Choosing between ski gloves and mittens is a personal choice.
What may work for one skier might not work for others, and a lot of it depends on how your skiing day looks.
Downhill skiers have many different needs than cross-country skiers, and several other factors will influence the choice you make. There are pros and cons to each style of handwear, so let’s take a look at each.
What Do Gloves and Mittens Have in Common?
Both gloves and mittens can be effective at keeping your hands warm while you hit the slopes. While there are several key differences, let’s first check out the similarities.
Insulation
The primary insulation materials used in both gloves and mittens are down and synthetic.
Down has been used for decades as insulation in skiwear. As a material, it is superior to synthetic insulation due to its ability to compress, its light weight, and breathability. Down is also very durable and will hold up for many years. The chief complaint with this material is that it is pricier than synthetic, and it does not recover well (and keep your hands warm anymore) after it gets wet.
The gloves and mittens that incorporate down often come with a shell that prevents water from getting into the insulation.
Synthetic insulation, on the other hand, appeals to the masses because of its affordability. It also dries quickly and keeps hands warm even after it gets wet. The majority of ski gloves and mittens use synthetic materials today. The downside of synthetic insulation is its durability: the overall quality is lower than down, and it tends to hold up for a shorter time.
Waterproofing
Waterproofing in gloves and mittens is a critical component. When your fingers get wet on the slopes, it can quickly and effectively ruin your day. Most ski handwear has waterproofing capabilities built-in nowadays and are pretty good at repelling the moisture from the elements.
When you sweat, though, your fingers and hands will retain the moisture, and it may be uncomfortable. With a good waterproof layer – such as Gore-Tex® – you will have much better success keeping the wetness out of your gloves or mittens – and incorporate breathability too, to help wick away moisture that is produced inside your handwear.
Most handwear has cinching mechanisms and cuffs that will help keep the snow out, which helps immensely in keeping you warm. If you can manage to lower how much your hands sweat, the wind and water from outside should not affect you with a good pair of gloves or mittens.
Modern-Day Features
Both gloves and mittens come equipped with high-tech innovations today. When it is absolutely freezing on the mountain, some people love to wear their heated gloves and mittens. These are powered by batteries, heat up very nicely, and are much more expensive than traditional versions.
With our addiction to technology, manufacturers have begun designing gloves and mittens to work with our phones. Touchscreen technology – where you don’t have to remove your hand covering to operate your phone – is now on the market.
Many other features increase the glove or mitten’s comfort and functionality, ranging from specialized grips to leashes to specially-designed pockets. The technology is continually advancing, which is good news for our hands.
So, Are Gloves the Choice for You?
Gloves are designed for the full freedom of your fingers. With separate slots for each digit, your hands are going to feel much looser and maneuverable. If you don’t like the feeling of clumsily buckling and unbuckling your boots, or fumbling with zippers and pockets, gloves may be the choice for you.
They are “grippy” and agile, and many skiers prefer them when they are grasping their ski poles. Additionally, cross-country skiers often prefer lightweight gloves, as they work up a sweat and want to wick moisture away as much as they can.
You can choose between short-cuff and long-cuff gloves. Short-cuff gloves slide under your jacket sleeve, while long-cuff models will smoothly go over the sleeve of your jacket: again, this is a personal preference. Many gloves today come with removable liners, which can be very convenient when the weather warms up. However, those liners can be hard to line back up with your fingers perfectly, which can be annoying and uncomfortable.
The downside of gloves is that they are not as warm as mittens. Many people go for thick gloves with a waterproof membrane to make up for this difference. However, thickness does not necessarily equal warmth. If a glove is not breathable, the moisture will lock into the glove, creating wet fingers and hands.
You will want to consider the general temperature where and when you usually ski – and find a breathable, high-quality glove that will keep your hands warm while supplying dexterity.
Or Do You Prefer Mittens?
In a nutshell, when the weather is frigid, you probably want to get yourself some mittens. With all fingers except the thumb enclosed in one space, they are designed to keep your hands warm. You will sacrifice your individual fingers’ movements, but you still should be able to grasp ski poles with no problem.
Mittens come in varying thicknesses, and, like gloves, you may not want to just buy the thickest one you can find. Mittens cause your hands to sweat more quickly than gloves, which making them either very cold or extremely clammy. However, mittens on a cold day will likely do a much better job keeping your fingers warm than even very thick gloves.
Mittens come with many of the same features as gloves, including cuffs of different lengths, leashes, and various grips.
Conclusion
If you usually ski in very cold conditions, you will likely want mittens to keep your hands warm. If you are a spring skier, cross-country skier, or know that you would rather drink hot chocolate in the lodge instead of venturing out into a blizzard, gloves are probably right for you.
The main issue that will influence your decision is how much dexterity you are looking for with your fingers, and how much warmth you are willing to give up to get it.
