WARMEST Women's Ski Mittens

[MattD]

Our teenage daughter has developed a real aversion to cold ... she's lived in the Southeast all her life! We are working this year on boots and on mittens to address 2 of the biggest areas of complaint.

On the subject of Women's ski mittens, what do folks recommend as the absolute warmest (without battery-powered heat) they have used. We are currently considering the Black Diamond Mercury Mitt and the Hestra Heli Mitt.

Thanks!

 

[Tricia]

Hands down...(pun intended) Thermic heated mittens and Thermic boot heaters.
I have the bluetooth boot heaters in my ski boots and wouldn't switch to anything else with current technology.

https://www.therm-ic.com/en/32-gloves

I think @SkiNurse did a review on an early version of their gloves but they've improved since then.

 

[Jilly]

Swany Down Filled mitts from .....Costco. Warmest, in that my hands sweat. I don't wear them except of really -20C days, as I HATE mitts! I'm a glove person. Costco also has a heated glove, but it's more for hockey moms that sit in arena's. It's good if you add a weather/wind proof outer layer to it. Only available on line.

 

[Lauren]

On the subject of Women's ski mittens, what do folks recommend as the absolute warmest (without battery-powered heat) they have used. We are currently considering the Black Diamond Mercury Mitt and the Hestra Heli Mitt.

I've heard great things about the Black Diamond Mercury Mitt...never used them myself. If you go with the Hestra Heli, bump it up a notch to the "Extreme" version. Personally, for really cold days I wear an Astis mitten with a thin liner...so warm.

Or if money isn't an object, and you have flexibility with your "without battery powered heat" request...go with the regular Heli Mitt and add the Hestra heated liner.

 

[AmyPJ]

I have the Mercury Mitt and the Hestra Heli. The Mercury Mitts are much thicker/warmer to the point of too bulky for ME unless it's really cold. I've needed them at Targhee a few times but very rarely in Utah. They are a LOT warmer than the heli. I did put a mitten insert in the heli instead of the glove insert that comes with them. Of course, that's the 3-finger version.

My go to are hand warmers. Every day except the warmest. Heated gloves would be great for sure, but I just can't justify the cost at this point when chemical hand warmers do the trick.

 

[silverback]

Unless you are skiing in single digit temps or lower...

I'd work on managing circulation. The hard part is the inactivity on the chair vs moving.

Is she "sweaty hot" in her core? If not, upgrade her helmet/balaclava and/or add a down vest before mittens and boots. The body pulls heat from hands and feet like a radiator to protect the head and core. If the core is toasty, there is leftover body heat to send to the extremities. A well ventilated helmet can be great, open the vents when you get off the chair so you don't over heat on the way down, close them on the way up. If she has decent mittens of any brand that are new enough to not be "packed out", they are warm enough.

Make sure she is wearing the thinnest socks possible so blood gets to her feet, thick socks hamper this and make for cold feet. Make sure her boots are warm when she puts them on. For really cold days, add boot-gloves. For really really cold days, slip a hand warmer between the boot glove and boot.

Get her in the habit of pulling her fingers in and making a fist on the chair.

If she gets chilled, suggest a short hike to a good run/view etc. 2-3 minutes and her hands and feet will be toasty.

 

[Seldomski]

@MattD - where are you skiing? Depending on where you go, some clothing choices are better than others.

 

[Wilhelmson]

I was in a clients' snowmobile store the other day and their mittens make ski gear look like something Michael Jackson would wear.

But your best bang for the buck can be found here:

 

[MattD]

I was in a clients' snowmobile store the other day and their mittens make ski gear look like something Michael Jackson would wear.

But your best bang for the buck can be found here:
View attachment 84103

We always use these!

 

[MattD]

@MattD - where are you skiing? Depending on where you go, some clothing choices are better than others.

Her skiing is primarily in Smugglers' Notch, Vermont.

 

[MattD]

Unless you are skiing in single digit temps or lower...

I'd work on managing circulation. The hard part is the inactivity on the chair vs moving.

Is she "sweaty hot" in her core? If not, upgrade her helmet/balaclava and/or add a down vest before mittens and boots. The body pulls heat from hands and feet like a radiator to protect the head and core. If the core is toasty, there is leftover body heat to send to the extremities. A well ventilated helmet can be great, open the vents when you get off the chair so you don't over heat on the way down, close them on the way up. If she has decent mittens of any brand that are new enough to not be "packed out", they are warm enough.

Make sure she is wearing the thinnest socks possible so blood gets to her feet, thick socks hamper this and make for cold feet. Make sure her boots are warm when she puts them on. For really cold days, add boot-gloves. For really really cold days, slip a hand warmer between the boot glove and boot.

Get her in the habit of pulling her fingers in and making a fist on the chair.

If she gets chilled, suggest a short hike to a good run/view etc. 2-3 minutes and her hands and feet will be toasty.

All good suggestions. She definitely uses a well ventilated Smith helmet. We did teach her to pull her fingers in and make a fist on the chair. We are working on properly-fitted boots with thin socks ... this will be a key part of the equation. Her prior experiences were with rental boots, so that's a big contributor to the issue. She now has neoprene boot gloves as well ... all good suggestions!

