Gloves v mitts?

[Allee]

I'm a typical girl, which reads ... I'm really cold blooded and have lots of issues with my fingers and toes while on the hill.

The toes I think I have under control. With some Smartwool socks and some new thermo liners, I'm all set for the new season.The fingers are another issue, and I thought this season I might try some good mitts and see if they're warmer than gloves.

The part that gets really cold (orange and purple and numb) is the end of the fingers from the knuckle down. The back of my hands is OK. If nothing else, mitts will give me the room to put those hand warmer packets in, right by my fingers.

Anyone have any thoughts or advice? I'm not a knuckledragger so the longevity of the gloves isn't an issue, but if you can recommend a good brand/model that would be great.

[jnshapiro]

I love my mitts! They're basically an older version of these: http://www.orgear.com/home/style/home/handtools/gloves/ascent/71310

[Justin A.]

I ALWAYS ride mitts except when Im racing (not allowed) This last season I picked up an AWESOME pair made by __________ that are made of Gore-Tex and stuffed with goose down. SOOOOOOOOO warm. When I'm racing I wear the Reusch leather race gloves, which are also wicked warm and I actually started wearing them recreationaly. The only problem with the Reusch gloves is that when the leather gets wet the glove gets HEAVY. I picked the mitts up on sale for $70, and the Reusch gloves go for about $90. Burton also makes a hell of a Mitt, I rode them for about 9 years (3 pairs). I think the model was the Tactic. They had a nose wipe on the thumb of the right mitt and a goggle squeegee on the thumb of the left, and a pouch for hand warmers in the back of each hand.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Allee, I'd just go to MEC and pick up something there. Gore-tex or equivalent shell, heavy fleece liner you can remove at night and dry out. You'll find mitts much warmer than gloves, although personally I prefer gloves.

[durace]

I got a set of lobster mits a couple years ago and they are great. They are a two finger glove. Warm as a mit but you can still clip and tie stuff.

Paul

[carverchick]

I love my mitts, keeps your hands much warner than regular gloves:1luvu:

[Tommy D]

I use leather Reusch mitts! They are FANTASTIC for cold weather, but as said above, when they get wet, they do get kinda heavy/saggy (But never cold).

That said, they do breathe well, and it is nice to scrunch my fingers up inside when my tips get cold. The only problem I am having with them is that my right hand now requires a wrap or two of duct tape; the edge of the board has worn through the palm a little bit from carrying it around.

I also use the Reusch goves on wamer days. They too, are fantastic.

FYI: I order my Reush gloves/mitts and tuning gear from ArTech (http://www.artechski.com/).

[jdgang]

I have Burton Gore Mitts. Best Mitts I have ever owned

[lonerider]

I love my mitts! They're basically an older version of these: http://www.orgear.com/home/style/home/handtools/gloves/ascent/71310I too really like Outdoor Research Mitts. Mitts are the way to go for warmth.

[Fleaman]

If you know any indians, get them to aquire you a pair of beaver pelt mitts. Those things are like a furnace. They have nice beaded patterns the palms too.

[Allee]

From a failed attack beaver, maybe? Enough with the beaver jokes :)

Taking Neil and Justin's advice, there is a great looking pair of Gordini down filled mitts with a Goretex liner at MEC. I feel a weekend buying trip coming on...

[Sinecure]

I've been a huge fan of Reusch leather race gloves for years (like 25 years). Last season I bought a pair of the mitten version of the same thing. I love them. There are little dividers between the fingers inside that make it feel more like a glove, I can still deal with buckles and clips fine, and they are very warm - too warm for many Tahoe days.

The only downside w/ mittens is its a lot harder to hold a smoke while riding. :p

[BoarderYUL]

I got a pair of mitts a few years ago (and yeah, they still do the job) for about 40$. It is a fleece glove underliner with a kind of kevlar mitts that go over the gloves. That "combo" is a real charm for me and I just can't complain about it !

Always warm and you have the advantages of the gloves for grabbing things (or picking up your nose !! :lol: )

[Justin A.]

From a failed attack beaver, maybe? Enough with the beaver jokes :)

Taking Neil and Justin's advice, there is a great looking pair of Gordini down filled mitts with a Goretex liner at MEC. I feel a weekend buying trip coming on...

They were gordini's!!! I can't find where I left them now, hence the blank :smashfrea

[corey_dyck]

I also get cold hands easily so I only use mitts. I have two different pairs from MEC: one for 5C to -10C, another from -10C to -40C. The warmer weather ones NEED to be waterproof!

I hate individual fingers in mitts. I find they're as cold as gloves but have the dexterity of mitts. Having one big open area for your fingers is much warmer.

