10 Best Womens Ski Gloves In 2020

How To Choose The Best Women’s Ski Gloves – Buying Guide

Picking out the right pair of gloves isn’t difficult at all, as long as you know what you’re looking for. Winter gloves and mittens need to keep your hands dry and warm above everything else, but also to offer comfort and dexterity. When looking for the best ski gloves, make sure to consider these things first before picking up the prettiest pair, and we guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

Dexterity

Using your hands while wearing gloves is very important – there’s no use in being protected if you can’t move your fingers. The dexterity of your hands while wearing gloves is determined by several things – glove thickness, glove shape, and the overall fit.

Thick and bulky gloves and mittens can restrict the finger movement and make grabbing things difficult. Additionally, the glove should have an ergonomic shape with curved fingers. Not only does this make the hand position more comfortable, but also makes using the glove easier.

We have also mentioned the fit of your gloves. It shouldn’t be too snug, but not too loose either. Some sources say that you should have about a quarter of an inch left over our finger when you put the glove on. Also, they shouldn’t constrict the hand too much. Aside from dexterity, a good fit is important for warmth and comfort too.

Some added features also improve dexterity when wearing gloves. For example, a palm lined with leather or rubber can make the gloves less slippery and significantly improve the grip.

Comfort

Since you’ll be wearing them all day, it’s important to consider how the gloves feel on your hand. While fit and design are smaller factors here, the deciding factor is the liner inside the glove. It can be made of different materials (fleece, wool, microfiber), but the most important thing is how the material performs.

Related Review: Fleece Gloves

The liner (and the whole glove) needs to feel soft on your hand without any seams that can irritate you. Furthermore, the best women’s ski gloves have liners that are breathable and can wick away moisture, which greatly increases comfort if your hands get sweaty often. Finally, the liners can be removed on some of the gloves. This allows you to use them separately when you need added warmth, or even as hiking gloves.

Warmth

Keeping your hands warm is an absolute must for any ski glove. However, not all gloves offer the same level of warmth – some work well only in moderately cold weather, while others protect you from severe cold. How warm a glove is mainly depends on the type of insulation (as long as the glove doesn’t let water and wind in).

Surprisingly, the thickest insulation isn’t necessarily the warmest – you also need to pay attention to the materials used. Common insulating materials are synthetic materials (Thinsulate, PrimaLoft), cotton and down. Down is the warmest and most breathable of the bunch, even in a very thin layer. Unfortunately, it loses its properties when wet. Cotton is a good and cheap insulator, but it becomes worthless when it gets soaked. It’s sometimes combined with synthetic insulators.

Synthetic insulators are the most popular choice nowadays. As you can see, most products in our gloves reviews feature the synthetic 3M Thinsulate, because it’s very effective in a thin layer, and keeps you warm without making the glove bulky. These materials are made of microfiber that keeps the warmth inside but also allows your hand to breathe.

Water Resistance

The gloves you choose need to keep the water out as much as possible, which is not always easy to do. Since there are many seams on the glove, they represent weak spots where water can find its way in. This is why most womens waterproof gloves have a waterproof membrane (insert) to help block out water and keep your hands dry.

This insert can be made of Gore-Tex, polyurethane, or any other material that is able to block water and stay breathable at the same time. This way your ski glove can perform like a true waterproof glove and keep you dry throughout the day.

Of course, we’re talking about synthetic gloves here, which are most common gloves on the market. The shell is usually made of polyester and nylon, and there is often an added surface coating to help repel water (DWR, Teflon). Gloves that are made of leather (cow hide or goat skin) are naturally water and windproof, but have shortcomings in other areas we discussed.

Related Review: Snowmobile Gloves

Features

Features you get on your gloves are important since they make them more functional and comfortable to use. In terms of functionality, be sure to take a look at cuff design. A short cuff is intended to go under the cuff of your ski jacket, while longer glove cuffs go over the jacket, and often come with a drawcord closure and a wrist strap to secure them. These are excellent in blocking out wind and snow.

Many glove models come with clasps that allow you to lock them together and keep you from misplacing or losing one glove. It’s also nice if a glove has a wrist band, so it stays secure around your wrist and you don’t lose it when you take it off.

Related Review: Snowboard Gloves With Wrist Guard

Some products we featured come with pockets on the back of the hand. These are convenient for keeping a ski pass, money or a small heater to warm your hand. And if you get too warm, you just open the pocket zipper and it serves as a vent to cool your hands.

A useful feature on a glove is a nose and goggle viper. We all sometimes get a runny nose when on the track, and having a piece of fabric for this purpose is handy. Also, a goggle viper is useful when your ski goggles fogging up or you get snow on them.

Finally, many modern gloves come with touchscreen fingers. These allow you to control your electronic device without taking the glove off, which is a huge plus since taking gloves off constantly can be really annoying.

Durability

Unlike most ordinary gloves, a ski glove needs to be extra-durable. To help this, manufacturers make them with reinforced palms, knuckles and fingertips. These are impact points when using gloves, and by reinforcing them you reduce wear and tear over time.

The materials used when making the glove also play a significant role. For example, nylon is pretty tough, but many others can perform really good too. Finally, it’s not just about the materials – the seams need to be strong too and not get ripped open easily.

FAQs

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A good pair of gloves can significantly improve your ski vacation. It’s very important to keep your hands dry and warm to fully enjoy yourself, regardless of whether you are a seasoned skier or just learning how to ski or ride a snowboard.

The pair you get needs to be reliable, and we have listed many great models to choose from. The best ski gloves aren’t necessarily the most expensive, but those that suit your skiing style best. You have all the information you need to make a good choice, and we have no doubt that your ski gear is going to get a great new addition.

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