16 Best Ski Gloves And Mittens in 2022

Hestra Fall Line products come from the freeride world, and emphasize dexterity and panache over the bombshelter approach the Heli series applies. Despite this, they’re still warm enough to be as well-regarded by ski professionals as other Hestra products.  The beautifully stitched external seams and boisterous color selection will make you look so good, you’ll probably ski better. 

Aside from style points, the Fall Line run of products are a bit like the midsize SUV of Hestra gloves. They’re solid enough to feel safe, but are much more nimble and practical than the full size Heli gauntlet. They’re made of waterproofed cow leather, and filled with pliable foam insulation warm enough for professional use. The biggest draw to these is the dexterity the external seams provide: grab your pole tighter, buckle a chinstrap, even tie a knot without taking off your gloves. All products have neoprene undercuff that slides under your jacket sleeve, allowing for even more movement.

All told, Fall Line gloves and mittens are perfect for people who use their hands a lot and are tired of cold hands from taking off their gloves. Dig a pit, zip up your kid’s coat, point out the easiest way down all without the inconvenience of cold hands.

Hestra manufactures dozens of different styles of ski gloves and mittens, and the Army Leather Extreme may be the warmest and toughest out of all of them. These are built for dedicated dawn patrol, those who expect to be waiting in the lift line before the sun has fully crested the horizon.

Despite any squabbling about what the warmest glove may be, it’s hard to hold a candle to the insulative capacity of a mitten.

Hestra has a reputation for quality winter gloves, and though some may groan about the price and the “hype”, you won’t often hear people complaining about cold hands. What these mitts lack in mobility they more than make up for with durability, dryness and warmth. For a closer look at this exceptionally warm mitten, take a look at our in-depth review here.

For the winter of 21/22 we finally have the chance to get our hands on a pair of the legendary Black Diamond Guide Gloves. These unsinkable gloves have been the preferred tools of alpine masters who face some of the most unforgiving climates on the face of the planet.

A big part of their armor is the lining that reinforces their profile.

Being the beefiest gloves in the universe doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the best for every skier. There are some nuances and design aspects that will frustrate a large portion of recreational skiers who don’t have a specific need for the warmest gloves out there.

It should be mentioned that these take a little bit of time to break in, and on that note our guide will be updated as we spend more time with the Guide Glove to give a more accurate idea of what to expect long term.

Our only worthwhile criticism of this model is a considerable break-in period. Until you spend some time packing down the liner and working proper creases into the shell they’ll feel pretty stiff, and worse, they won’t keep you optimally insulated.

Despite these misgivings, Black Diamond’s Guide Gloves are built to last, with an attitude closer to a good pair of hiking boots than your typical outdoor soft good. Incidentally, that also makes these gloves great off the slopes, on a hike.

The Gordini Storm Trooper II seemingly responds to the demands for workable, all-season performance at a very affordable price. While still a step below industry elites regarding performance amenities, the Storm Trooper II is a glove that you can depend on when the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Over the last few months, we’ve had the opportunity to pit the Storm Trooper II against a variety of alpine conditions, both on and off the resort. Below, we’ll give you a comprehensive breakdown of how the Storm Trooper II handles on the hill, as well as some comparisons to other top-performers we’ve tested.

In high-output or during demanding winter sports, you’ll need a glove that can juggle breathability, mobility, and warmth without compromise. Arc’teryx claims the Fission SV is their warmest “multi-sport” glove, meaning if you see yourself spending a lot of time off the resort you likely won’t find a better option.

The range of motion of this model is unmatched, ensuring hassle free backcountry transitions and saving you the frustration of taking off your glove for specific tasks.

The Fission SV shell is made of lightweight, windproof polymer overlain with goat leather, with an additional waterproof Gore-Tex insert. They’re filled with Primaloft insulation suitable for subfreezing temperatures, but not necessarily for extreme cold. That being said, you may find the Fission SV a little too warm for uphill travel in the springtime.

The Alti line is Outdoor Research’s high performance series. Falling in line just behind the Black Diamond Guide Glove in terms of toughness, the Alti glove offers out-of-the-box comfort along with the high degree of warmth and dexterity you’d expect out of a performance glove.

