 Poster: A snowHead
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Another vote for the Hestra Army Leather Heli Ski glove here - expensive but well worth the money! I think the 'lobster' claw version would be even warmer.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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RichTraff, 
Just to be clear, I have the women's Czone mitt (with primaloft), cos I'm a woman. My Army Leather pair has been relegated to the back of a drawer because they are just not warm enough. I don't rate the Hestra fibrefill as an insulation material.
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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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It's times like these that I really wish I was woman.
What's the difference in a woman's glove anyway? Other than better insulation?!
Surely they're just smaller sizes and available in pink.
I'm doing it. I'm buying girls mitts.
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| RichTraff wrote: |
Ok, so this topic has been brought up a couple of times but some of the recommendations are getting a little old and somewhat inconsistent.
Many people's hands stay warm no matter what. I noticed this within my group of friends. My fingers are burning in a cold pain whilst the others don't feel a thing!
I'm searching for mittens because it seems well known that they are far warmer.
So, I'm looking for those people who suffer from hands that get cold easily, and the mittens they have found to solve the problem.
Fire away! |
Cold fingers are caused by cold blood from cold wrists.
Get some wrist warmers.
Buy gloves.
Mittens are what babies wear.
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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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Bold statement. Not heard that about wrist warmers before.
All google searches seem to bring up wrist warmers woman. You trying to say something here?
Can anyone provide evidence or vouche for this wrist warmer theory?
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You lose a surprising amount of heat through your wrists, if you leave them exposed. I like midlayers with thumbloops, if all I'm wearing over the top is a windshell or other very lightweight bit of kit with elastic cuffs and no velcro. Hasn't been a problem for me with decent outer layers with velcro cuffs, mind you. Possibly big gauntlet gloves might work instead, but a shell with wrist gaiters is probably best cos it'll keep powder out of your sleeves by way of a bonus.
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The wrist warmer thing- your blood is closest to the skins surface on the inside of your wrists and back of your hand (thats why heater pockets on back of some gloves) if your wrists are cold then your hands are most likely going to be cold too.
Use the thumb thru wrist gaiter attached to most ski specific jackets.
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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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Whitegold, Looks like being right then.
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Wrist warmers make a huge difference. A quick search online throw up some pretty cheap microfleece ones which I used last year.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Ok, thanks for all the input.
I always use the wrist gaiter thingys on my jacket and layer up well. Still freeze though at -5 or below.
I'll try getting some of those fleece warmer things as seen as they're less than £10.
You know those little pockets on the back of ski gloves - I thought they were for your goggles cleaning cloth!? That's what was in them when I bought the gloves!
Have I got that horribly wrong??
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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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RichTraff, to make fleece wrist warmers, just get any old fleece, cut the arm off at the elbow, cut a hole for your thumb, put it on. If you cut it at the shoulder as well you also get a free fleece gilet that you could put under your jacket as an extra layer. Primark have thin fleeces for less than £10.
The wrist thing definitely has an impact. In sub zero water the effect of a very small amount of neoprene insulation on the wrists is dramatic in terms of comfort for your hands.
Those little pockets are for your cleaning cloth, or anything else you don't mind losing if you ever lost a glove.
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I asked this last year.
BUY HANDWARMER SACHETS. My problem is that my hands never really warm up enough to stay warm when i'm out and about. When it was -23 in Avoriaz I was bloody glad of the sachets.
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You know it makes sense.
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RichTraff, You can put whatever you want in the pockets but a lens cloth won't keep you warm 
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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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It doesn't matter what gloves you have, the answer is that you are not skiing hard enough.
Face it - if you are not circulating the blood into your hands it doesn't matter how much heat your gloves can retain - there won't be any heat for them to work with. This is not a Rule 5 situation - it's bio-physics. The key then is not to focus on the gloves but on vasodilation. Luckily the solution is easily found in many duty-free establishments, bars and supermarkets - vodka. Two tots prior to setting foot outside and I guarantee that your will hands will feel much warmer or you won't care as much - probably both. Top up at lunchtime and take care to always keep the back of your neck covered up and warm.
If you see bloke wandering round a resort with two women stuck to his hands with both of theirs, that'll be me. Everytime I step out, my g/f volunteers my left hand to her friends as a hand warmer as she attaches herself leech-like to my right hand making it bloody difficult to walk.
