Gloves and Mittens

If you've ever lived though the horrible pain of blood returning to your numb fingertips, or dropped an ice screw because your gloves were too bulky, then you understand the importance of having the right glove system for pursuing your outdoor fun.

Gloves or Mittens?

All things being equal (fabrics, thickness, and insulation), mittens are warmer than gloves. Mitts trap body heat by keeping your fingers together and reducing evaporative heat loss. In frigid temperatures, a layered mitt system is the best choice for warmth. Layers dry faster than one heavily insulated piece, and let you swap out wet layers. However, gloves offer better grip and dexterity for fiddling with ice screws and ski bindings. Wearing a shell outer glove and a thin polypro or Windstopper® liner is a good compromise. Your hands will retain some warmth even when you have to remove your outer gloves or mitts.

Tip: In wet, cold conditions, carry a spare pair of gloves or mittens in the inside pocket of your jacket. This ensures you always have warm, dry handwear to put on when your fingers get really cold.

Features

• Cuffs keep out snow and insulate the wrist – an area of high heat loss. Look for cuffs that fit snugly but don’t impede circulation. They should be long enough to keep you covered when you reach way out for a pole-plant or way up for a tool placement.
• Reinforced palms are durable and offer good grippy texture. Double-stitching and extra layers of fabric will protect high-wear areas like the thumb, lower palm, and forefingers.
• Padding on the backs of the hands and fingers protects you when your errant ice tool swing catches “nothing but knuckle.”
• That little loop on the back of the forefinger lets you hang the gloves upside down on your harness so they don’t fill with snow while you climb.

Care

Synthetic materials can melt or burn if placed too close to a heat source, so keep wet gloves or mitts away from a hot stove or fire. If you’re tenting or burrowed in a snowcave, sticking gloves or mitts in your sleeping bag will help them dry.