Reply With QuoteI just bought these Arc'teryx ALPHA FL gloves.
If you want warmer, they do an AR version.
Afternoon all. I pulled my Snowboarding gear out to freshen it up ready for a trip in February and discovered my gloves (Level, Gore-tex, biometric wrist guards) has developed holes (I may have some memory of this being the case last year but having not made it to X-Scape recently I haven't pulled them out since last year). So I'm on the lookout for a new pair.
Does anyone have any real world experiences to recommend a good pair?
Criteria:
1) Warm, toasty warm, I have bad circulation in fingers and thumbs so that's an essential.
2) Gore-tex or equivalent
3) Preferably gloves but does anyone get on with the 3-finger mittens?
4) Ideally inner glove to slip my wrist guards between inner and outer to avoid sweaty palms.
I'm looking at the Hestra range (I have a smart pair and love them, also a deep winter pair but without wrist straps etc, how does the leather hold up to snow?) https://hestragloves.com/sport/en/gloves/alpine-pro/
Rome Bushwood:https://www.evo.com/outlet/gloves/rome-bushwood
And then a plethora of other such ski and board brands generic gloves/technologies.
I just bought these Arc'teryx ALPHA FL gloves.
If you want warmer, they do an AR version.
If you can get away with mits in terms of being able to do straps etc then definitely get them. Decades ago i used clicker bindings which meant no fiddling with straps. During that time I wore cheap mits and I couldn't believe the difference in how cold my hands got when i switched to gloves.
Originally Posted by gunner
Was just looking at the AR version of these, they look good, how do you find the durability?
Re: mitts, I’ve got flow quick release bindings so shouldn’t be an issue, I’ve had mitts in the past and found them OK to use.
Just bought them and not skiing until easter!
Look and feel very well made though.
I love TZ.
For most people £50 would be a substantial budget for ski gloves, but here we start at £200 and you know someone's going to wheel out a £500 pair and say anything less is rubbish at some point
Personally, I've got a pair of Gordini gloves that have lasted me years now and proved both warm and hardwearing.
They were a present (and mine are leather, not Goretex, outers), plenty on Amazon or ski shop sites to choose from, well under £100.
Those Hestras do look nice though!
M
Fair point.I love TZ.
For most people £50 would be a substantial budget for ski gloves, but here we start at £200 and you know someone's going to wheel out a £500 pair and say anything less is rubbish at some point
Personally, I've got a pair of Gordini gloves that have lasted me years now and proved both warm and hardwearing.
They were a present (and mine are leather, not Goretex, outers), plenty on Amazon or ski shop sites to choose from, well under £100.
Those Hestras do look nice though!
M
I've been wearing the same pair of North Face gloves for the last 20yrs so I guess I was happy to make the long term 'investment'.
Yeah, I wasn't knocking it, but I reckon if I bought a £200 pair of gloves I'd either rip them on a lift the first week or leave them in a bar!
That said I still ski on my 20 year old skis when I can be bothered to take them with me (I find them less twitchy than modern skis), so maybe I'm the wrong person to ask
M
I’ve been using the three finger mits for as long as I can remember certainly 15 years. My first pair were dkline and lasted five years perhaps more, I replaced them with some Hestra ones, and apart from being too warm on occasion they are super, leather is hard wearing and I’d replace them with the same if they were ever lost or give up the ghost.
I think these are the current version https://hestragloves.com/sport/en/gl...-gore-tex/100/
I love TZ.
For most people £50 would be a substantial budget for ski gloves, but here we start at £200
Those Hestras do look nice though!
M
You're right of course, you can get gloves for a lot less, but I've had my (now deceased) pair for the last 7 seasons so they've lasted well. I've got a pair of "formal" hestra's and the quality and warmth for such a (relatively) elegant dress glove is better than any I've had. Having routinely fed them with leather conditioner etc they've lasted 5 years so far and still look great. Hence I don;t mind spending a little more to get a quality pair that will last years if I maintain them (which I do).
My problem is worsening circulation meaning the Gore tex helps wick moisture and keep my hands toasty. (I also don;t always stay upright hence the longevity question)
mitts are excellent, i will however throw pipegloves into the ring, the issue i've found is really thick gloves are excellent until they get wet, PG's will get wet very quickly, however they heat up very quickly, halfway down a run normally. I normally have a 2 pairs, to swap halfway through a day.
