Glove systems for mountaineering and ice climbing

Not trying to start a conversation just looking to gauge what you guys are using for your glove systems for the sake of simplicity i will narrow it down into a few categories though if you have some weird system let me know. 

1. Un-insulated glove (work glove, golf glove, etc)

2. lightly insulated glove (light fleece)

3. mildly insulated glove (light fleece on palm, heavier insulation on the back of hand)

4. heavily insulated glove (Heavier insulation all round)

5. Pile mitt 

6. Insulated mitt (down or synthetic)

Quick after thought, where do you tend to blow out your gloves? finger tips, back of hand, knuckles or palm?

if on technical terrain I use the Arcteryx Alpha SL gloves and if my hands get too cold then I switch to OR Warrant gloves and if those get too cold then suuuuuux, I usually carry those 2 pairs cause the arcteryx glove has great dexterity and a lot more fun to climb in and handle gear and what not. 

knuckles and finger tips tend to get worn out first for me

Light soft shell glove for climbing, heavier glove for belaying. I bring 2 sometimes 3  pairs to climb in and ensure my belay gloves did an get wet. Even switching to my climbing glove for lowering someone on TR. 

Find a system that works for you. Everyone has different size hands, circulation, and cold tolerance. Find gloves that work for you and then buy 4 pairs of them.

Blow out the fingers and palm on mine. 

For a normal day of ice cragging I bring two pair of lead gloves (lightly insulated work gloves), a pair of belay gloves (heavier insulated work gloves), and a pair of mitts (kinco) in my pack. Up a multi-pitch I just bring a pair of the lead gloves and a pair of the belay gloves.

Ice climbing glove line, left to right:

1. Atlas/Showa light Nitrile gloves for approach

2. Atlas/Showa Tem Res 282 with custom gauntlet (the workhorse, glove I use most often)

3. OR Projects for most ice climbing

4. BD Punishers for belaying or very cold days

For mountaineering, I would add a glove with a removable liner.

My hands run really warm FWIW

All of them depending on what temperature. I might bring 2 1s 2 and 3 if it’s warm and wet. A 2 and 2 3s or 2 3 and 4 if it’s colder. Try as many gloves on as you can and buy what fits best. If the glove fits really well think about buying more than one pair. Manufacturers update models and change the fit. Nothing more disappointing than your favorite glove doesn’t fit any longer.

I always blow out the stiching around the middle finger in every glove. I try to keep a cheap pair of gloves on hand for rappelling and TRing.

Approaches, anchor building, belaying, guiding - uninsulated or insulated leather kincos depending on temperature 

Dry tooling - BD pilots, uninsulated soft shell with leather palm

Leading - OR warrants, or cold days Arcteryx prototype something... gore Tex with fleece liner 

Cold af belays - OR alibi expedition weight mits 

Most days I use BD Torques (uninsulated) to climb and Kincos for belaying. On colder days (high <20F) I substitute OR Lodestars for the Torques. And on truly brutal days I've got BD Enforcers for climbing, with either Kinco mitts or even BD Mercury mitts for belay duty. But those days are miserable - Enforcers are bulky to climb in, and belaying in mitts sucks. Sometimes I also carry a light pair of gloves for approaching - smartwool liners or similar. And I always stuff any gloves I'm not currently wearing into my layers to keep them warm - allows me to get away with not carrying backup pairs.

Two to three pairs of thin dexterous OR or BD or whatever I can get cheap gloves. One pair of Mountain Hardwear gloves that are nice and insulated and waterproof and warm.  One pair of Kinco Axmen mittens for anytime I don't need dexterity and wanna be super warm.  The kincos are best.  Holy shit.  Get a pair. My father-in-law has used them in Greenland for 35 years... Enough said.

Anthony Lubetski wrote:

Two to three pairs of thin dexterous OR or BD or whatever I can get cheap gloves. One pair of Mountain Hardwear gloves that are nice and insulated and waterproof and warm.  One pair of Kinco Axmen mittens for anytime I don't need dexterity and wanna be super warm.  The kincos are best.  Holy shit.  Get a pair. My father-in-law has used them in Greenland for 35 years... Enough said.

Would you put those mittens over your glove or would you take off the glove?

Doug Hutchinson wrote:

Ice climbing glove line, left to right:

1. Atlas/Showa light Nitrile gloves for approach

2. Atlas/Showa Tem Res 282 with custom gauntlet (the workhorse, glove I use most often)

3. OR Projects for most ice climbing

4. BD Punishers for belaying or very cold days

For mountaineering, I would add a glove with a removable liner.

My hands run really warm FWIW

How are you finding the wear resistance of the nitrile on rope? Rhat exactly do you mean when you say the tem res is your workhorse but you do most of your climbing in the OR projects?

