When I head out at the crack of dawn on a big storm day, planning on a bell to bell marathon powder day in severe weather, I require a glove that does not compromise on warmth, toughness or protection -a no-brainer glove-.
The body goes through a lot on a stormy day of powder skiing: waiting in the cold for lifts to open, charging with high intensity motion, side-stepping, hiking, more waiting for lifts to open and relentless cold before fatigue starts to set in.
So I started with the idea that the glove needed to first be simple -fixed liner and black. Second, it needed a gauntlet storm cuff. Third, it needed to be really warm, so we packed it with more insulation than anyone else. But, it needed to be very breathable for the intense bursts of energy that produce a lot of sweat moisture, so we used highly breathable, wind and waterproof softshell. My hands and gloves take a beating on these long days, so I added padding on the back of the hands.
Finally and most importantly, as the connection to my poles, backcountry gear and everything else, the gloves needed the best, softest and grippiest cowhide leather available for the palms. These are just all-around great ski gloves, especially on storm days.
Chase Stewart - Founder Free the Powder Gloves
