Alpine Skiing - Gloves

Skiing can be fun provided all precautions are taken. This sport is dangerous and needs to have all protective clothing. Therefore, gloves are one of the most influential and essential parts of the skiing uniform.  

Why are gloves so necessary? 

Imagine you are all set for skiing but could not ski for a long time because your hands were freezing like ice, making it difficult to hold onto the poles. So, to avoid all these situations, you need to have gloves as they act as a shield for the cold and also improve the skiing performance.  

Gloves vs. Mittens

When it's about keeping the hands warm in the cold temperatures, there are two main choices – the gloves or the mittens.

Gloves: These have individual pockets for fingers and provide the most dexterity for handling the gears, zips and the most for holding the poles.

Mittens: These have one pocket for all fingers that share the internal heat providing more warmth, but it lacks agility. Apparently, in professional skiing, mittens won't do the work of a professional pair of gloves. The gloves used in these competitions are specially designed to give the athlete dexterity to handle the gears comfortably.

Factors affecting the quality of gloves:  

1. Shell material: Commonly, the fabric used to prepare gloves is synthetic or leather. The synthetic fabric body, usual nylon, is waterproof, breathable, and available in both hard shell & softshell. In comparison, leather is a naturally water-resistant material that is durable and can last for years if treated with proper care.


2. Insulation: The main purpose of the gloves is to keep the hands warm. So, adequately insulated gloves provide warmth and breathability without restricting movement.


3. Lining: This is an extra layer built in to provide warmth and comfort. The liner material usually differs according to the brands, but the most common liners used are fleece, wool, or synthetic material.


4. Palm: Most of the grips and reinforcements are present in the areas that are in great use, such as the palms and fingertips. These glove areas are made of different materials like leather/ vinyl for extra durability

Components of Ski Gloves:  

1. Cinch Straps: This velcro grip fastens the tight-to-fit elastic on top of the glove. This helps the glove remain intact even after getting wet. In addition, it keeps the snow out and gloves locked.


2. Cuffs: The cuffs of ski gloves are of two types.
   1. The short cuff gloves are worn under the jacket so that the jacket can lock the warmth.
   2. The other type of cuffs are extra short, specially designed to fit closely and keep the snow out.


3. Nose/Goggle Wipers: The nose/ goggle wipe is usually a soft fabric panel on the thumb, which helps to wipe the runny nose and the snow on the goggles.


4. Pockets: This is usually present on top of the hand and can allow air to circulate on hot days and provide extra dexterity or cooling.


5. Wrist Leashes: This elastic bracelet-style wrist strap lies flat underneath our glove/mitt cuffs and is the simplest wrist strap solution when taking off or putting on our gloves or mitts.

How to find a perfect glove?

It becomes essential to pick the right glove to avoid freezing hands and numb fingers that could completely ruin the skiing mood. So to determine the perfect size, we need to know the total length of the hand, including the width of the palm and the length of the middle finger.

Standard Alpine Skiing Gloves

According to the International Ski Federation, here are the gloves specifications:

• Gloves act as a protective covering against ice-cold weather and other external forces.
• The gloves are a critical piece of uniform.
• The glove size should be according to the hand size.
• The gloves that have fingers are allowed, and the rest are banned.
• Protective padding is permitted.
• The protective guards that are pulled over the glove are also permitted.
• The plastic coating on the outer portion of the gloves for reshaping and adding an aerodynamic feature is not permitted.
• The glove should not be above the elbow.