When Sir Ranulph Fiennes was attempting “The Coldest Journey” a couple of years back, he had to pull out after taking his glove off. Within seconds frostbite had rendered his hand useless. The effects of extreme cold on the extremities can be instantaneous. Yet, despite the fact that expeditions can falter if your gloves aren’t good enough, they are an often overlooked garment.
There should be three pairs of gloves in your backpack whether you are cycling or mountaineering, winter walking or mountain running. If one gets wet, you need another straight away. We usually carry a pair of waterproof gloves, some light synthetic gloves that will maintain some warmth even when wet, and a pair of mitts or big mountaineering gauntlets, plus a spare.
“These are great gloves for winter hillwalking, lower-level belaying and icy-scrambling.”
