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Warmest ski mittens?

Abbi

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I was forced to buy Hestra heli mitts ($200 Canadian, ouch) from the resort shop 2 weeks ago at Revelstoke when the top of the Stoke chairlift was -32degC (with windchill). It was agony. The Hestras do have removable fleecy liner mitts, but I found wearing a pair of ultra thin silk liner gloves under those works even better. I used chemical warmers inside the mitts on that really cold day and they kept my fingers toasty, though my thumbs still went numb. I've no idea how waterproof they are, though it's snowed quite a bit since I've been in Canada and they haven't leaked so, so far so good. I hate making desperation purchases without some decent research and buying options, but it was either that or no skiing. I haven't found the lack of dexterity too annoying, as ski gloves generally aren't that great either. Not as great a difference as I'd feared, anyway.

I used to pull my thumb out so I could grab the heat pack with the thumb, too. Can't remember which gear (before heated gloves) I used then!
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
For my fellow BD mercury mitt lovers.. Are they still made and sold by BD? I was trying to look them up today, and had trouble finding them except on resale sites like Backcountry.com etc. It wasn't an exhaustive search, but if they are indeed not available new by BD anymore, is there a replacement model you know of?
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
Smartwool has a relatively thin liner mitten. I didn't buy it because the seam at the fingertips was annoying but if your fingers aren't right to the end, or you're not obsessively going to rub it the whole time you're wearing them, they were nice.
 

mojo

Certified Ski Diva
I've had Reynaud's since my 20s, now in my mid-60s so I know what it is all about. Have seen several doctors about it, tried medications, nothing touched it. Don't drink coffee/caffeine habit. Use Hestra mittens with liners plus chemical warmers which keeps me on the mountain just as long as my husband with "normal" hands. I do get cold thumbs but when I'm on riding the lift I snuggle the thumb with the other fingers and am OK by the top. Got the recommendation for the Hestra from the Lift House staff in SLC, have my original pair for at least the past 10 years. The hand warmers make a big difference, I don't think any pair of gloves no matter what brand would be enough for me on a cold day without the packs.
 

lisamamot

Angel Diva
I've had Reynaud's since my 20s, now in my mid-60s so I know what it is all about. Have seen several doctors about it, tried medications, nothing touched it. Don't drink coffee/caffeine habit. Use Hestra mittens with liners plus chemical warmers which keeps me on the mountain just as long as my husband with "normal" hands. I do get cold thumbs but when I'm on riding the lift I snuggle the thumb with the other fingers and am OK by the top. Got the recommendation for the Hestra from the Lift House staff in SLC, have my original pair for at least the past 10 years. The hand warmers make a big difference, I don't think any pair of gloves no matter what brand would be enough for me on a cold day without the packs.
I do the same thing in my Hestra mitts - pull my thumbs in on the lift...I have no idea how anyone skis without hand warmers!
 

NancyB

Diva in Training
Here's an alternative to the aforementioned suggestons.....My favorite mitten is the Mountain Hardwear Jalapeno Outdry. They list at $115, but I got them on sale during the holidays.
I also struggle with cold fingers.
In the past, I used thin fleece mittens as liners, hand warmers, and a good ski mitten. Since switching to these, I don't need the liner and many times the warmer is too much.
 

Obrules15

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I reviewed the Chaval on my blog back in 2013, and yes, a great glove. However, when it's very, very cold -- like in the single digits and below -- I don't think they keep up. I don't mean they run out of a charge, because they don't. They just can't keep pace with the cold. So when the temps dip that low, I revert to my Black Diamond Mercury Mitts, glove liners, and heat packs.
Do you think the SuperNova's are warmer than the originals?
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
They're plenty warm and they may last longer, which I haven't been able to determine yet. Stay tuned. BTW, the SuperNova is a super nice glove. For those of you who don't know, I reviewed it here.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
I got Outdoor Research Mt. Baker Mittens last year on sale. They have bright red, super-insulated gloves, and waterproof outside mittens, into which I usually put hand warmers. I forgot the hand warmers today, and it was 19* and windy at the top of Killington! I managed without them.

This is a link - but googling the name of them gets you plenty of options.

https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&k...qmt=p&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_90a76snvx3_p
 

CarverJill

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I also always have cold hands and even colder feet. When I lived on the East coast I used the warmest gloves Burton made. They had liners that you could remove to help dry the gloves but they didn't come out of the gloves when you took them off. They had super thick fleece on the back of the hands and thinner fleece on the palms for dexterity and were amazing. I know current Burton gloves and mittens are different but do think as a brand they do a decent job of making nice stuff to keep your hands warm. When I moved out west I got some leather POW gloves that worked great for the past 10 years. I had to use chemical warmers on cold days but was surrised how warm they were and how long they lasted despite being a somewhat unknown brand. I just got new Hestra Mittens at the end of last season. They are the Henrik Leather Pro (https://hestragloves.com/sport/en/gloves/alpine-pro/30821-henrik-leather-pro-model/440710/). I tried on tons of gloves in Aspen, Banff and Mammoth and decided on these. They were $80 on clearance I think. All leather and have a retro style with an 'under' style cuff which I like. They also have a 5 finer lining so feel like you have gloves on but they have the insulation of a mitten. I also liked the 3 finger/lobster style gloves but didn't find any leather ones I liked that were under $140.
 

Abbi

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
This Raynauds sufferer will be watching this. From about 25 and up I have Scott and Swaney mittens with built-in insulated gloves. Both brands have a zip pocket on the back for a heat pack. I still find I'm riding the chair with my hands between my thighs (how attractive) on the cold mornings. Below 25 I wear heated gloves from Gerbing. I still add a liner glove and carry an extra pair of batteries. Mine are 3 years old and are better than not heated but ...... I'm always looking since my hands hurt from about September to June!
 

Tvan

Angel Diva
I’m grateful for this thread tonight. I went looking for all my ski gear tonight in preparation for this weekend’s meet-up at Belleayer, and could not find ANY of my ski gloves. Not a single pair! I must have swept them up in one of my major decluttering purges this summer by mistake. So, as a result, a new pair of Black Diamond Mercury Mitts is on its way, due to arrive by Friday.

Thank heavens for the Divas!
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
I'm doing a happy dance!! I just won a pair of the Super Nova heated gloves!!!! I got an email a bit ago and it's on their FB page!

"Abbi Seward of Warwick, Rhode Island is the February winner of our SUPERNOVA heated gloves monthly giveaway, celebrating the arrival of our new flagship heated glove. For more info on the giveaway: www.chavalusa.com/giveaway CONGRATULATIONS ABBI!" :yahoo:

WOW!!!! What a prize! You're going to wonder how you ever got along without them. I know I do.

When you communicate with them, be sure to tell them you're a Ski Diva.
 

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