My hands get cold long before any other part of my body. Even on the hottest of days when riding a motorcycle, I need gloves because the wind on my hands just chills me to the bone.
For this reason, I knew that in preparing for the Snowman Trek I’d need really warm gloves since much of my time would be spent well above 15,000 feet.
I was somewhat aware of Gordini gloves from my many trips to the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City. But since I don’t normally participate in snow sports, they really weren’t strong on my radar until I started looking for quality gloves that would properly protect my hands at altitude.
So, I started looking more closely at what these folks had to offer and discovered a range of gloves that would serve me well in the Himalayas.
On the coldest of days, I wore the GTX Storm Troopers. These are rated for 20 to 32 degrees. I didn’t know it when I got them, but that range was actually perfect in terms of what I experienced on the trek. We had some snow but perhaps only one snowy pass that might have been colder than 20 degrees.
For emergency purposes, these stayed in my daybag every day just in case we did run into a bad storm. But when they came out, they kept my hands perfectly warm.
Two cinches, one at the wrist and one further back on the lower arm, kept the gloves tight against my clothes and prevented any wind from getting in. And the goatskin fingers and palm were a nice padding against my trekking poles.
The GTX Stormtroopers are wind and waterproof. But best of all, their lined insulation is what kept my hands warm. Really warm.
Available on Amazon for about $65.
On days when the temps weren’t quite as low and I just needed some protection against wind and light rain, I wore the Tactip Windstoppers.
These were a perfect ever day glove with the added benefit of having touchpad-friendly fingertips. This meant I could use the camera on my iPhone without having to take off my gloves.
Now that I’m home, I’ve discovered these are great gloves for running in cold weather as they are light enough that I don’t sweat through them but they stop the wind.
Available on Amazon for about $30.
Both of these gloves are keepers for when I do the Snowman Trek again in 2016. 🙂
Be Bold,
Beth
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Disclosure: Gordini provided these gloves to me for review. Regardless, everything I have said in the post reflects my honest opinions.
Carol Youorski says
I always have my Gerging electric gloves and jacket stuffed on the bike for those wild altitude changes. While shooting photos I always carry hot pockets in my pockets, even in the summer. I am going to check out these gloves too. Thanks for the review.
Awesome writing you do.
Beth Whitman says
Carol – I love those hot pockets and used them during the trek as well although they were a bit bulky to use with trekking poles.