 Poster: A snowHead
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Are you a gloves or mittens person? I get mittens are a lot warmer, but do you find them restrictive?
Looking for a new pair of gloves, and have seen a few mittens in various sales currently so would love to hear any recommendations and/or thoughts on your use of gloves vs mittens (I'm a Skier).
Also, I've seen some mittens that come with liner gloves - is this so you can remove the mittens but still have some cold protection to undo zips/use a phone etc?
TIA!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@marksymoo, Do you suffer from cold hands? If yes, then get mittens, they are a lot warmer. If not, then you might be ok with gloves.
I have two pairs of mittens and one pair of gloves. If it's very cold then that's a big problem and I'm glad of the mittens, but if not or I'm working hard, they're too warm and end up a soggy sweaty mess. The gloves get more use, generally, and also have vents on the top I can open. Liners are useful whatever though, for the reason you mention and also because they add another layer of warmth if you need it. If your chosen pair don't come with them, just buy a pair of silk or merino liners and take them in your pocket.
I don't really notice much difference in dexterity – gloves are bulky too.
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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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@Scarlet, +1 for having both.
I find generously sized mittens with plenty of space for a glove inside works best for me on very cold days. I’ve tried silk liners but find they wear out fast. Now just use cheap fleece glove inside mitt.
Mitts with retainer loops to hang off wrists handy I think. Easier to temporarily take off to faff with zips, phone, etc with inner glove still giving a bit of warmth.
Decent quality kit to keep hands dry and warm well worth investing in.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I have Hestra “lobster” mitts...- mitts with a separated index finger, which I think were an excellent compromise. Worn with decent thin inner gloves with a finger tip designed to work on mobile phone screens, so no need to remove. The Hestra gloves aren’t cheap though-especially the goretex ones (thanks to Father Christmas I didn’t have to buy them).
Hestra do sell replacement inners for their standard mitts so you can buy an glove or a mitten inner for a mitten outer glove.
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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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Mitts. I mostly ride off piste in the cold: -10 to -25 or so.
I find big mitts with liners less restrictive than gloves in that my fingers aren't at all restricted. If you mean... "mitts mean you can handle things less well", then that's probably true. I'm a snowboarder though so all I need to be able to do is pull the handle on my air bag. I do a fair bit of photography including using a GoPro on a pole, and that's not a problem to hold with mitts. You're going to need to dump at least your outer gloves/mitts to operate cameras; it's quicker to dump mitts than gloves, especially if they're on leashes. Taped seams and general construction/durability is important to me, and mitts have fewer seams which makes them easier to get right and cheaper.
I prefer mitts with removable liners, although all the serious ones are designed that way. The advantage is you can use them in late spring without the liners, plus if you need to you can dry the liners easily or swap them for something different. And then if you're working in really cold temperatures you can wear very thin (silk?) gloves underneath which are good when it's cold and windy and you're trying to operate a shutter.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Scarlet, no I don't get cold hands - I do run hot to be honest! Hadn't thought about buying separate liners - thanks.
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@philwig, Thanks - yes I do shoot myself, and whilst I do have leases for my gloves that I bought separately which have been invaluable I did think that mitts may be more restrictive so thanks for your reply - good to read 
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Gloves with inner silks. Small hands, short fingers. Hand just gets totally lost inside mittens, can't grip a ski pole never mind do anything functional with them on.
Struggle to get gloves to fit as it is, usually take them off if need to use fingers for buckles, straps etc (can just manage snowboard bindings and some ski boot buckle tensioners in my better gloves).
Having said that, if it's really really cold I'll put over-mittens over my gloves and inners: mittens then fit reasonably 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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Gloves, however I did suffer really badly with cold hands in the dolomites this year. Turns out both times it was just after having something to eat, so the blood flow was obviously diverted away from the extremities.
I've bought over mitts to add after if out in extreme cold again.
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I wonder if any gloves are warm enough for say -20C?
In Madonna in Feb 2018 it was really cold. Never had my fingers so cold previously. I bought the best gloves I was willing to pay for, €150, and they weren't warm enough. Eventually I bought mittens, about €100, which worked fine with a €4 heating pad which lasted all morning.
But I have seen gloves in some places (Corvara was one) going for €350 and there were "normal" gloves i.e. not heated. Is it just something for the ski-gods/posers or are they really better?
OTOH if warm enough gloves do exist they would be too warm for say -5C, especially if the sun is shining. So one needs two pairs.
Toes were cold in -20C too but I don't think there is any solution for that. I did try 2 pairs of socks...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@peter_h, totally depends on your own hands. And the detailed situation.
Leaving pathologies aside, (my wife), I’ve been totally happy down to -30C (in British Columbia) in my regular winter gloves plus silk liners.
But when it’s that cold, coffee (or whatever) stops are way more frequent... so you get more recoveries.
Extra socks are likely to be counterproductive.
I don’t think expensive gloves necessarily perform better but we both like Hestras. They have a well deserved rep.
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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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