Leather Ski Gloves and Mittens: Why Leather, and How to Care for It
Walk any lift line and you’ll see plenty of leather gloves. Patrollers, instructors and people who ski every day keep coming back to it. Here’s why, and how to make a pair last.
Why leather?
Durability. Leather takes the abuse of poles, edges, rope tows and chairlift bars, and holds up season after season. Swany’s performance leather is built for exactly that.
Grip. Leather palms hold onto poles and buckles, even with snow on them.
It gets better with time. A good leather glove breaks in and shapes to your hand.
Swany’s goat leather
Swany uses goat leather across our leather gloves and mittens, and every pair is waterproofed at the factory before it reaches you. Like any leather, that treatment wears down with use, so re-treat your gloves once a year to keep them shedding snow and water.
Leather mittens for skiing
- Calore Gore-Tex Mitt: premium leather, Gore-Tex and finger channels. A Freeskier Gear Lab pick.
- X-Cell Under Mitt: leather with Triplex Alpha insulation and a Volcotek Heat Shield, in an under-cuff design that tucks under your jacket sleeve.
- Bocco Mitt: leather with Toaster quick access and a touch-screen inner glove.
Leather ski gloves
- X-Cell Under Glove: the same X-Cell build in an under-cuff design. The Avion Blue colorway is Swany athlete Owen Leeper’s signature.
- Patrol Glove: built for patrol, lift ops and hard-charging days on snow. A Freeskier Gear Lab pick.
- Apex Pro Glove: our warmest non-heated glove.
How to care for leather ski gloves
Clean the outside
- Put your hand inside the glove to keep its shape.
- Gently clean the leather with a mild leather cleaner.
- Once it’s dry, apply a leather conditioner to keep the leather supple.
Clean the inside
The inside of a glove is hard to clean. Try a cloth with a little Woolite to gently wipe the lining, or spray the inside with Febreze, then let it air dry. For a deeper clean, have them professionally cleaned.
Re-treat once a year
The factory waterproofing wears down over time. Once a year, ideally before the season starts, re-treat your gloves with a leather waterproofing product like Nikwax Waterproofing Wax for Leather.
Dry them right
- Never wring out your gloves. It can ruin the internal stitching and lining.
- Air dry away from direct heat. No radiators, heaters or boot dryers set on high. Heat dries out leather and can damage the lining.
Washing fabric gloves (including leather-palm styles)
Fabric gloves, even ones with leather palms, can be hand washed:
- Use a sports wash or Woolite and follow the detergent’s directions.
- Keep your hands inside the gloves while you wash and rinse to help them hold their shape.
- Rinse thoroughly to remove all the detergent.
- Air dry away from direct heat, and never wring them out.
- Re-waterproof after washing. Soap contains surfactants that dramatically reduce waterproofness, so treat the gloves afterward with Nikwax or a similar waterproofing product.
The bottom line
Leather gloves are an investment that pays off. Keep them clean, dry them slowly, re-treat once a year, and a good pair will be with you for many seasons.
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