Backcountry Ski Gloves
Backcountry skiing is a lesson in temperature regulation. You must dress lightly enough to climb uphill without overheating and heavily enough to descend without getting cold. It’s all about layering and de-layering to match your effort. And your hands are no exception. It’s the rare day that you can wear the same gloves to climb up and ski down. Two pairs of ski gloves are the norm for most backcountry ski days: a lightly insulated and dexterous pair for going uphill and a warm, insulated gauntlet-style pair for skiing down. On storm days, a third pair of dry “backup” gloves is also a good idea.
Lightweight Ski Gloves for the Skintrack
I’m partial to lightly insulated, full leather work-style gloves for going uphill. Gloves with good dexterity set you up for easy gear management, and leather generally lasts for several seasons. They don’t need to be super warm ’cause you’re working hard climbing, but light insulation is a good choice.
There are loads of good light and medium-weight leather ski gloves available. You can read about some of our favorite all-around leather ski gloves and some lightweight leather ski gloves that are great for climbing.
Warm Ski Gloves for the Descent
When it comes to keeping your hands warm on the descent and the coldest days, it’s time to turn to a waterproof, breathable and insulated ski glove with a full gauntlet to keep your hands warm run after run. A full gauntlet ski glove is hands down the warmest style. The gauntlet is the extended cuff that seals out snow and cold around your wrist.
We’ve rounded up a selection of warm ski gloves well-suited to backcountry skiing and riding the lifts.
BAÏST Classic Ski Gloves – $169
BAÏST (pronounced beast) is a small Vermont-based glove brand founded by skiers to make gloves for skiers (and snowboarders). The Baïst Classic Ski Gloves are a two-piece glove system with a waterproof, breathable shell and a removable, insulated liner. Together, they offer solid warmth.
A few things stand out on the Baïst Classic ski gloves. First, they have a removable liner, making for easy drying at the end of a cold, wet day if necessary. Second, they have a noticeably durable feel thanks to their Cordura shell. Finally, the stitching and overall construction look and feel bomber.
The removable liner includes a Thinsulate™ insulation layer to turn up the warmth factor. The liner is not made for independent wear, but being removable is a nice feature when drying your gear. Speaking of drying, the middle finger includes a hanging loop that lets them hang cuff down for efficient drying. Optional wrist leashes offer peace of mind when removing them in a precarious perch or while riding the lift.
Everything about the Baïst Classic Ski Gloves adds up to durability worthy of daily wear. The removable liner adds flexibility for drying and creates a pocket space where you can stow a heat pack for bitter-cold resort days — after all, Baïst is from Vermont. Baïst recommends adding their Skin Liner Glove (a low-profile fleece liner) for the warmest possible setup. The Classic Glove is also available in a trigger mitt style (finger and thumb) and a traditional mitten for men and women.
Gordini Windward Ski Gloves – $119
Gordini – also a Vermont-based ski glove company – has been making gloves since 1956, nearly 70 years. They are one of the pioneers of insulated ski gloves and boast a remarkable 40-year partnership with GORE-TEX. In other words, Gordini knows gloves. They also happen to make nice wool ski socks.
The Gordini Windward Gloves vie for the warmest pair tested. They use insulation called Thindown®. It’s natural down, but rather than being loose like traditional down insulation, it’s engineered into a fabric-like sheet, which creates a low-profile, non-shifting insulation layer. Thindown is made with a mix of responsibly sourced and recycled down, and they claim an insulating power that’s 2x loose down and 4x synthetic insulation. In practice, it’s light, low-profile and plenty warm.
What sets the Windward apart from the other warm ski gloves tested here is GORE-TEX waterproofing combined with down insulation. The combination gives the Windward ski gloves proven storm protection and an extra-warm yet lightweight feel. The lightweight feel translates to packing down small in your pack when not in use and an easy-moving, dexterous feel. The GORE-TEX translates to reliably dry hands.
Unlike the other gloves included here, Gordini uses synthetic leather for the palm and fingers. It helps keep them light (and probably costs less) but doesn’t have quite the same grip as leather. Otherwise, it looks and feels very much like leather. Dexterity is good, and they have a nice lightweight feel thanks to the down insulation and maybe the synthetic leather, too. They include wrist leashes for those moments when dropping a glove is not an option. The whole package is bluesign® approved, which means they hit benchmarks for sustainability ranging from sourcing to materials.
Black Diamond Guide Ski Gloves – $179
As the name implies, the BD Guide Gloves are pro-caliber ski gloves worthy of the coldest days and harshest conditions. Like the Baïst Classic, they also feature a removable, insulated liner. The shell uses a combination of woven nylon and goat leather.
A detail that sets the Guide Gloves apart from the other ski gloves included here is that they rely on a GORE-TEX membrane in the liner versus the shell. That’s not to say the shell doesn’t provide weather protection, but the GORE-TEX insert is part of the inner glove, not the shell. In practice, they’ve offered excellent storm protection. And the removable liner helps expedite drying out when necessary.
Finger dexterity is about as good as it gets for a warm, rugged glove. The BD Guide Gloves are the type of bomber gloves you want to pack when the temps are bitterly cold or you’re doing laps on the stormiest resort ski days. The trade-off with the BD Guide gloves is they are a little heavier and bulkier to pack than the others.
Give’r 4-Season Ski Gloves – $119
For the diehard all-leather ski glove fans, the Give’r 4-Season Ski Gloves are one of the warmer leather work-style gloves you will find. While they don’t offer an extended storm gauntlet like the other gloves tested, they do include a knit cuff that seals out cold and snow. They are also waterproof and insulated. The insulation is a combination of fleece and Thinsulate®, and the waterproofing is a combination of a waterproof membrane and beeswax-treated leather.
It’s hard to beat the naturally dexterous feel of an all-leather glove, and the Give’r 4-Season Gloves have a nice flexible feel from the first wear. The trade-off with these is they don’t offer the same coverage as a full gauntlet-style ski glove.
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