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Still Cold Hands

Skisnow

Certified Ski Diva
I’m at a loss. My six year old is bawling her eyes out every day after less than 2 hours skiing.

She now has four pairs of gloves, Hestra leather mittens, Reusch race mittens, Reusch gloves, Rossignol gloves. I have spend hundreds of pounds on gloves.

She is wearing a merino thermal vest, merino thermal long sleeve top and bottom, Spyder mid layer t-neck, Isbjorn technical fleece, high quality Rossignaljacket and pants with smartwool socks.

I don’t know what else to do, quit skiing? Literal tantrums every single time she skis. She loves skiing, whe wins slalom and GS medals every race (even in U10) but it’s constantly ruined by the cold hands.

Is there a solution?
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Depending on what's local for you, our local Costco has those by the case.

If your daughter is outdoors in winter doing some other activity are her hands cold then? Or just skiing?
 

elemmac

Angel Diva
She now has four pairs of gloves, Hestra leather mittens, Reusch race mittens, Reusch gloves, Rossignol gloves. I have spend hundreds of pounds on gloves.

Couple thoughts...

Mittens are warmer than gloves, I would definitely use them whenever possible. They're also warmer if they're a bit big...more room for warm air to circulate. Also, with a size too big, there's enough room to put a wool liner and/or handwarmer inside. Downside is with mittens, especially when they're big, you lose a lot of dexterity (but outside of holding a ski pole, does it really matter?).

Hestra makes a heated liner all the way down to a size 5...definitely $$$$, but if the alternative is quitting skiing...might be worth a look. Depending on which Hestra mitt and what size she has now, they might be compatible. There are probably some other (cheaper) options for heated mitts for kids as well...some internet searches and review reading might be worth some time.

On the cheaper end of the spectrum...handwarmers, a wool liner, and/or pair of Wristies may help.
 

Iwannaski

Angel Diva
Does she LIKE skiing? or is this how she is managing her anxiety around/dislike of it?
You say she loves it. Is it that she loves the winning? or does she like the sport?

Honest question. Probably too direct, but tbh, I don't see how the things you've already done wouldn't solve the problem. I have friends with Raynaud's in Wisconsin and they don't go to your lengths but can manage finger comfort. So, if it's not really biological, it has to be something else?
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Does she LIKE skiing? or is this how she is managing her anxiety around/dislike of it?
You say she loves it. Is it that she loves the winning? or does she like the sport?

Honest question. Probably too direct, but tbh, I don't see how the things you've already done wouldn't solve the problem. I have friends with Raynaud's in Wisconsin and they don't go to your lengths but can manage finger comfort. So, if it's not really biological, it has to be something else?

I’d disagree a bit on everything being done should have already solved the problem, if handwarmers aren’t also already being used anyway. I don’t have Raynaud’s but my hands and feet hurt so much when cold that I literally wouldn’t be able to ski most days without hand warmers and my battery operated boot warmers. I own fantastic mittens and socks and all of the right baselayers etc, but that isn’t enough for my extremities.

I was also the kid who would cry in pain from cold hands and feet when playing out in the snow way back when. Though I didn’t have all of the best gear then. I still always seemed so much more bothered than the other kids I was with.
 

Iwannaski

Angel Diva
I hear you, @MissySki … but IIRC, @buttmonki’s daughter is skiing on an indoor ski hill that’s at about 32Farenheit? Are you that uncomfortable while active at freezing?

I get handwarmers/etc at 5 or 10 deg F. Even maybe 20, but in my experience, being active at 32 deg is usually enough to keep the fingers and toes warm.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
@Iwannaski - that is why I'm asking the question about other outdoor winter sports. It could be something specific to skiing. I'm actually wondering about how she's holding her poles. Does she have a death grip on them, or more like tennis, a gentle hug. Are the poles/grip the right size for her hand. I really don't think she doesn't want to ski from what Mom's says. With the choice of hand covering options I'm not sure it's the combination of gloves/mitts.

I live in a winter cold area. -20C is sort of normal for January. I've never heard of a kid with this specific problem. Most kids just get cold, everywhere...

So is how she's holding the grip, maybe holding the poles in relation to the rest of arm (thinking blood flow) or inner body temperature, upper core temperature....I'm reaching at straws, but something might resonant with Mom here.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I don’t know what else to do, quit skiing? Literal tantrums every single time she skis. She loves skiing, whe wins slalom and GS medals every race (even in U10) but it’s constantly ruined by the cold hands.
Have you considered heated gloves? Meaning the type that batteries.
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I have Reynaud's Syndrome, and my hands are always cold. I hate cold hands, and have found a way to keep mine warm.

