what glove do you recommend

Well i've been trying to figure out a pair of gloves to get and wow there are a lot to choose from so from these what do you suggest and why

BD ice gloves

Outdoor research extravert

BD enforcer These look real nice but the reviews i've been reading say not very waterproof

Outdoor research alpine alibi

thanks, first time buying ice climbing gloves

look for a pair on sale. they wear out remarkably fast.

I have had older BD Ice gloves, and didnt care for them. Poor dexterity, and not warm enough to justify it

I've had 3-4 pairs of OR Extraverts. They were my go to gloves for the last few seasons. Climb great, good grip, reasonable druable, surprisinlgy warm.

I got a pair of alpine alibis this season. They are pretty darn nice. Good compromise of dexterity and warmth. Retail is $$$$ so look for sales.

I stocked up on EMS Work Gloves at the end of last season. Half price so I paid only $17.50. Based on the one pair I bought earlier in the season, they are (after breaking them in... wear 'em hiking and throw lots of snowballs) going to be very good gloves for leading and not-so-cold days. Dexterity is excellent. My warm gloves this year will be OR Alpine Alibi; too soon to say anything about them. My other gloves are my dearly loved Cloudveil Ice Floes, but they are falling apart.

I use BD Punishers or Torques for lead

just FYI, the Alibi's are on sierratradingpost for $30.

Anyway, I'm really curious as to what is the best option as well because I've been looking at the alpine alibis.

Evan

Kinco insulated work gloves. 11.99 at select ace hardware stores. More durable and less pricey, warm enough for moderately cool days. Not quite as dextrous as some ice gloves (but more so than others) and you don't have to worry about them breaking down...as they cost $12.

I have the alpine aliby and have probably put in about 25 or 30 days on them. They are really good gloves. Excellent dexterity, and very warm. They are the only pair of gloves (not mittens) that I have ever had that actually keep your hands warm. After about 25 or 30 days in them they are showing some wear but still in pretty good shape. Kinkos are awesome gloves but nearly impossible to place an ice screw with as they are very big and bulky.

Evan1984 wrote:just FYI, the Alibi's are on sierratradingpost for $30. Anyway, I'm really curious as to what is the best option as well because I've been looking at the alpine alibis. Evan

Those gloves on STP are NOT the Alpine Alibi. The AA have a full gauntlet, 2 inner pockets for chemical hot-paks, and leather palms. And IME their sizing is spot on. But for $169, you'd better get a good fit.

For leading:

BD Punisher in colder conditions
BD Torque for mixed or warmer conditions

I'm also currently trying out the Mammut Touch Ice which seems to have very good dexterity, however, I'm concerned about the durability based on one outing. Not sure about the waterproofness either - it has a Goretex membrane, but mine were pretty damp after a few pitches not sure if it was perspiration or external water leaking in.

For belaying/rappelling: BD Samurai (no longer made unfortunately), but the BD Ice Glove or the new Specialist are quite good too for this application.

The original OR Alibi is *horrible,* waaay to tight and, therefore, cold (and I have small hands). IMHO, they are also much too proud of the new Alpine Alibi - for that price they'd better lead the pitch for me!

As always, this is just my $0.02, YMMV and the most important thing is a glove that fits *your* hand and that is warm enough for *you*.

Gunkiemike wrote: Those gloves on STP are NOT the Alpine Alibi. The AA have a full gauntlet, 2 inner pockets for chemical hot-paks, and leather palms. And IME their sizing is spot on. But for $169, you'd better get a good fit.

Thanks for the clarification. That's why I didn't jump on them.

Anyway, maybe I'm just a californian, but climbing in New Hampshire with work gloves seems like a recipe for amputation. I think the cold in the NE is just way different than that in CO/UT. I've lived in both places.

Evan

for what its worth, there is a very informative post/discussion on kelly cordes' blog regarding gloves/glove systems. a lot of really good information and insights from a number of individuals. the web address is as follows: kellycordes.wordpress.com/

I have the bd ice's and the bd punishers. The ice's are super warm (warm when it's 20 below) but because of that are too bulky to clip ropes, fumble with screws,etc so you wind up having to take it off to do anything. the punishers are thinner and are really dexterous, they are less warm but if you shake out often and don't death grip your tools they will work. my two cents.

