 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, I have done some skiing in the past, I am a intermediate level skier and not skied for some time. I am taking a group soon and need new gloves as I have lost the left one.
The better ones seems to be Goretex. Do the wiper blade on some of them scratch goggles? What is your view with the $99 ones and the $139 both Goretex, the expensive one was told have better insulation and tighter fit.
Location - Wellington, NZ.
Cheers.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@rayonlinenz, There are many points to be considered, such as:
1. Do your hands normally run hot or cold? Buying a heavily insulated glove, if your hands run hot will result in sweating, so consider thinner ones. But if you run cold consider mittens.
2. What are the expected temperatures? Skiing in the -15 to -20C, probably needs a different glove to skiing at -5 to +5C.
3. Hand size, are you buying in a shop or online? The better manufacturers will have glove sizing charts, with maybe 5 or 6 sizes, either measured by hand length, or plam circumference without the thumb.
4. Gimmicks such as goggle wipes don't typically appear on high end gloves, so you don't really need them.
5. How often will you be skiing? Will this be a on off or 1 week a year, or will it become your Winter activity? A cheaper pair will be fine for a week in warmer conditions, but an expensive pair will be a better investment for long term use.
Assuming you are quoting NZD, $139, is really that expensive, and $99 isn't really that cheap, so you are looking in the right price range.
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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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Kinco 501s FTW. Hestra leathers if you are posher than that. Leather balm bosh.
But if you ski in spring conditions a pair of leather palm lycra work gloves for around $10 are the bizness.
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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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To make gloves very warm, wear warm liner gloves (or thin warm fleece gloves) underneath the top pair. Mitten shaped gloves are warmer as the heat from each finger warms other fingers (less heat loss), although the thumb is still on its own.
Well made gortex gloves last longer, but they get lost just as easily as cheap gloves. I lost one gortex glove in a pair, and went to Tignes tourist information to see if it had been handed in. They got out a lost glove box. There must have been about 100 gloves in the box
www.snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=89658&highlight=
People suggested silk liner gloves to me. They did not really make my hands much warmer. A cheap pair of generic fleece gloves (about £1 or £2 from a supermarket), used as a liner really warm my hands. No need for a hand warmer with those gloves (I bought the hand warmers, but they only last 10-15 mins and are not as effective as the fleece liner gloves)
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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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Thanks for the help guys 
Over here we don't have that much gloves to choose from apart from the cheap beginner stuff. The gloves goes from $99 to $139NZ yes NZD currency. The brands are Leki, Dakine, and Scott. The Scott $139 didn't have the wiper blade, the $149 Dakine did. All these are Goretex.
My previous one - Spyder Goretex had the wiper blade as well.
Over here the temperature ranges from -1 degrees celsius to -6, when it's sunny it will be warmer, quite an overcast weather now with various part of the mountain not open. Will be buying in person. I had a season pass last time so I went skiing each 2nd weekend on average. This is a one off but I hope to do a bit ore skiing in the future.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Best gloves I ever found are the Mountain Equipment Randonee... not totally waterproof but fibre pile lined so actually keep my hands drier and warmer than Goretex lined models I have had such as Hestra and Lowe Alpine. I use them for skiing and ice climbing. And best of all they are available for under 60 quid.
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Over the years I've come to the following conclusions
- Get decent gloves
- Leather is best for palms and fingers, with reinforcement on the high-wear areas
- Goretex is only necessary if you are skiing in the rain or in soggy snow...it makes the Gloves a bit less breathable
- Removable Liners is a bonus, as it allows them to be washed
- Suppleness is something to look for.
- Use Leather balm to keep leather gloves water resistant and supple.
The best mixture of all these traits that I've found, is the Hestra Army Leather Heli Glove...with the mitten being the warmest and the Lobster Claw being a good compromise between dexterity and warmth.
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Torpedo 7 website is your best bet for a decent deal - got done pow stealth leather and gore tex off there for $140 a couple of weeks ago. Cheaper ones don't handle the Nz rope tows very well.
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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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It's summer (here), so my personal view. Obviously it's an individual thing.- I like mitts as they're quicker on/off (eg for photography), warmer, cheaper and simpler. I'm a snowboarder so I don't care about gripping pointy sticks.
- Goretex is good depending on the conditions you ride in, but you need taped seams too, and I suspect it's hard to get robust taped seams in a glove (as opposed to a mitt).
- I don't like leather, which requires regular treatment. The less of that the better.
- I don't need "squeegies", although most mitts have a patch of material designed for that same purpose, but I'd never use it (if my goggles get wet on the outside that's what the fog cloth's for)
- I like removable liners because they give you a wider temperature range and more flexibility. I mean minus 30 up to plus a few.
- Gloves seem to last a long time.
- I don't like Hestra as their design is too fussy for me - too many logos, too much bling.
- It's better to go too big than too small
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Cactus do great ski gloves, NZ company, they're based in Chch as far as I recall. Really robust. Ideal for nz conditions and rope tows (but equally great in Europe).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Get whatever fits best, tested with ski poles in hand, and whatever suits your intended use in terms of do you intend to take in or off a lot, need to be able to get in and out of pockets a lot, eats or drink on the go, use phone or camera, undo zips, faff with boot adjustments etc, and can you do these things with gloves on?
Personally, I am a silk under glove wearer, often don't use outers unless cold or on board (c.f. skis). I have bought Hestra Army gloves (hate mitts) and other full leathers but actually prefer cheaply fabric/nylon basic gloves: better fit, less bulky etc ( with liner gloves under). Cost less, buy loads, not great loss if lose, easy to carry spare pair, lightweight, etc.
But it's a personal thing, like all gear.
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