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Poster: A snowHead
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P'raps you should point out they'd be better off warming their hands on your femoral artery.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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altis, s'been tried more than once 
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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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Has anyone used these re-useable hand warmers? The type that fits in the zip at the top of your mittens, and can be re-used by putting the sachet into boiling water for 5 minutes in order to turn the gel to liquid again. There is a button which you then press when you want to re-use the sachet.
Is this right? It only starts working again when you press the button, and it warms up to 50C? How long does the heat last? 
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Bigtipper, yes but you get what you pay for, the £1 ones are not as hot nor last as long heatwise or durability wise as the £7 ones.
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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've done a little research on hand-warmers. I gathered the reusable ones don't last as long in terms of hours-heat and they aren't as compact.
The disposable ones lasted me ALL day last year. Full 8 hours. Even had tea afterwards and picked them off the floor and they were still a little warm.
Those pockets on the back of my ski gloves are on the wrong side of the insulation so I won't be putting them in there. Last year I just put them on my palm of my hand, between my skin and glove liner. Worked great.
This year I'm going to try them on the back of my hand though. Apparently more heat is lost from
The back of the hand.
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| blahblahblah wrote: |
| I have just ordered a pair of HESTRA Army leather Heli gloves, they have got to be warm. I am looking forward to trying them. |
My gloves turned up and a quick practice in my snowy garden this morning shows them be be warm, to warm to wear today any way. Looking at the 3V's weather I am going to need them.
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Burton AK Oven Mitts haven't been mentioned at all on this thread, yet a lot of people in the snowboarding world seem to believe they are THE WARMEST MITT out there. Some even go as far as saying they're hot.
http://www.comorsports.com/burton-ak-oven-mitt-2013/
Triple Goose Down fill
Primaloft (15oz)
Gore-Tex windstopper
Leather palm
Low profile cuff
Look great
However: Expensive (£120) AND some question their build quality.
Can anybody provide some feedback on these?!
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lilywhite, I just got 4 of the re-useable hand warmers for about £7.50. They said they lasted 1 hour, but I really only noticed the increased warmth for 15 minutes. I would say that at the end of an hour in sub zero temperatures wearing my NF mittens with a disposable hand warmer in the zip compartment, my fingers were actually warmer than my thumbs.
I have boiled them ready for a re-test. The only problem I forsee with them is that they are clumsy to re-start and put in the zip compartment. I really do not want to have to take my gloves off in sub-zero temperatures in order to get the heating started. I cannot see how to get them started without taking my gloves off and getting my hands even colder.
I think the disposable ones sound much more sensible if they really last 8 hours. (provided the price is right)
The only time I would really want to use them would be if I was freezing cold, miles away from a warm up hut, and needed a boost. If I had to take my gloves off to start the heat it might just make my hands even colder.
I think they are really meant for a hardy individual to slip them into a childs mitten to stop them whining about the cold!
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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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Those disposable ones are the way forward.
Bought some on the slopes last year for a highly inflated price but they really did the trick. They lasted at least 8 hours. Put them in my glove liners at 9am and took them out 4pm, still a little warm. Then when I touched them after some evening grub at 6pm you could still feel a tiny bit of warmth.
I've just bought some 'little hotties' hand warmers off eBay. I think these were the brand i used on the slopes last year - only these cost just £10 for 40 (20 pairs). So buy before you fly!!
I'd still like to hear about these Burton AK Oven Mitts...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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RichTraff, they look cosy - lots of different sizes, too. Do you think they'd fit inside ski gloves without getting bunched up and squeezing your fingers cold?
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(PS) I've just found lilywhite's recommendation on page 1 - sounds good, at least with mitts.
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You know it makes sense.
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snowmum123, I can assure you that silk liners are crap compared to the £1.50 gloves on sale in Tesco. I have both, and the £1.50 womens gloves from Tesco are way WAY WAY superior in terms of warmth. They are perhaps not very good at letting fluid out, but I do not have very much fluid trying to leak out from my hands.
Sorry for that blantant Tesco plug. I just felt that saying those gloves are very warm underneath my NF mitts!
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Sat 15-12-12 19:09; edited 1 time in total
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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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Bigtipper, Thanks for the recommendation. I've just had a look online - the fleece ones? (I was persuaded to buy a silk pair once but, as you say, they didn't seem to make any difference at all. They still come on holiday with us, but just for the ride, really - they never get used.)
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Poster: A snowHead
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| RichTraff wrote: |
Burton AK Oven Mitts haven't been mentioned at all on this thread, yet a lot of people in the snowboarding world seem to believe they are THE WARMEST MITT out there. Some even go as far as saying they're hot....
