Gloves for skiing are considered one of the most important elements of equipment. They not only protect the athlete's hands from strong winds and cold, but also reduce the risk of serious injuries, therefore, special requirements are placed on them. Selecting this product is not as easy as it might seem at first glance.
Ski equipment: gloves or mittens?
One of the most basic characteristics of any equipment is its ease of use. It must reliably protect its owner from the cold. Many people replace ski gloves with warmer mittens. However, professional athletes still prefer the first option, since it is much more convenient to hold equipment in it.
Design features
Like any other elements of a ski suit, gloves have a multilayer structure. Their inner part should be as tight as possible to the surface of the skin. In addition, they have an inner layer and a warming pad. The outer part of the product should reliably protect the athlete's hands from cold and snow, the insulation is necessary, respectively, to maintain heat, and for the inner layer, the ability to absorb and remove moisture formed due to fogging of the palms is important. Certain areas of the product have special membrane inserts that prevent possible brush injuries.
What you need to know about these gloves?
In stores that sell ski equipment, a wide selection of such products is presented. Here you can find not only traditional models of mittens and gloves, but also original three-sticks. Tourists who prefer mountain trails are advised to opt for gloves only, because it is very convenient to hold ski poles in them . Of course, when selecting such products, you can use special dimensional tables, but still it is better to try them on and evaluate your feelings on the spot.
Leather winter models cannot fully replace ski gloves, which are distinguished by a peculiar design. One of the main features is the presence of inserts on the palms. Products with such a protective layer are perfect when using rope railing or hoist ropes. For sewing such gloves, a waterproof “breathable” material with a special membrane structure is used. Products made from such a fabric have good thermal insulation, as well as excellent air exchange.
How to choose the size?
Despite the fact that ski gloves should fit as tightly as possible to the skin surface, they should not overly tighten the arm, so it is better to immediately abandon too narrow products that impede the free movement of fingers. An incorrectly selected model can create a lot of inconvenience. In such products, hands begin to freeze quickly, especially fingers. In addition, too tight ski gloves for men much faster fail.
You can not choose the size taking into account the so-called posting or shrinkage. For tailoring modern gloves, special non-stretch materials are used. In the manufacture of advanced models used by experienced athletes, most manufacturers take into account the individual characteristics of the hands. In this case, the product is placed in a special oven in which it is heated to 80 degrees. Warm gloves are put on the hands so that they take their shape, and then fill all the voids that are available.
In the ranks of the fair sex, there are also many lovers of extreme sports who need ski gloves. Female models are smaller and have a slightly different design. To understand how convenient a particular product is, you need to try on it. So that the gloves fit well on your hands, it is recommended to give preference to models that have wrist straps fastened on the wrist or strips of fabric with Velcro.
What to look for when buying
When choosing ski gloves, it is advisable to purchase double products. Such models can be used not only for winter, but also for spring skiing. With the onset of heat, you just need to remove the liners from them, leaving only the inner layer. Prices for non-professional products vary within reasonable limits, so you should not save on buying this element of sports equipment. So, in too cheap models made of low-quality materials, hands sweat quickly . In addition, it is foolish to think that ordinary winter mittens can handle the functions of ski gloves. If possible, it is better to give preference to long models that cover the sleeve cuffs. Such products protect well from snow. Those who value ease of use the most can recommend short gloves for skiing on mountain slopes.
Most models have a number of useful little things like inserts for wiping a ski mask. On the "palms" of some products there are embossed silicone inserts that allow you to better capture the ski poles.