After hearing mostly poor reviews of BD glove quality, I went with the new Mountain Hardwear Hydra glove. I'm very glad I did.

Found them on sale for $79 which was steep, but not terrible. Grip and dexterity are amazing. But as a direct result, it isn't super-warm.

The biggest benefit is the new "Outdry" system. Haven't had any problems with it yet. It seems to be just as breathable, if not more so than Gore Tex. Haven't gotten wet yet either. The big benefit is that it's directly bonded to the outer shell (and not a loose hanging liner).

I have some OR gore-tex shell gloves that I wear with a thick pile glove liner underneath, but I absolutely hated them for any high-output activity (i.e. skiing in warmer weather, ice climbing, etv), because as your hands got sweaty, they would eventually saturate the liner. The next time you took your gloves off, if you weren't super careful, the liner would pull out and invert and it was damn near impossible to get the liner back in. 20 minutes of fiddling, no joke. I really, really hated those gloves if conditions weren't just right.

Synthetic mechanics gloves work and you can find them for $20 or less. I am using the BD Torque gloves right now and like stickier palm but they are expensive for what they are and no more durable than mechanics gloves.

Belay: Carhart waterproof breathable work glove ($25). New for me this year but they are holding up great and are plenty warm. Might be a little bulky for sending in cold conditions but not too bad.

No one has designed a bullet proof glove for ice climbing. I am repairing gloves all the time! The price for these things just keeps increasing with no significant improvements in durability. I have decided to stop supporting the bad product for high price brand name only game and find reasonably durable gloves at significantly lower price. I will buy name brand at significant discount but do not expect better life. Maybe the big guys will get a clue someday and it will be worth spending the extra money.

Some ideas for reinforcing gloves: seam seal index finger, palm and other places that will come in contact with screws and rock. Do not use too much or you will lose dexterity. Repair holes with needle, thread and seam seal. I am experimenting with a bit of bees wax on leather this season. Has anyone else tried this? The idea being to water proof the leather and maybe add some durability.

I second the use of "seam seal", such as Seam Grip. I do it all the time with gloves.

I agree with the earlier post regarding the BD Ice Glove...not for ice climbing. BD's Punisher glove is pretty good though I have to say I still prefer climbing in their Kingpin Glove. It's a ski glove by design but I just use it for everything and it's my favorite ice glove. It's basically a lightly insulated leather work glove; I've used it in single-digit temps with success but I tend to run warm, I think. Good luck!

I will second third and fourth that over priced gloves are crap!

Now to get the most mileage out of mine I've been treating all my gloves with the Nikwax fabric and leather waterproofing with good results it seams to keep the leather supple and has only slightly darkened the fabric on a pair of Black Garbage gloves that I've been experimenting with .no change with the OR or marmot gloves that have been
treated.The Nikwax is recommended for use on fabric and leather and for use on Goretex or Sympatex.

One word of warning when you first use the gloves after treating them they will be a little slippery but this goes away quite quickly and they start to get nice n grippy after a bit .I should say also that seamgrip is something I use on all exposed stiching .

So far my hands have not become wet while climbing some very drippy ice and as I have said before the leather remains supple and the wear has been better than my untreated gloves I do however use the Marmot basic work glove for belaying/ rapelling
as I picked up a few pairs when they were on sale for 15 bucks a pop

I just tried out a pair of Mammut Guide Work gloves today and was very happy. Good balance of dexterity and warmth. Durability is TBD.

A little different food for though...Rab Latok Glove. I use that for leading and the Rab Ice Gaunlet for belaying/rapping. Its worked good for me so far. And the are priced reasonably. $50/75 accordingly.

Be careful not melting the sticky palm material on the Latok gloves. IIRC a friend wiped hers out on the first rappel.

A big YEAH for the KINCO's they rock. I'm on my second season with mine, and the second I take mine off, my partners jump on them. Super warm and durable and when you wear through them from belay/rappeling, no big deal... only $15, buy another pair. LOVE THEM. Don't forget the sno-seal! Then I wear my OR Alpine Alibi's when I need warmer better fitting hi-tech mitts.