[jnshapiro]

I have a pair of those Burton mitts too. They work quite well.

Mitts all the way!

[Jim Callen]

I've always prefered gloves. I like my digits. My brand of choice is schneider. They make great gloves that are very warm and have padded knuckles for less impact on random stuff.

[alpinegirl]

hey allee.....

given my stupid schedule of riding these past few years i tend to wear my gloves a lot! as you have discerned, waterproofing, durability, and quality insulation are what you are looking for. i know that your general riding conditions are colder than mine, and yeah, mitts rock. i give up some warmth so i can help students more readily, and i got to really test some gore-tex gloves last season. i could wear them open to close most days. and if the temp dropped into the single digits (F), then i'd don my skanky old mitts for the evening (with fleece gloves underneath. no fashion for me). leather palms tend to hold up better than most synthetic, woven materials.

burton's AK oven mitts look rather toasty. but seriously, stick to what you're thinking and find the best waterproofing possible (gore-tex comes in so many forms these days. silly chemist geeks goofing around). you can always add to insulation. and yes, the gordini's that you have spotted do warrant a trip!

hope you have a fantastic season. i expect a full report on what you discover!

[Dave ESPI]

Mitts are annoying. Gloves get too cold.

BOTH ! I have fingerless gloves that have mitts that fold back.
THINSULATE makes them. Look in the "sportsman" section of the hunting area of a Dicks sporting goods or walmart, sports authority Etc...

They rawk !

Especialy if you need your hands to undo straps, or tie laces, smoke cigarettes on the lift..... whatver... as an Instructor, I tend to use my multi Tool quite often, and with mits it's IMPOSSIBLE !... fingerless gloves are perfect.

HTH.

[LeeW]

my way may be a bit odd. i wear pipe gloves. and i wear 'em inside the mitts, when its cold. my pipe gloves are those Misfits Grenade gloves and my mitts are Drop mitts (which feels so "silky").

[tufty]

Thin fingerless or silk gloves with mitts over the top for cold days (-15c or below). Mitts get too hot (at least, good ones do) for me, I have to take them off on the lifts to cool my hands down, hence the liners. I've never had need for the "glove heater pouch" on my mitts.

Lined leather work gloves for warmer days.

What's more important is keeping them attached to you. All gloves and mitts stand a probability of being lost which is inversely proportional to the temperature and proportional to the square of the price you paid for them divided by their age in hours.

Simon

[bartron]

I ALWAYS ride mitts except when Im racing (not allowed)
Huh !? Why aren't mitts allowed for racing ?

'later...

[Tommy D]

Huh !? Why aren't mitts allowed for racing ?


Yeah, what's the story on this one?

[kjl]

I always ride with trigger mitts (index finger free, other 3 fingers are in one big mitt-like compartment). Warm, and you can still manipulate things like your buckles, intec cables, etc..

[Justin A.]

Huh !? Why aren't mitts allowed for racing ?

'later...

I have no idea why I just follow the rules. Nearest that I can figure is that if a mitt gets caught on a gate, you could break all your fingers and/or your wrist, whereas a finger gets caught on a gate, you snap the finger. I dunno, thats my best guess. I'll see if I can dig up the rule.

Edit: No luck digging up the rule. I read it a few years ago (2000-2002ish), they may have changed it, I just haven't read them again ;) I bought the gloves that season and have always worn them for competition since then. They have nice padding on the back anyway to cushion gate bashing. Whatever, now I look like a tool because I cited an old rule.

[ak_rider]

i have to second lee's approach of pipe glove+mitt=toastie hands. must be a CO thing :D but anyway, use some sort of warm liner glove and then add a nice mitt over it. i have no real preference on mittens-other than to stay away from burton-all their stuff seems to fall apart on me in about 2 months or so, if i'm lucky. just ensure waterproofness. and if it gets super cold you can always throw handwarmers in. with the liner glove idea it'll keep you from getting burned by the handwarmer. it can happen if you put them directly onto your skin, especially when you cant feel the part you're putting the handwarmer on.

[zoltan]

I too really like Outdoor Research Mitts. Mitts are the way to go for warmth.

I also use only Outdoor Research gloves and mitts. I have one of each for spring and winter boarding. Other companies make some nice gloves, but OR stuff is simply the best. They're the only gloves I found that were 100% waterproof - I soaked my hands in a bucket of ice water for 30 minutes while kneeding my hands together to try and get them to leak. They didn't and my hands stayed toastie. Since switching to OR my hands have yet to get wet again. I also have the Cornice mitt, and they are very sweet. They have a removable lofted liner and have plenty of space for heating packets. Their shell is also sown and taped Gore-Tex, not just a Gore-Tex insert (more durable this way). I've had such good luck with them that two of my friends are looking into buying OR this year as well.