The Alti excels in light-technical applications and is also a top contender for resort skiers with cold hands and big demands.

The Alti is marketed as a high-mobility expedition glove, and while there’s no reason it couldn’t be applied under such circumstances, it does best in a more casual setting. If you’re debating between premium glove models our advice is to look toward the Guide Glove above for toughness and technical suitability, and always the Alti if you want warmth and comfort.

The humble Kinco Work Glove is one of the ski industry’s worst-kept secrets. This simple and supremely affordable piece of workwear has found a vacation home on ski slopes all over North America.

It proves that you don’t need to have the most expensive gear to be the best-looking skier on the hill. But how well do they actually perform compared to the very expensive and expedition-ready gloves we’ve tried out?

Kinco makes a whole fleet of ski-applicable gloves, we review the 1927KW because that’s the model I happened to find a couple of springs ago while hiking under a lift line in search of goodies.

Below we’ll dig into the details of this glove and see whether it truly is a good fit for the slopes or is better left at home on the ranch.

Gore-Tex is the foremost waterproof, vapor permeable material on the market. So while Burton Gore-Tex gloves and mittens may not be the lowest-volume or the most ergonomic option, they’ll definitely keep your hands dry and warm. This line of products is affordable and resort-ready, a great choice if you’re a weekend rider in an area with a wet snowpack.

The reason these gloves made this list is their utility and their price point. They’re a good analog to the Storm Trooper II listed above, with a little more quality assurance and durability.

Burton has a solid reputation and makes great gear for both skiers and snowboarding. For that reason, these ones are popular with both camps.

There are warmer gloves, like the Hestras, and there are definitely less bulky gloves, but these are ultimately perfectly suitable for any kind of skiing, and tough enough to last a few seasons.

The Lucent line from Outdoor Research has a reputation for reliable heated gloves or mitts where others have failed. This line of products, particularly the mittens, are warm by design, but can’t really be judged by the same standard as typical gloves and mittens when you take the heater into consideration.

Though they’re impressively warm, people often have unrealistic expectations for what’s possible when it comes to heated gloves.

The shell is made of weatherproofed nylon and polyester with goat leather overlays capable of using touchscreens.

The Lucent gloves and mittens offer unparalleled comfort for a steep price. But if you’ve exhausted your other options and never want to worry about your hands while you’re out skiing again, they’ll do the trick.

The Black Diamond Spark offers the additional warmth of a mitten, with all the benefits of a free finger. In keeping with all of other freeride gloves on this list, the Spark series is a no punches pulled, tough-as-nails, full-leather cuff glove.

The Spark series features a range of options from traditional gloves to mittens, but their finger glove is our favorite for snowboarding. The high degree of water resistance and extra dexterity makes fiddling with your binding much less of an inconvenience.

The biggest appeal of the Spark series is the price. It falls right in the Black Diamond target zone of professional standards and affordability, it’s a fully functional freeride glove appropriate for extreme weather conditions.

The flexible seamwork is fully sealed so you can get the maximum amount of movement without worrying about dampness leaking in, and is available in an alternative model with a gauntlet if you’re worried about snow leakage.

The Mercury is an indomitable all-season option for skiers who want more than just a mitten in their kit. Toasty and rigorously waterproofed, the Mercury’s shell is made of sturdy synthetic fabrics stitched with kevlar thread to the goat leather palm.

Black Diamond submits the Mercury as the perfect all season glove, warm enough in the most demanding temperatures with removable, split-finger liners that can be worn by themselves on warm days.

If you find cold fingers getting in the way of your fun, but can’t make the commitment completely to a pair of mittens, the Mercurys are one of the best compromises you can find.

They may be a little bulky, even for mittens, but given the protection coupled with a double complement of garments makes it a deal worth some serious consideration.

Hestra makes somewhere in the ballpark of 400 different styles of gloves, and this is the one that they make for ski pros. It could be the best ski glove you can find. The durability and versatility they offer is hard to match. If you expect to find yourself at the resort every morning, stamping your ski boots and anxiously squinting at the predawn horizon, you can take comfort in the fact that your hands aren’t cold.

