I have Black Diamond Soloist and they are very warm. For extra cold days I have Hestra Heli mittens, but haven't used them since massive 3-week long cold spell we had back in 2012, when the temps without wind chill at 2500 m were -25C. For spiring skiing or randonee I use Black Diamond Ascent.
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I bought the Narvik (Short) for our recent trip to the PDS and loved them.
I wanted a low profile pair of gloves rather than the huge gauntlet types and found them to be the best fit. In terms of overall warmth its hard to judge as the weather was great during the trip but supremely comfortable and quick drying
+1 for the Narviks from me
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Thanks galpinos, so would you say primaloft is not really that much better or warmer (not noticeably) than any other own brand proprietary insulation? and others may actually breathe a bit better, that's a good point then.
I was only thinking gore-tex for its wind proof ability and its breathability in allowing any sweaty moisture to escape if I get too warm, waterproof-ness doesn't really bother me, I never ski anywhere where they get wet.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Vessigaud, my thoughts precisely, these are so comfortable, fit perfectly and as you say, low profile, I hardly noticed I was wearing gloves!
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@Scarpa, I'm looking at getting some new gloves. Would the ME Randonee gloves be ok for resort skiing, ie sitting on lifts / holding drafts etc.? I like the look of them.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Mr bee, hi Mr bee, have you made a choice, what did you decide?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Well, I've tried a few on in the shop to see how they fit and feel, and the Norrona Narvik's and Hestra army leather soft shell ones are both really nice and fit perfectly. Would still like to look at the Dakine Ridgeline and see how they fit, but as yet they haven't had them in stock in the shop to see.
I'm not entirely convinced I need gore-tex, I think that might be going too extreme and unnecessary expense for what I need. At the moment they are my top 3, but I'm hanging on and keeping an eye out to see if I can get them in a sale, maybe even in an off season sale in the next few months.
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You know it makes sense.
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Buy Hestra once, never buy anything else ever again. Simples.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Timberwolf wrote: |
| Buy Hestra once, never buy anything else ever again. Simples. |
unless you use em all season have gone through several pairs and like North Face think they have gone lower quality, haven't tried the army ones ... Im a big fan of Mountain Equipment and Arcteryx gloves...
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Poster: A snowHead
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I've just ordered some Mountain Equipment Couloirs. Was considering the Randonee but concerned they wouldn't be warm enough during inactive periods. Love the feel of the pile/fleece lining! A bit more than what I wanted to pay, but hopefully they should last a few seasons! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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BTW, the ME Couloirs are going for £67.50 at webtogs atm, if anyones interested.
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FAQ
