I suffer with cold hands for sure. One thing that does help me is putting my poles under my legs so I don't have to hold metal and then balling my hands up inside the mitten/glove to let the fingers warm each other. It does help somewhat.
I've got these on my radar. Have a pair of what would now be called the RX model that are getting a bit frayed after several years of use. Really love the RX, except for the large sleeve which is difficult to keep in a jacket sleeve like i like them.
FIeldsheer makes some good gear for riding. As long as those gloves aren't too bulky I would think they'd work quite well for skiing.The brand name is Fieldsheer.
These work really good on a motorcycle at highway speeds. A modified version for a ski pole may not be a bad idea.
These work really good on a motorcycle at highway speeds. A modified version for a ski pole may not be a bad idea.
Pretty much my experience.The Outdoor Research Capstones do the job for me. And although I'm not as cold as LisaMaMot's nothing ever worked for me, particularly my thumbs, except heat packs in mittens, and putt the thumb out and grab the heat pack on the lift.
With the Capstones I don't have to do that anymore. I use the gloves, not mittens. They are probably my most loved piece of gear. A friend calls them Robogloves, because they're pretty big, but they're not restrictive feeling.
. I hear you, I get cold hands and feet all the time, though not quite as much as you.Those who don't have serious circulation issues may find it hard to relate - my husband's hands sweat in gloves while I am still looking for the miracle cure for my petulant extremities that refuse my attempts at pleasing them. Sitting in a 65 degree house my hands turn purple - I often wear fingerless gloves in the house. I wear a hat and gloves outside as soon as we hit the 50s. Granted, I have Raynaud's and take medication from fall through spring...and live in New England.
What I tried
What I do
- glove liners in my mittens - they make it worse.
- down mittens, leather mittens, leather/down mittens
- Hestra heated liner gloves. Purchased them on 50% off clearance and tried them last season inside my mittens only to find them useless for me, even on the highest setting; I sold them to a ski friend and on the lowest setting they worked wonders for her - she even had to shut them off as they got her too warm.
- cutting caffeine. No noticeable difference.
What I won't do
- wear several core layers (wool tank, wool base, mid layer, wool vest, 800 fill down layering jacket or Patagonia Nano Air, shell or down outer)
- wear a helmet liner under my helmet so my head is as warm as possible.
- heat packs directly on skin while wearing Black Diamond Mercury Mitts or Hestra Heli mitts.
- pull thumbs in on the chairlift and ball up my hands to try and recover as best as I can.
- Boot heaters keep my toes fairly happy. I also own Lenz heated socks from several years ago - they are good but boot heaters are better. The newer generation socks may be an improvement over the model I have. I wear the heated socks for other winter adventures.
Potential next steps
- give up caffeine!
- move south
UGH
- Hestra heated mitt liners at $300?
- Chaval heated mitts at $425?
I must be one of the lucky ones. I'm usually able to ski with running gloves that I got from Costco, made by/for Head. Very light weight. Once it gets down in the lower 20s they make one that is a bit heavier. Drawback is they are NOT even water resistant so on snowy days I must look elsewhere. I have to be wary of my hands perspiring. Once that happens it's game over on the colder days.
I use the Costco $29 Head "ski gloves" and for me they are fine for colder weather.
Well, not hate so much as envy.
BTW, does your username mean Lisa in Massachusetts Most of the Time?
Well I do have fancy spends your heated gloves, but I’m open to throwing some over mitt shells over them.Have you tried overmitt shells yet? You may not get to their level, but you'll get much closer than with any fancy spendy heater glove/mitt.