 

[tinymoose]

I've had the Swany X-Cell mitts for some time now and use them most days unless it's pretty warm out. They're mittens but there are spaces in the mittens for your fingers kinda like a glove. It's not just a big open space like a mitten internally. It also has a zipper pocket on top where you can put a heat pack, which I use on really cold days. Having that pocket and adding the heat pack really helps. I'm pretty skinny and get cold easily. Not sure if they're the warmest but they've worked for me. My first pair were all leather, and my current pair is a mix of nylon and leather b/c I'm a poor college student right now. lol

https://www.swanyamerica.com/product/x-cell-mitt/

 

[MattD]

I have the Mercury Mitt and the Hestra Heli. The Mercury Mitts are much thicker/warmer to the point of too bulky for ME unless it's really cold. I've needed them at Targhee a few times but very rarely in Utah. They are a LOT warmer than the heli. I did put a mitten insert in the heli instead of the glove insert that comes with them. Of course, that's the 3-finger version.

My go to are hand warmers. Every day except the warmest. Heated gloves would be great for sure, but I just can't justify the cost at this point when chemical hand warmers do the trick.

Great comparative input ... thanks! I think we are moving in the direction of the Mercury Mitt. I bought them for my wife a few years ago ... she has a lot of circulation issues in the winter and she definitely likes them. I just wanted to see if there may be a better option I was not aware of.

 

[Ken_R]

Our teenage daughter has developed a real aversion to cold ... she's lived in the Southeast all her life! We are working this year on boots and on mittens to address 2 of the biggest areas of complaint.

On the subject of Women's ski mittens, what do folks recommend as the absolute warmest (without battery-powered heat) they have used. We are currently considering the Black Diamond Mercury Mitt and the Hestra Heli Mitt.

Thanks!

I have the Mercury Mitts and they are awesome. Hard to go wrong with those. They are too warm for me above 20ºF

 

[Wilhelmson]

My kids have been using these. https://www.steepandcheap.com/outdo...uczoxOjI6MTAwMDAwMjQ4X3NhY0NhdDEzMTEwMDAxNg==

I'v mentioned before that it helps to look at the type and actual amount of insulation in the handwear. Some of the supposedly warm products have 250g which is nothing.

 

[Jilly]

You can usually buy the hand warmer's by the case at Costco. I sound like a broken record on Costco, but sometimes they can be the best for buck.

 

[Analisa]

I stole my boyfriend's Black Diamond Spark mittens (they're on steep discount at TJMaxx?!) in a size large in a pinch and learned 2 things:
- sizing matters. In a well made mitt, extra room holds more warm air, and going too small compacts insulation.
-BD's liners are amazing. They wick really well, which is super helpful since my Reynauds usually causes sweaty palms and icy fingers, and I definitely get the fear sweats a couple times each day.

The next step up on the freeride series is the Recon, which is really similar to the Mercury. It just has a little bit less insulation on the palms, and the leather adds more durability/weather resistance.

 

[Henry]

Is she "sweaty hot" in her core? If not, upgrade her helmet/balaclava and/or add a down vest before mittens and boots. The body pulls heat from hands and feet like a radiator to protect the head and core. If the core is toasty, there is leftover body heat to send to the extremities. A well ventilated helmet can be great, open the vents when you get off the chair so you don't over heat on the way down, close them on the way up. If she has decent mittens of any brand that are new enough to not be "packed out", they are warm enough.

Make sure she is wearing the thinnest socks possible so blood gets to her feet, thick socks hamper this and make for cold feet.

Very important points here. Warmth comes from blood circulation. A warm (not thick & spongy) helmet liner or balaclava is very important. Add ample insulation on the upper body. Warm pants for that freezing chair lift seat. Good blood circulation in the feet.

The chemical handwarmers are a very good idea. Even after doing everything suggested above, some people just have cold hands & feet. Good insulated mittens, wool or poly thin gloves inside the mittens, and handwarmer packs work very well.

One more thing--a stat not listed on clothing is the wind permeability. An otherwise good coat can let cold wind through the fabric. I don't know how to check this except to ride the chair on a windy day, and that's too late. A buddy got rid of his 2 year old Spyder stuff for this reason. Probably stick with real Gore-tex. There might be others that are equally good (I've had very good Hagloffs and Trew), but I don't know how to consistently find them. Top end Arcteryx and equal are great, but pricey.

I have 40%-off discount cards for 686 brand clothing including their Gore-tex. If you see something you like at 686.com, PM me. I'll send you the code. 686 sent me way too many discount cards for my ski club members.

Freethepowder brand gloves and mitts are top quality and a very good value.

You can usually buy the hand warmers by the case at Costco

Friends who use a lot of handwarmers tell me that the brand at Costco (Grabber?) isn't as warm as the higher priced ones from ski shops. For them, it matters.

 

[Lauren]

stole my boyfriend's Black Diamond Spark mittens (they're on steep discount at TJMaxx?!) in a size large in a pinch and learned 2 things:
- sizing matters. In a well made mitt, extra room holds more warm air, and going too small compacts insulation.
-BD's liners are amazing. They wick really well, which is super helpful since my Reynauds usually causes sweaty palms and icy fingers, and I definitely get the fear sweats a couple times each day.

The next step up on the freeride series is the Recon, which is really similar to the Mercury. It just has a little bit less insulation on the palms, and the leather adds more durability/weather resistance.

So true. I wore a pair of Oakley Factory Goretex Mitts, men's large, for years...many years...well past their expiration date. They were packed out, stained and had holes, but somehow still kept my hands warm. I truly believe they were that warm because they were a solid size too big.

I retired them when my husband started telling me they smelled . Coming from someone that puts their hands in hockey gloves every week, I took his opinion pretty seriously.

 

[Jerez]

I had BD mitts and wore them out. Now have Swany. bought them because they looked like the same high-loft mitt. But they are NOT nearly as warm. I now use handwarmers most days.

FYI I noticed on BD website that they say the Mercury mitts are for -20 to 40 degree temps while their Absolute mittens go all the way down to -40. (that's where the C and F come together and is very Cooold.)