Gloves or Mittens for Skiing? How to Choose

Gloves or Mittens for Skiing? How to Choose

Short answer: mittens are warmer, gloves give you more dexterity. The right pick comes down to how cold your hands run, the temperatures you ski in, and how often you need your fingers for buckles, zippers and your phone. There’s also a lot of good ground in between.

Why mittens are warmer

In a mitten, your fingers share one insulated space, so they warm each other instead of each finger fighting the cold on its own. There’s also less surface area losing heat.

Most Swany mitts go a step further with finger channels. Each finger is separated inside the mitt by Swany Dry lining and insulation. The lining pulls moisture away from your skin, and dry hands are warm hands. With insulation between your fingers too, you get mitten warmth with a more natural grip. The Calore Gore-Tex Mitt a Freeskier Gear Lab pick, is a good example.

If your hands are always the first thing to go cold on the lift, start with mittens.

Why gloves win on dexterity

Gloves let you grip poles, work boot buckles, adjust goggles and open pocket zippers without taking them off. If you’re constantly using your hands, or skiing on milder days, gloves are usually less frustrating.

The best of both: Toaster technology and liners

You don’t always have to choose.

Toaster technology is Swany’s quick-access zipper. It lets your hand out without taking the mitt off, so you get mitten warmth most of the time and glove dexterity when you need it. The Bocco Mitt pairs Toaster with a waterproof/breathable insert built to work with the zipper, so you’re not trading weather protection for access.

Liners add warmth, and you can leave them on when you pull your hands out. The Bocco Mitt comes with a removable fleece inner glove with touch-screen fingertips, so you can use your phone without exposing bare skin. For any glove or mitt, the Powerdry Glove Liner does the same job.

Match the warmth to the temperature

How cold it actually gets matters more than gloves vs. mittens. Our warmth ratings are built around temperature:

A warm glove on a cold day can beat a lightweight mitten. See the full Glove Temperature Rating guide for details.

Quick picks

Choose mittens if your hands run cold, you ski in deep cold, or you mostly need warmth on the lift.

Choose gloves if you need dexterity, ski mostly in milder conditions, or work on the mountain. The Patrol Glove is built for patrol duties, lift operations and hard-charging days on snow.

Want both? The Bocco Mitt gives you mitten warmth with Toaster access and a touch-screen inner glove.

Can’t decide? Go for the warmest. The Apex Pro is our warmest non-heated model and comes as both a glove and a mitt. For the coldest days, the Nexus heated glove and mitt give you warmth you can control.

Still not sure? Take the Glove Finder Quiz.