Gear Guy Review, Outside Online Magazine
…what you get for more money is undeniable
This is an excerpt from a full article/review written by Joe Jackson for OutsideOnline Magazine
Gloves are, frankly, less exciting to talk about than skis or bindings. That doesn’t, however, make them less important. Cold hands are the quickest way to ruin a ski day at the resort, and ill-fitting gloves could mess with your grip on poles and ropes. But how much should you pay for them? Like pretty much all outdoor gear, there’s a wide range of options, depending on what you need them for and are willing to pay for or splurge on. So I put my favorite leather gloves in the budget, midrange, and high-end price brackets in a head-to-head test to help you decide.
The Test
I took each pair of gloves skiing on a powder day at my local resort, Mount Ashland in Oregon. I don’t mean to brag when mentioning the powder, but it provided ample opportunity to get the gloves covered in snow, which was a good test of their insulation and weatherproofness. I also waited in a lift line for 40 minutes with each pair of gloves to further gauge insulation while I was immobile. For dexterity, I tinkered with my bindings, opened and closed a backpack and duffel at least five times, and tried to get my roof box open and closed with the gloves on. Then I took each pair on a backcountry skin lap, performing beacon checks, ripping skins, and tinkering some more with my bindings. I also did yard work like shoveling, pruning, and weeding with each pair, which was a great way to test puncture resistance (I cut back my rose bushes) and durability.
The Results
High-End: Hestra Fall Line
Dexterity: 5/5
Warmth: 5/5
Breathability: 5/5
Yeah, at this price, the Fall Line better score top marks in every category. While the neoprene wrist cuffs kept pow off my hands and the seams were on the outside (better for gripping my ski poles while huffing up and breaking trail in the backcountry), it was the fit that made me fall in love with the Fall Line. The articulated fingers hugged mine, making it easier to tinker on skis. As it turns out, they’re great gardening gloves as well and the Fall Line was the only model I could wear to perform tasks requiring fine motor skills, like locking and unlocking my roof box and picking individual strands of Bermuda grass. They were also notably more comfortable than the other two pairs, thanks to the superb breathability and Bemberg lining, which is a natural polyester comparable to silk.
The Takeaway
…It takes expensive material and craftsmanship to make a glove that interacts with your hand as well as the Fall Line. If there’s a chance you might use a rope or an ice ax, having a glove with that kind of dexterity is nonnegotiable.
Read the complete original review at OutsideOnline: The Best Ski Gloves For Every Budget
The Hestra Fall Line – 5 Finger Glove, 3 Finger Glove, and Mitt
Made of soft, supple cowhide aniline with outseams for increased comfort and superior pole grip.
