Nevertheless, there are those who do not attach importance to it, which is a mistake.
"My motorcycle gloves will be fine." - This sentence was uttered in our shop and illustrates the phenomenon: Even if you buy the right equipment, jacket, trousers, helmet, etc., on the ski slopes you can still be spoiled by a single missing link. There are also those who want to save money on gloves (and socks). They find the "smallest garment" too expensive for its size. But a really good ski or snowboard glove can contain a range of serious technologies, be made from a variety of expensive fabrics and panels, have an effective lining, be equipped with a protector that does not hinder the movement of the hand, and so on... If it "works" well, you may not even notice it, but if you choose the wrong one, it will certainly cause you discomfort.
Which glove to choose obviously depends on many factors, and it is not certain that one glove will perform well in all conditions, just think of the temperature extremes. However, the happy medium is also useful here, so let's take a look at what an "average" ski or snowboard glove looks like, which is mostly used on the slopes:
- In terms of material, it can have a synthetic shell part, such as Gore Tex fabric, which excludes moisture and wind from the outside, but also lets out a significant amount of moisture and humidity. The outer fabric should be flexible so that the hand can move comfortably in it, and may even be made up of several panels that give it its flexibility. There is no need to bury the natural materials yet: leather gloves are still available in a range of excellent, non-absorbent models. Speaking of durability, it is important to mention that a good pair of ski gloves should be resistant to sometimes very rough physical impacts.
- The lining material is mainly used for heat retention and moisture wicking, obviously the outer shell can play a role in the former. The lining can also be synthetic or synthetic mixed with wool.
- The shape of a ski glove follows the most common hand position , i.e. the shape it takes when you put your hand on the stick. The seams are also adapted to this shape. So when trying on in the shop, keep this in mind, because trying on with your "instinctive" palms backwards will not be your ideal position...
- One-fingered, multi-fingered, five-fingered... There are models of all of these that work well, the most common being the standard five-fingered, and for good reason. Single-finger models are mainly used in very cold conditions, because the more warm a glove is, the more air space is left for the fingers, the less anything is clamping the hair fibres.
- Fit to the jacket: the design of a ski or snowboard glove can be either fitted over the wrist, where the sleeve of the jacket is pulled over the glove, or the classic loose fit, where the sleeve of the jacket is tucked under the glove. When choosing, make sure the garments work well together.
- Protector? If you feel that a broken wrist is in the cards, there is protection for this common injury. In gloves, modern wrist protectors mainly protect against blows to the back of the hand, but do not prevent the stick from moving. In snowboard gloves, there are even more robust protectors to prevent excessive back and forth flexing of the wrist.
- Uncomfortable if you have to take them off a lot? With the most sophisticated ski gloves, you can easily perform quite delicate movements such as unzipping a zipper, pulling out a harness, etc. This can help you stay warm longer and avoid the need to readjust your clothing. Nowadays, many people also require the ability to operate their mobile phone's touch screen while wearing gloves, with a special coating on the fingertips. On good quality models, these coatings last for a long time. It is worth looking at gloves with this in mind.
- Ski gloves or snowboard gloves? It's not heresy to use a good ski glove for snowboarding, but vice versa, you may not find adequate reinforcements and anti-slip panels where the glove contacts the pole. Many models, however, are designed for universal use.
- Extras.
When you've thought about what you need, we'll be happy to help you choose from nearly 150 models in the K2 Shop!
