Black Diamond Guide Gloves

I was looking for a durable and warm ski glove, and in my web search the Guide Glove kept popping up. Turns out this glove was available close to home so I have been putting them through some testing. Dexterity was high on the list too and these gloves have seams cut into the palms for greater fine motor abilities. The also have a long cuff covering the wrist, which is one place I really like to keep out of the snow.

The liners are a fluffy wool pile fabric with a Gore insert and removeable, and I've found the interior disapates the moisture really well. Few things more unpleasant than sticking your hands back into your gloves after lunch only to dicover a stinky, and soggy mess. After two straight full days on the hill recently, the finger and palm leather was salt stained, which means the interior was doing its job.

The gloves are rated to -28 C, and although I've only been to -22, my phlanges were still toasty.

Aside from the leather the remainder of the glove is a four way stretch nylon with great abrasion properties.

Thanks Santa I really love them.

PRICE $160 CDN

Sugoi Firewall LT glove

I'm disappointed to see Sugoi has done nothing to improve these gloves for 2011. Mine are from last season and they are the most frustrating gloves I've ever owned, and they are the impetus for this blog.

The palm is slippery, particularly when it gets impregnated with daily grime. If I can't grip my steering wheel, how could I hang on to my ski poles. Further to that the palm synthetic fabric invites the cold, offering winter winds a warm place to come in for a visit.

My hands are unremarkable in size, but I struggled to pull them on.

The cuff had to be heavily doctored to allow my hand to fit past the narrow opening. The was a neoprene webb across the cuff to allow increased movement. I cut that out, it was a hindrance. There was velcro on the cuff too, I cut that off too. It was sewn own in reverse order and the hooks were always sticking on the terry cloth nose wipe on the thumb. The reflective decals on the back of the glove have peeled off, and now the seams are coming apart.

Sadly, with a few improvements the Firewall LT could be a great glove, because they fit so well. They fit.....well, like a glove.

PRICE $40 CDN