| Gloves and mittens designed for use while skiing are | | | | looking for the best, be sure to purchase gloves or |
| a lot more complicated than your average, | | | | mittens with fully taped seams. Fabrics such as |
| run-of-the-mill styles. These hand coverings have to | | | | Cordura Ventia, Ventia, treated leather and Deluge |
| contend with extreme cold, wet, wipeouts, ski edges | | | | DWR-treated polyester will all keep you plenty dry. |
| and rope lifts, all of which can take a major toll. To | | | | These can be expensive, but they are worth it if you |
| deal with these various challenges, ski gloves and | | | | tend to fall down a lot or favor skiing in deep |
| mittens have to be tough, warm, waterproof and | | | | powder. The next level down consists of gloves and |
| difficult to lose. A skier will often have a loyalty to | | | | mittens with critically taped seams and shells of |
| one brand or another, but the fact is that there are | | | | leather, nylon, polyester or Ventia. These are less |
| a number of high-quality brands out there who | | | | expensive and still provide an acceptable level of |
| manufacture hand coverings designed for skiing. | | | | waterproofing. |
| Of course, the first question that must be addressed | | | | Aside from waterproofing, insulation is your best bet |
| when buying hand covering is the age old question of | | | | for maintaining feeling in your hands. There a few |
| gloves or mittens. Both have their advantages. | | | | different materials used in ski gloves and mittens. |
| Gloves allow for more manual dexterity, which can | | | | Fleece is one of the most popular fabrics because it |
| be useful when dealing with various other pieces of | | | | is light and quick-drying, and it provides excellent |
| ski equipment. However, because gloves house the | | | | warmth. There are many kinds of fleece, including |
| fingers and thumbs in separate little compartments, | | | | Polar fleece, also known as microfleece, and |
| they are almost always comparatively colder than | | | | Primaloft, a synthetic microfiber thermal insulation |
| mittens. These more classic coverings have the | | | | material. Another, more traditional material used is |
| advantage of a single pocket for all four fingers, | | | | wool. It has the advantage of trapping heat while |
| which allows each finger to contribute to the warmth | | | | allowing the hands to breathe, but its bulkiness can |
| of the other. Whether a skier opts for gloves or | | | | be a deterrent. |
| mittens often depends on how prone he or she is to | | | | Ski gloves and mittens need tough exteriors to deal |
| losing feeling in his or her digits. | | | | with things like sharp ski edges and rope pulls. To |
| On either gloves or mittens, waterproofing is | | | | that end, many are made with tough outer materials, |
| probably the most important factor to consider, | | | | such as leather, durable synthetics or a combination |
| because it is directly related to warmth. After all, if | | | | of both. These materials cannot totally prevent rips |
| your hands get wet, then all the insulation in the | | | | and tears, but they do delay such problems, adding |
| world isn't going to do you much good. There are | | | | to the gloves' or mittens' lifespan. |
| many levels of waterproofing available, and if you're | | | | |