Ski gloves are an important part of your ski equipment and are vital for keeping your hands warm so that you can prevent injury, frost bite and also have a good, strong grip on your ski poles. Whether you are skiing or snowboarding this winter, make sure you have some cosy gloves to keep your hand warm and dry.
Mittens or Gloves?
Mittens offer more warmth, whereas gloves offer better dexterity. Just ask yourself about your priorities for a ski glove. Do you want your hands to stay warm and dry all day or would you rather have more freedom of movement?
In mittens, your fingers are pretty much always together which means they are guaranteed to be warm all day. However, they offer very little individual movement of your fingers.
Gloves allow you to keep your fingers separate and this means you can do more throughout the day without having to remove them (something you ought to avoid if you want to keep your hands warm).
Low Profile or Gauntlet Cuff?
A low profile glove is simply one that extends a few inches past your wrist, whereas a gauntlet cuff has a much longer cuff that goes further past the wrist.
Low profile gloves are more comfortable to wear as the cuff doesn’t get in the way, although there is a risk of snow getting into your glove with this style.
A gauntlet cuff is ideal for keeping snow out of your sleeves and gloves. This extra bit of material is ideal for tucking your ski jacket sleeves into to keep out the cold.
Insulated Gloves or Removable Liners?
Insulated gloves are pretty much guaranteed to keep your hands warm. Thick gloves are ideal for really cold temperatures, but slightly thinner gloves can be worn if you have good circulation or don’t really feel the cold.
If you are opting for mittens, these can be less insulated anyway because they are naturally warmer by design. However, if you are opting for thick gloves make sure that they aren’t too warm – if your hands get sweaty inside your gloves, they will make the material wet which will eventually cool your hands down – something you definitely don’t want when you’re up a mountain in minus temperatures!
Liner gloves on the other hand are designed to be worn as a thin layer underneath your waterproof outer gloves. These are great for washing separately and also ideal for determining amount of insulation – if your hands don’t need the liners then they can simply be removed!
Choose the Right Size
You need your gloves to fit well. Don’t buy huge gloves so that you can make room for multiple layers of liner gloves, and don’t get gloves so small that your fingers’ movement is restricted. Just get close-fitting gloves that keep in the heat and allow your fingers to move easily.
Buy fashionable gloves if you wish, but remember quality and warmth are the most important factors!
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