Maybe get a pair as well, and test em when youre out there, 10 years I've not changed since getting through the barrier.
Pipe gloves as in thin kinda single layer ones (not sure how best to describe them?). I have a pair of the Grenade ones with the Misfits skull and bones on, great for X-scape but my hands get too cold elsewhere sadly. They look great though and I occasionally wear the, to run in
Hestra leather fall line all the way. I used to go thru so many gloves hiking with skis.
Bought some Hestra and they are still going strong after many weeks of skiing and super warm.
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How is Hestra for being waterproof??
I am reading they need treating etc.
These:
https://hestragloves.com/sport/en/gl...ther-gore-tex/
3 finger versions as below are equally good I'm sure.
After 7 years of 2+ weeks use per year, the leather reinforcing patch on thumb has worn through (but not the glove itself) and there is some discolouration.
They supply a wax which I treat them with each year to improve the waterproofing. Have never got wet whilst wearing them.
Hestras are what I use I have a nice all round pair and a super comfy spring skiing lightweight pair
Very pleased with both
Do they have a removable inner “glove”liner? I want to put my wrist guards between the inner and outer if possible.
I use Kinco 901 work gloves. By far the warmest and toughest gloves I’ve used over the many years I’ve been boarding. All of my synthetic gloves fell apart after a few years, even the expensive ones. There’s no inner lining with the Kincos but you could always add a thin glove under them. I use a Hestra wax once a year to keep them waterproof.
You used to be able to get them for about $20 from the US.
http://shop.snowshepherd.co.uk/epage...S/Kinco_Gloves
Last edited by benny.c; 22nd January 2018 at 22:06.
I have these but the cheaper version without the gore tex although they are still waterproof, the single finger allows straps and zips to be used without removing the glove, the rest being a mitt keeps the other fingers warm which in turn keeps the lone finger and thumb warm.
To me it has the best of a mitt and a glove in one, I bought from the US amazon site and had them delivered to the U.K. for not much more than a pair of cheap ski gloves in town.
Dainese with built in wrist supports.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
I had a lovely pair of Burton gloves that were toasty warm, but I lost one on a chair lift :(
Had to buy something else whilst on holiday and picked up some over priced Oakley ones, which have actually been great for a couple of trips now.
Considering some new ones with wrist guards as I have clearly been lucky over the many years I have snowboarded.
I now spend most my time chasing my kids through the Choucas run at Les Gets, its not that easy to do on a snowboard vs kids on skis.
I have always imagined that gloves with wrist guards restrict the bend in your wrist when pushing yourself up from a seated position. Having never tried it, can someone that uses them advise if thats the case? Are there less stiff protectors in some models?
Ive been using the Level Fly gloves for the last seven seasons or so and they use a technology slightly different to the usual sleeve and hard plastic inserts that do restrict you. Their version is like a two piece hinged design that sits in the palm and heel of your hand and extends down the wrist slightly but only underneath rather than top and bottom. You then use a wrist strap on the glove to hold it in place.
Its not as free as no guards at all but significantly less restrictive than traditional wrist guards. Having had a few stacks during my downhill racing days and had my wrists in pot I wound go out without to be honest, the minor inconvenience of wrists guards of any style is worth the alternative.
Just purchased some black diamond guide gloves - beautiful. Perhaps a bit too warm...
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No, those ones don't-forgot that requirement! I use Icebreaker merino liners if needed.
These do but no gore-tex
https://hestragloves.com/sport/en/gl...-heli-ski/280/
Not used them personally as will be getting the ArmyGore Tex ones again no question once these are beyond repair.
That just reminded me of these. Was thinking about getting a set as a reserve pair to the Hestra's if there was a good offer. Appear to be Gore Tex and have removable linders so might suit the OP better. Dont have the idiot straps though so I would probably drop them off a chairlift or similar when I forgot...
Last edited by mmgg1988; 22nd January 2018 at 23:21.
Used Hestra for the past 9 years. It was -23 last thursday, and they were fine. Alternatively use a pair of skinnies, or liner gloves, in merino. Last ditch are some of those teabag warmer things, they stay warm for several hours.