I favor the lodestar for temps around 35-15. Also love the stormtracker glove for moderate temps and awesome dexterity.  For wet climbs the stormtracker definitely stay drier, longer than the lodestar   Below that I switch to the alpine alibi.   I’ve used the alpine alibi to -10 f and been ok with them. 

For really wet conditions I like the arc’teryx alpha or beta gloves due to their taped seems on the shell itself instead of having a liner   Not made any more unfortunately  

For mitts I love the north face nuptse.   They are much smaller than the bd Mercury’s and seemingly just as warm.  I’ve abused them for years and they just keep working.  For colder temps I have the north face Himalayan’s which are light but not as warm as I’d like for -15 f or colder.  Than I I have the Mountain Hardwear masherbraums which are the warmest mitts I’ve found that are non military/hunting mitts-they make the other brands gloves look small-so dexterity is nill.  

that guy named seb wrote:

How are you finding the wear resistance of the nitrile on rope? Rhat exactly do you mean when you say the tem res is your workhorse but you do most of your climbing in the OR projects?

I only use those lightweight nitrile gloves for approaches so have never rapped with them. I switched to them over liner-type gloves because (because of the nitrile) the palm is both waterproof and sticky. Even in dry places, I find that gloves always wet out at the palm first even when mostly just touching ski poles or axes, buckling ski boots, etcs and the nitrile means my palms stay dry but they still breath fine because of the thin nylon back. They are only ~$6 and the nitrile is also better working with touch screens on smart phones and GPS units compared to any "touch sensor" glove. 

The Showa TemRes 282 is the glove I wear the most in the winter for skiing, mountaineering, ice climbing, and all around snow use. The actual time I am climbing with tools (with the OR Projects mostly) is minor compared to the time approaching, racking out, belaying, rappeling, etc. The TemRes are waterproof so I can dig pits, tent platforms, sort gear, etc. without ever worrying about getting my gloves wet. I baby gloves like the Projects (or any thin lead ice glove) because I find them both a little delicate and easy to get wet so I only use those gloves for the actual leading. Climbers, especially in the Pacific Northwet, are slowly waking up to the awesomeness of the TemRes but I still think a lot people think I am being cheap/hip/cool showing up in a $20/pair of Japanese fishing gloves to go climbing (like using Kincos and I would never take Kincos on a real climb, I only use those for lift skiing on dry days) - but if someone added the guantlet and put a Dead Bird logo on these gloves, people would be lining up to pay $200 for them - they are that good. 

Golf gloves or mechanics gloves are excellent for fair weather drytooling and training. There are even sort-of water resistant ones out there if you have ambitions to climb routes with ice at the top, too.

There are a few climbers up here in Canada picking up on the Showa Temres bandwagon. After trying them on in person, I am thinking of joining them soon. The annual price creep on any gear remotely related to winter climbing up here is crazy i.e. $140 new retail for Lodestars, compared to $80ish a few years ago. Screw off.

Hey Doug - what size are you in the Showa TemRes, and what size are you in the OR projects?

I like my OR projects size L - They're just a little snug - and am unsure what size Showa gloves to order.

Cheers.

1,2,3. OR Extravert. I don’t really see the need to carry all the different variations of what ultimately do very similar things. The Extravert is mildly insulated but doesn’t get too hot and is a great work glove. 

4. OR Arête is my favorite glove for this category. Anything more bulky is pretty much as unmanageable as a mitt for me. I have a pair of BD Guide Gloves and they don’t seem to be as warm for whatever reason. I’m still searching for the perfect glove in this category, which is why I clicked on this topic mostly haha 

5,6. OR Baker shell with a mitted liner (rather than the finger ones it comes with). 

Lothian Buss wrote:

Hey Doug - what size are you in the Showa TemRes, and what size are you in the OR projects?

I like my OR projects size L - They're just a little snug - and am unsure what size Showa gloves to order.

Cheers.

I find the size L Showa to be pretty close to a size L OR Lodestar (the older pre-sensor model).

For those of you that use Kincos; which model do you use? 

Kevin Flowers wrote:

For those of you that use Kincos; which model do you use? 

These are the ones you're looking for.

Tobin Story wrote:

Doug - 

I saw the TemRes in Colin Haley's kit for Beguya and have been interested in them every since. Curious what fabric you're using for the sewn-on gaiter? Just a lightweight nylon? Waterproof?

Now that Colin (a PNW climber, of course) has blogged about them, many climbers are now deciding that maybe they are legit. I have been wondering for years when Tem Res gloves would become the the staple alpine glove, who knows, alpinists are a stubborn lot.

I (really my seamstress) used sil nylon for the gauntlet. It works well but I am a little concerned for long term durability - like the elastic sawing through nylon. In that Beguya blog, Colin mentioned he cut the guanlets off another pair of gloves. I never thought of that, but it seems like the same amount of effort as starting from scratch. On my first attempt, the guantlet was too small diameter. Make the opening as large as you can.