Can anybody provide some feedback on these?! |
I ride with AK gear, and it's generally good. I've not tried these specifically, but I'm sure they work.
Looking at them, the cuff ("under" style, more piste than powder); the finger construction (separate fingers, slow in-out, can't be used with liners); and the stitching on the back (is it all taped?) would be my concerns. You can't tell from the specs, but they look a bit wimpy compared with the north face Himalayans.
So probably good, but if you're going to claim "warmest", probably not.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thats the trouble with some of these 'really warm mitts' though. They have F-off gauntlets on them and look ridiculous. They look like they'd affect your balance, never mind grip. And I can't say I've ever seen someone skiing/boarding with there gloves over their jacket and not look like a total tool.
Funny thing is, a lot of these massive super-warm gloves just have standard insulation, like fibrefill in. Hestra and many other makes / models are guilty of this. What's the deal with that!?
I admire what Burton have done. Sacrifice the daft gauntlet and pack the mitt full of Primaloft and Triple Goose Down insulation!
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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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Layering, air space and wind proofing.
Buy cheapish water/windproof mits that are gently snug, turn them inside out and cut out the crappy insulation. Put them on over good fleece gloves. If your sleeves don't have thumb holes use the fleece 'wrist warmers with the 6/8 hour air activated heaters and you'll never feel cold.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Finally got my hands into a pair of Black Diamond Mercury mitts (we talked about them on page 1 of this thread) at the Cham3S shop.
Some online reviews I had read talked about them being huge and they look huge in YouTube vids. They are big but not as big as they look online. And they are very well constructed too.
They are definitely the warmest hand wear I've ever tried. Granted, I tried them on in the shop but compared to my own mitts, my hands grew toasty very quickly. If I ever get to ski in Canada/Sweden/Norway where temps are ridiculously low, I will not hesitate to buy these mitts.
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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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An update on the Black Diamond Mercury Mitt. A few weeks after my last post on this thread, the temps in Cham dropped dramatically (-20s), so I was forced to buy the BD mitts. They are so good that I have used them ever since and have retired all my other mitts and gloves.
So, a list of the things I love about them:
» They are, without a doubt, the warmest things I've worn on my hands skiing. There are warmer mitts out there but they're for mountaineering and don't provide the dexterity you need for holding ski poles
» The designers have obviously put a lot of thought into the process of putting them on (and cinching them up) and taking them off because both actions are very easy to do
» The lining, which is insulated with 280g of Primaloft, can be easily removed and washed in the washing machine. I love this feature as it keeps your gloves fresh and clean inside
» The outer is completely waterproof and constructed of what looks like a very tough material, and the palms and thumbs covered in excellent grade leather
» On the back of each thumb is a little strip of smooth fabric for using as a google wipe
» In the warmer and decidedly wetter spring conditions we have had towards the end of this season, I have removed the liners and used thin polartec gloves inside the outers so that my hands haven't overheated but have stayed completely dry
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Bleedin 'eck! this lot make my cycling gloves look just a little 'inadequate' 
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I bet it does not have one of these for wiping your nose with!
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| lilywhite wrote: |
The wrist warmer thing- your blood is closest to the skins surface on the inside of your wrists and back of your hand (thats why heater pockets on back of some gloves) if your wrists are cold then your hands are most likely going to be cold too.
Use the thumb thru wrist gaiter attached to most ski specific jackets. |
Can't agree more. I have Hestra lobster mitts but this year I bought a new fleece which had a thumb thru wrist gaiter and I must admit its made a big difference to the warmth of my hands.
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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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Hi All
Am bumping this old thread......
Need to buy some new mittens for my always cold hands - I already use silver glove inners and the tea bag type handwarmers but still have numb fingers.
Want something with Primaloft and gortex and a wrist strap is also essential. Any ideas
Am looking at Reusch Women's Volcano Gore-Tex XCR Mitten - pricey at £175
even considering the snowlife heated ones - £250 - ouch. However, the gloves I saw didn't have the all improtant wrist strap.
Neither are currently in stock at Snow and Rock Hemel - so I will need to order on line.
If any one has tried these or has any other suggestions please let me know. Thanks
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I have the hestra ski cross mitts and they are great. They are really warm (I typically suffer cold hands). I think part of the warmness comes from the close and long wrist closure. I find silk liners aren't the warmest and always opt for thicker liners.
I still occasionally get cold thumbs, but then it is cold here. They are OK if I slip them out on the chairlift and warm them with my fingers.
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FAQ
