There are few things that can ruin a day on the mountain faster than cold or wet hands. Once the cold sets in, simple tasks such as adjusting boot straps, collecting your ski poles, or even checking the time on your phone can become a painful chore. Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions out there, and we want to address these common slopeside mistakes first and foremost. Avoiding these (often expensive) errors can help you better enjoy the powder:
High Price ≠ Warm Hands While Skiing
There are dozens of companies offering gloves and base layers with everything from heating elements to bluetooth connectivity, ranging from $150 to well over $300. Even large brands can often dubious value, and are not guaranteed to outperform their less recognizable counterparts.
Waterproof ≠ Warm
When many shoppers see “waterproof” or “Gore-Tex” among the features listed on their gloves, they mistakenly assume warmth and quality. However, waterproofing does not provide warmth, simply a barrier to moisture and melting snow.
Internal waterproof lining or insulation can actually make your hands colder. These liners trap moisture and sweat inside the gloves, adding to discomfort and making it harder to keep your hands warm. Ultimately, when the weather is extremely cold, the snow isn’t melting, rendering the waterproofing abilities moot. They likely offer more value in the warmer spring skiing days, but by then cold hands are much less of a concern.
Disposable Handwarmers
There is absolutely a time and place where these easy-to-carry devices can get the job done, such as when you’re out for a walk or need some emergency heat while your car heater gets working.
For skiers, handwarmers are a less than ideal option. Most skiers find that having the packets in the palm of their gloves interferes with their grip on their ski poles, resulting in poor plants and less aggressive turns.
For all of us that love the outdoors, there is the environmental impact to consider as well.
While most of the major manufacturers now use safe and non-toxic ingredients, Matt Hickman of Mother Nature Network explains the following:
“Although the chemicals in hand warmers are about as ‘natural’ as chemicals get, there’s a not-so-slight eco-caveat that needs to be addressed: the dreaded ‘D word.’ You guessed it, ‘disposable.’ Sure, throwaway hand warmers are super convenient, but for active folks like yourself who live in cold places, they, along with all that packaging (remember, they’re ‘individually wrapped’) can amount to a whole lot of landfill-bound waste.”
So, how can I keep my hands warm on the ski mountain?
Dress in Layers
While a tall t-shirt and “steezy” hoodie may get you cred in the park, they aren’t going to keep you warm. If your core gets cold, it will draw heat from your extremities (i.e. hands and feet) to keep vital organs warm. Have a warm and dry base layer, mid layer and outer layers, and keep in mind it’s better to take layers off than need an extra. You want to also have space between your layers for warm air to become trapped: it’s not the fabric keeping you warm, but the warm air trapped beneath it. Having multiple warm pockets of air (between layers) is your best bet. A base layer with moisture-wicking capabilities is ideal for the sweatier skiers among us as well.
Wear a Helmet
While also common sense from a safety perspective, we lose a disproportionate amount of heat from our heads. A quality helmet will trap much more heat than your favorite beanie or ear warmers. Also, don’t’ be a “gaper.” This is ski vernacular for newbies on the slopes that leave a space between the lip of their helmet and the top of their goggles. Wear a light beanie under your helmet or ensure that your goggles properly fit to avoid windburn in this sensitive area.
Heated Ski Grips
So if $300 heated gloves aren’t worth it, and disposable handwarmers are killing the planet, what options do we have left to keep our hands warm while skiing?
Heated ski grips are a new technology that are more environmentally friendly, affordable and efficient than other options. Either battery operated or AC rechargeable, this tech will send radiant heat through your gloves, keeping them from getting damp and keeping your extremities toasty. Whether you suffer from poor circulation or are simply tired of spending money on less effective solutions, ask your ski tech or local ski shack owner about heated ski poles.
