Best Winter Climbing Gloves Question

In extreme cold you have to switch to a mitt or mitts with a trigger finger. Having more air space and all the heat in one place. It's surprising how well the saw can be handled with mitts and back up gloves inside the jacket for fine work. They also have those heat packs that can be worn inside the glove and can be reactivated 20 times or so now. I've never needed them but some swear by them. You can't beat thick home made wool liners with leather outers, unless it's warm enough to get them wet. I just tried some Gander Brand Ninja Ice. They are similar to the Atlas Thermal but better insulated. They are that soft rubber which gets pulled apart in the hitch. The only gardening type rubber/knit glove I've had that was hitch proof was a double dipped harder rubber by Horizon called the Blue Maxi-Grip. Awesome summer glove, bought 2 dozen when I saw them and haven't seen them since, they made it 2 seasons and a few are still going. Time to try and track down more.
 
[quote/] Having more air space and all the heat in one place.

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I have notoriously cold hands.
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Moving from south to north this was my biggest concern. I have learned to this point to not skimp on gloves. Until now I have climbed and worked consistently in gloves- Atlas. In years past I stuffed hand warmers in the wrists and back of hands, and could locate in seconds the exhaust on every type of machine for "emergency warmth". I also spent a lot of time blowing on my hands. Big mistakes for me personally. Now I run a rotating glove and mitt system, rub my hands together Mr. Miagi style frequently (avoiding any twisting motions which tend to tear brittle skin), apply lotion at night to my hands, and embrace the cold.

Keep the moisture off the hands- no blowing, exhaust pipes, and sweat. Dead air space is critical, buy bigger gloves. I did away with the liners- they seemed to conflict with air space and circulation. I think the blood vessels being closer to the skin between fingers helps.

I have a nice pair of mittens made by OR which are water proof and have a mitten liner that go most places with me, this is the warm place for my hands, sometimes rub before I put them in. I carry 2 pair of fleece gloves from The North face and EMS that I carry in a cinch strap on my saddle to rotate when one pair gets wet. The cinch strap also gives me a place to carry them- no drops. Marmot, Black Diamond, Mountain Hardware, and The North Face all make nice shell gloves that accept liners, have nice grip, and keep you warm.
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They are pricey but worth the money. I really like the Montain Hardware shells.
 
Dry air is the key to staying warm. Making sure that whatever is used for insulation stays dry will keep you much warmer.

Another key-if your hands/feet are cold put on a hat or change to a heavier hat. More heat is lost from the head than any other place. Filling the furnace with wood won't make any difference if the front door is left open.

Keeping wrists insulated is another way to keep hands warm. The blood is warmed and pumped along in the muscles which insulate. then the blood vessels go through the bony wrists where there is little insulation. This is another potential open window to loose heat.

Wristies or thumbies like this will work:

http://www.coconut-hut.co.uk/acatalog/funky-wrist-warmers.html

The cheapest wristies can be made from a pair of thick wool/synthetic socks. When the heels or toes wear out just cut off the foot part and save the curve of the heel and ankle part. Snip a hole in the heel and slip onto your hands. The curve of the sock will match up with the angle from your thumb, across your palm and to the outside of your wrist. Using thumbies doesn't add any bulk to your hands so you can still have dexterity.

Shooters mitts with slits across the palms or three finger mitts work too.

If you need to have the dexterity of using bare finger tips some people get fingerless gloves. Those are OK but a better solution that a friend showed me is to slit the finger tip from top to bottom of your 'fingerprint' then, slip your finger tip out or inside to keep it warm. All I have ever done is my thumb and first finger.
 
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is there any after climb hand moisturising cream?non-alergetic???

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Used Bag Balm for years. a bit greasy but works.
http://www.bagbalm.com/
I get it at Tractor Supply.
It was only avalible at farm supply stores until Oprah talked it on a show. Now you can get the small cans at most drug stores.
 
There are times when the work requires bare hands, this doesn't seem that dangerous, and you don't even feel it happening. In a few seconds the tip of your finger could freeze, especially working with metal, and it never does heal. You could always experience pain in the cold or worse, it could stop you from working in the winter and even give you grief on cold mornings. So basically without even knowing you've been injured, you could have suffered a career ending injury. Another hazard to add to the list!
 
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Beautiful!

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I LOVE THEM - where can I get a pair --but in purple please

i use vitamin E on my hand where they crack at the corners of the thumb nails. seems to help a little. also a pair of fleece liners under my smurf blues, but then my temps are NOT below zero
 
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