The first Hestra gloves were built for lumberjacks using rivet-reinforced leather. In their  “Heli” professional-grade model, they’ve kept the leather and added the better part of a century’s worth of ski industry experience. Hestra has a reputation for quality winter gloves, and though some may groan about the price and the “hype”, my hands have never gotten cold in mine. 

Heli series products are available as gloves, mittens, and three finger “gloves”. All are compatible with a series of interchangeable liners. The mittens are definitely the warmest by design, but all are insulated with Hestra house “G-Loft” polyester fill with a breathable fabric and goat leather shell. The gauntlet cuff makes them pow-proof, and the cinching “snowlock” keeps out the sluff. They’re also ergonomically designed, with a velcro strap and curved hand shape.

The Burton Oven Mitt is about the warmest thing that you can put on your hands outside of a battery-heated mitten. They’re  comically overbuilt and are the waterproof equivalent of down booties for your hands. It’s probably the warmest mitten on this list that doesn’t have a full gauntlet cuff. But unlike some down products, the Burton Oven Mitt won’t get torn up the first time you hit the snow or snag a branch.

The shell of the mitten is made of the waterproof Gore Windstopper fabric. Burton combines synthetic insulation with triple goose down. The palm and thumb are reinforced with touch-screen ready leather.

The Oven Mtt are perfect if you’re constantly troubled by cold fingers, or want a pair of emergency cold-weather gloves that you can ski in

The Gordini Voyager Mitten occupies a similar space to Black Diamond’s Mercury. Gordini’s model is more versatile, and it offers a similar degree of protection without the bulk. They’re a classic take on the mitten constructed from top quality materials, an all-around great product that runs somewhere in the middle of the price pack.

They have everything you’d want out of a cold weather garment of this quality- a totally waterproof shell with sheepskin leather trip, a removable sheepskin merino wool glove liner, a full cuff cinching gauntlet. The liners can be worn without the shell as a lightweight option, but as far as features go the Voyager is relatively simple. A solid mitten with an elegant look and the promise of warm fingers.

The Voyager is a beautiful mitten, that much can’t be argued. But it backs up aesthetic appeal with quality performance, and does all this without being outrageously expensive. Overall it’s a high-performance mitten with more than a little flair, with a very reasonable price tag.

The North Face Montana glove and mitten line is yet another excellent contender in the running for the best budget resort glove. It’s a low profile option that keeps you dry while giving you enough freedom to adjust your equipment without taking your gloves off. They offer all the protection you could want for your average season of resort skiing. With additional features such as touchscreen functionality, heat warmer pockets, and dexterity-boosting finger sleeves in the mittens, they’re perfect daily drivers for getting your laps in at your local mountain.

The North Face Montana line shell is made of Gore-Tex with synthetic leather overlay. It’s completely waterproof and features a full gauntlet cuff to keep slush from sliding down your hands. They’re ergonomically shaped and built for getting the best grip you can on your ski pole, binding strap, or boot buckle. Using an appropriate amount of synthetic fill for the resort environment, with a polyester fleece lining.

While there are warmer gloves out there, the Montana shouldn’t be overlooked as an option for any serious alpine skier testing their options. They’re a tough, no-nonsense option for a reasonable price.

We’ve spent quite a bit of time getting to know Wildhorn Outfitters and their array of affordable winter outerwear. From helmets to snow pants, we’ve found their lineup to be serviceable across the board and a sensible investment for 5-10 ski day seasons.

Here we’ll be taking a closer look at their Tolcat gloves, which keep in running with the rest of Wildhorn’s selection of affordable gear. Probably more resorted-oriented, they have touchscreen fingertips and a mixture of synthetics and goat leather.

I tested them in harsher backcountry and found them to be just enough glove to sneak by for a few laps on chilly days and a pretty nice low-profile option on the shoulder ends of the season.

Below we’ll dig into the Tolcat layer by layer and see how they stack up against other gloves we’ve tested over the years.