Mittens, the ones without an internal liner that separates the fingers, are the warmest thing for cold hands. The fingers need to touch each other and share their warmth. Those internal liners, all of which marketing promotes as making the fingers warm, isolate my fingers and are guaranteed to make them cold (because I have naturally cold fingers - Reynaud's Syndrome - YMMV). Put one, two, or three hand warmers in each liner-less mitten, touching the fingers, and your hands will be warm. I don't use the pocket on top of the palm for those handwarmers; it's useless for my hands. It's my fingers that are cold, not my palms, and I need to feel the warmth of those little miracle workers up close. I use this kind of mitten and on cold days I put three hand warmers in each. Two go directly on top of my four fingers, and the third one is folded around my thumb and carefully inserted into the thumb pocket. My hands are never cold. My thumbs are never cold.

I've tried heated mittens and gloves, the ones with batteries. Nope, not as warm as mittens with hand warmers against the skin. I took them back and got a refund.

Leather mittens eventually leak. They need to be treated with Snowseal more than once a season to keep the water out. I love my leather mittens, but they do require TLC. I have a can of Snowseal that should last my lifetime.

Synthetic mittens don't leak as much. I've never regretted having high quality synthetic fabric mittens. They do eventually develop holes in the fingertips. Leather doesn't do that.

Over the years, having owned many mittens, I've found that the insulation doesn't matter that much since I rely on the hand warmers. I have leather ones with down insulation, and thin synthetic mittens with compressed insulation that on its own would not do much good. Both are warm when I put the hand warmers in them. I buy the hand warmers by the box at the beginning of each season. I think there are 40 pair in there.

What matters the most in the mittens I use is how they are shaped. I like the curved ones that match the curvature of a hand.
 
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Iwannaski

Angel Diva
@Iwannaski - that is why I'm asking the question about other outdoor winter sports. It could be something specific to skiing. I'm actually wondering about how she's holding her poles. Does she have a death grip on them, or more like tennis, a gentle hug. Are the poles/grip the right size for her hand. I really don't think she doesn't want to ski from what Mom's says. With the choice of hand covering options I'm not sure it's the combination of gloves/mitts.

I live in a winter cold area. -20C is sort of normal for January. I've never heard of a kid with this specific problem. Most kids just get cold, everywhere...

So is how she's holding the grip, maybe holding the poles in relation to the rest of arm (thinking blood flow) or inner body temperature, upper core temperature....I'm reaching at straws, but something might resonant with Mom here.
I hear you. I am not ruling out biology or tools, but I coach a lot of kids.

They don’t always express a lack of desire to do an activity in a clear way. in fact, many times it is paradoxical. I have a soccer player on our team who does NOT want to play soccer, but he will not tell his parents because he is worried it will disappoint them.

I am not trying to be challenging, just an advocate for a different view. It’s likely hard for many of us to imagine not wanting to ski. @Buttmonki, At 6, I would give her a little time off to see if she misses it and maybe let her mass to surface area change a little.

Skiing is wonderful, but consoling your sobbing child is hard. I feel for both of you.
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
She now has four pairs of gloves, Hestra leather mittens, Reusch race mittens, Reusch gloves, Rossignol gloves. I have spend hundreds of pounds on gloves.
Do those Hestra leather mittens have a liner in them that separates the fingers? If yes, buy a pair of mittens that don't have any liner. Make sure they are not too tight. Buy some hand warmers and put one inside on top of her fingers. See if that works. If it doesn't, put two together on top of her fingers. See if that works. It should. If her thumbs get cold, fold a third hand warmer in half, wrap it around her thumb, and help her push the thumb and its wrapper into the thumb pocket. With the two handwarmers on top of her fingers, that means she's got three in each mitten.

If the mittens are leather, buy a jar of Sno-Seal and apply it to the leather as directed, to make sure the leather is not allowing air and melted snow to seep inside. Wet hands from melted snow are cold hands.
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mustski

Angel Diva
I hear you, @MissySki … but IIRC, @buttmonki’s daughter is skiing on an indoor ski hill that’s at about 32Farenheit? Are you that uncomfortable while active at freezing?

I get handwarmers/etc at 5 or 10 deg F. Even maybe 20, but in my experience, being active at 32 deg is usually enough to keep the fingers and toes warm.
I do not have Reynauds but I do have circulation issues. I always have. At 32 deg, my hands still get cold. I don't always use hand warmers at that temperature but, sometimes, I do. It depends on the wind chill, cloud cover, and other factors that can make it seem colder. I did not suffer as much as a kid as I do now, but I always was the first one to go inside to warm up.
 

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