Slipping your hand into a plush dexterous set of well fitting ski gloves is one of life’s simple pleasures. Conversely cold wet and numb hands on the mountain can be miserable at best, easily ruining a day. Thankfully choosing a well fitting pair of ski gloves is far easier than, say, ski boots, so it should be pain free and fairly quick.
Ski Glove Fit
First up is the fit and, well… it should fit like a glove. But what does this mean in reality? In terms of the correct length, there shouldn’t be excess space in the tips, a sign they are too long. There also shouldn’t be space around the join between finger and palm – a sign they are too short.
As for the width and depth there shouldn’t be excess space around the palm and back of the hand and you should be able to get your hand in and out without it being a tight wrestle. When you get the correct length and volume it should be snug without being constrained, allowing you maximum range or motion and dexterity.
Gloves or Mitts?
The choice between mitts and gloves often will come down to warmth and comfort desires. The benefits of mittens is that they keep your fingers friendly with each other, which in turn will retain heat and keep you warmer for longer.
The downside of this is in the lack of dexterity even simple tasks such as fastening a jacket can be cumbersome with mitts on. Gloves on the other hand will be more dexterous, though this depends on the material, whilst being generally not as warm.