One trick, if it's raining when you're on the mountain, draw your jacket's cuff down over top of the glove's gauntlet and sinch it down, otherwise your sleave will funnel water right into your glove.

[bartron]

I have no idea why I just follow the rules.
Well, one way around that is to wear mitts and then put massive gloves over you mitts. :eplus2: Do those big foam gloves like the "We're #1" ones count as gloves ? :lol:

I take it it was a US national rule or regional rule. I remember seeing Rosie Fletcher wearing gloves in a world cup PSL race around 2003.

'later...

[Sinecure]

Right now Steep and Cheap (http://www.steepandcheap.com/) has Burton Oven Mitts on sale for $45 - pretty darn cheap. You'd have to have bad circulation and live in a cold place to want these, but some of you said that's you. If you are reading this late in the afternoon or evening of Tuesday 10/17, its probably already too late - SAC sells things until they sell out and that's it.

http://akamai.backcountrystore.com.edgesuite.net/images/items/large/BUR0616/AKONV.jpg

[Allee]

This is a good thread with some good advice. I took Justin's and bought some of the Gordini down filled mitts from MEC on the weekend. I put them on in the store and walked around for a few minutes, and my hands started to sweat, so they're definitely warm.

Bring on the cold stuff. Can't wait to see how they work.

PS MEC is a bad store. "Vini vidi Visa" ... I came, I saw, I shopped.

[zoltan]

www.sierratradingpos.com (http://www.sierratradingpos.com) has several different model Outdoor Research gloves on blowout right now if anyone is interested.

[Neil Gendzwill]

PS MEC is a bad store. "Vini vidi Visa" ... I came, I saw, I shopped.I can't get out of there without dropping several hundred. I even catch myself ogling all the climbing equipment, and I don't climb. Ice axes and crampons are pretty damn sexy.

[ARCrider]

I can't get out of there without dropping several hundred. I even catch myself ogling all the climbing equipment, and I don't climb. Ice axes and crampons are pretty damn sexy.

I'll third that. I now try to make a list before going and simply stick to the list. too easy to go over the budget.

[Neil Gendzwill]

I think you need a translator, Ursle. Were you trying for a variation on "if your feet are cold, put on a hat?" Very true, that.

[Allee]

But Ursle is not a girl. ..

Most women have very poor circulation. Just ask my other half how cold my feet are when I get into bed in winter and stick them on his back ... :eplus2:

The actual riding part isn't the problem. The chairlift part is. Some of our chairs are six minutes or so, plenty of time to get chilled. Even so, I'm never cold through the body, just the hands and feet.

How cold? I remember one -10C day last winter when I rode for an hour, came in to the lodge, and pulled my boots off because I couldn't feel my toes. They were completely white and bloodless, it took ten minutes for any colour to come back into them, and the pins and needles were agony. I can bite my fingers sometimes, and not feel them.

I actually looked into some Hotronics last year, but it would be a hell of a squash with Intec cables and all. Therefore ... I'm really hoping that the thermo liners and socks work.

[Neil Gendzwill]

I'm never cold through the body, just the hands and feet.Not trying to downplay your problems (some people esp women do have those circulation problems), but it is certainly possible to be underdressed and not feel cold in the body. If you don't have enough insulation in general, your body will keep core organs warm at the expense of extremities. Your head in particular dumps heat at a huge rate. So it might be helpful to try adding an extra layer, or a helmet liner (MEC sells a really nice thin balaclava that fits under helmets) and see if that helps.

[Dave Pushee]

Allee,

I have solved this problem with uninsulated mitts (OR Goretex shells) over light gloves. If it's not too cold, the inner glove is a thin polypro glove liner.
If it's cold then the inner is a fleece glove. If it's too freakin' cold then I use the polypro inside the fleece and toss a handwarmer inside the overmitt.

With this approach, you can fine-tune the system to the day and effort level.

Another issue is perspiration. If the liner gloves get moist, the insulation efficiency drops. Carry a spare set of fleece gloves in and inside pocket where your core body temp will keep them warmer. Change at mid-day.

As to the feet. Thermo liners are great. Make sure you reserve plenty of toe wiggle room when you bake them. Since I got my new liners, I wear only polypro liner socks and I seldom need to resort to toe warmers.

Being able to move your toes and fingers is part of the key to warmth. If the digits are jammed in too tight, circulation is limited.