I have a pair of full leather Snowlife gloves, best and warmest gloves I have owned. Highly recommended and sensibly priced too.
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Black Diamond Guide Gloves. 20 years in the ski industry (my Brand doesn't make gloves,so can't buy any from them) and haven't found anything to beat these.
Hestra Army Leather Gore-Tex do come a very close second
If you are still cold in either of these, put a pair of Icebreaker Merino glove liners inside (and yes, I do have a vested interest there-for the sake of balance)
Thanks for the recommendations all, I’d seen the Black Diamond also and wondered if they were any good. The removable liners might be the selling point, although I do have numerous thin gloves for running that could do the job. Hmmmm decisions decisions.
I have a pair of Salomon gore-tex gloves which are excellent. They have separate inner gloves but they are so warm I’ve never needed them in around 20 weeks of skiing since I got the gloves 6 or 7 years ago. I believe they were around £90 (but I paid half this price I think in a sale) and have proved to be excellent quality. They have lasted better than the gore-tex Reusch gloves they replaced. The stitching on the Reusch fell apart after about 10 weeks skiing.
Tried various high-end man made gloves and mitts.
None of them were very breathable or long lasting.
Bought some substantial Hestra leather gloves a few years back and never looked back.
Give the impression they will last a lifetime with a little care and they breath.
No longer feels like my clammy hands are submerged in a swamp if it warms up a little.
Just don't go overboard.
Boarding gloves get shredded (at least mine do - I am quite committed so I drag my hands all over the place). So spending too much money just to abrade them away in a couple of weeks is a total waste.
2 part gloves where you can replace the inner with a quality liner (I use my old Chiba Gore windproofs as liners instead of the provided liners in my old Mammut gloves from when Mammut was quality) makes a difference.
Dave
I've had Dakine gloves over the years and they have always worn well. I did get a pair of Hestra Army gloves with the wool liner in a sale and they seemed really good though sadly I had to send them back as they were too big and then the size down had sold out. Hestra you can get the extra outer glove if you really need it. I now have some Black Diamond. Though these are all for skiing and I prefer the shorter cuffs for them. When I first tried boarding I had some Dakine snow board gloves that had a far more abrasive resistant non leather palm with liners. Tbh even though they were not Goretex and I spent a lot of time with my hands in the snow my hands stayed dry. As a rule I always reproof my gloves each season anyway to keep them water resistant. Normally any wear is due to carrying skis and the edges cutting the leather palm.
I also have some Hestra "posh" gloves made of Elk leather. They are lovely and soft and warm though the leather has a certain different smell to it :-)
Just picked up a pair of Black Diamond Finger gloves (three finger mitts) based on the recos on here and online reviews. Hoping they're as good as people suggest and last. Thanks for all the input.
I wear a pair of the thicker fleece North Face gloves for skiing. I used to think I'd need my really big gloves for a very cold day but I was -25 last year and they were still ok, which really surprised me. They don't really get wet when it's colder, so my hands stay dry and fairly warm, and when it's warmer I just don't worry about it. The touchscreen fingers are garbage, though. Must get some newer ones where that functionality actually works.
We do the Hestra stuff in work so I can get it at a discount, but I still think I wouldn't buy it.
Got a couple pairs been using for years
Ride gore tex mitts with inner fleece glove
And a burton pair mitts with inner fleece glove aswell
Worse thing you want on top of a mountain is to have cold wet / damp hands.
As has been said really surprised how much these gloves are , seen similiar burton pair as ones I have at around 140 odd quid now . Pretty sure I got an for 50 60 quid albeit 7 8 yrs ago .
Probably well below budget, but I just bought a pair of these
https://www.blacks.co.uk/accessories...dra-glove.html
For a trip Skiing in the French Alps last week, worked really well, waterproof, nice and warm and the gauntlet cuff works well too. Only downside they were a little too warm for snowshoing/general walking around.
I did have some Rab Merino 160 Liners to go with them, but found them too warm and just used the liners when walking around the resort.
Last edited by hoopsontoast; 23rd January 2018 at 22:53.
My last pair of leather Reusch lasted 20 years but I can't find a decent replacement I like - I've had three pair in last 5 years :(
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