Our Ski Glove Design Philosophy

Having spent more than 3000+ days in my life as a backcountry skier, mountain climber and ski racer, my goal was to make the toughest, warmest glove with the best grip, dexterity, and dryness - and offer it at an affordable price online. In order to achieve this goal, and to satisfy the high standards I hold for products for myself, I started Free the Powder in 2013 with an extensive research and development program that stretched out to an entire ski season. Assisting me in my daily tests was a team of the most dedicated backcountry skiers and ski patrollers at Canyons Park City, Utah.

Each variable of glove design was tested in more than 50+ prototype pairs of Free the Powder-made gloves. The variables:

• Type of leather (ie. made from cow, goat, pig).
• Size and placement of palm reinforcement patches.
• Types of leather tanning and water-repellent treatments.
• Type of insulation (ie. PrimaLoft®, Thinsulate™, Thermolite®, Fleece).
• Amount of insulation (in grams per square meter).
• Type of liner material (against the skin).
• Type of nylon upper material (ie. hard-hell versus soft-shell materials).
• Types of durable water repellent (DWR) for nylon.
• Types of waterproof membrane inserts (ie. Gore-Tex®, eVent®, Hipora®, Porelle®).
• Length of cuff (long-short-medium).
• Closure of cuff (ie. Gauntlet cinch cord, Velcro®, hook-loop tab).

Every day of my testing protocol involved the use of a glove or mitten on one hand that included a different set of variables than the other hand, so I could test one variable versus the other. I had previously thought that my 3000+ days recreating in the mountains had made me an expert on winter gloves, but I learned after a season of extensive testing of glove design variables that I had in fact been rather clueless.

So what did I learn that became the Free the Powder Glove?

The best design encompasses four primary attributes:

Breathability: The most frustrating variable tests we performed were with “waterproof” membrane inserts. This is the layer in fabric that is purported to prevent water penetration -often generically referred to as "gore-tex". I wanted to find a waterproof membrane that was in fact as waterproof and breathable as advertised. It took more than 100 days of testing with a membrane glove on one hand and a non-membrane glove on the other to come to terms with the truth: one does not currently exist, as advertised. I had various levels of moisture on my membrane-gloved hand most of the time from sweat build-up, which led to a constant cold-warm-cold cycle -hand starts warm, gets sweaty, then gets cold, then dries, then warms up, then gets sweaty, then gets cold again, over and over. The temperature and environmental factors did not matter. The same dynamic takes place.

On the very wettest days of field-testing, my “waterproof” membrane glove got saturated nearly as fast as my non-membraned glove. Water seems to always find a way into a glove, especially when you need to remove them. The real difference was realized when the rain stopped: the ultra-breathable glove with no membrane dries much faster, while the membrane glove remained wet until it was finally placed on a heat source hours later.

I ultimately abandoned “waterproof” membranes (for now), having come to the conclusion that maximum breathability gives a glove its widest range of climatic versatility and comfort -balancing external moisture penetration and internal moisture (sweat) production. Waterproof membranes are really just a "plastic-bag-on-your-hand" strategy of waterproofing. A better approach to "water-proofing" of ski gloves focuses on proper tanning and treatment of the leather, proper use of DWR (durable water repellent) of the nylon shell, use of premium thread between sections of the gloves, proper closure system at the wrist, and most importantly, highest quality skill in stitching the seams.

Someday, when we find a "waterproof-breathable" membrane insert that works to our satisfaction, we will offer them in our gloves. We are working on it.

Breathability in the design and materials of our gloves:

• We use PFAS-free leather that is softer and more breathable than more rigid, sealed leather.
• We use a PFAS-free DWR that that stops water from soaking through, while maintaining its breathability. When you see a leather palm on a ski glove that has no level of moisture at all on the outer surface, you will know that you are looking at leather whose pores have been completely sealed, rendering the leather un-breathable.
• The liner: we use a combination of "thin", very warm insulation (Breathefil™) and 100% polyester fleece. By maximizing breathability, the glove can use more insulation without the sweat moisture problem associated with waterproof membranes. 200 grams of thinner, dense insulation is optimum for the widest range of temperatures. In the mittens, we use 300+ grams for maximum practical use and we keep the fingers together with a pocket liner. Separating the fingers makes no sense and defeats the purpose of a mitten.
• We use 4-way stretch softshell instead of the more commonly used hardshell. It’s nearly as tough and much more breathable. 
• When we use all-leather, we use highly breathable leather and even more breathable fixed lining.

Toughness: our focus on toughness has four parts:

• We use thicker (1-1.2 mm) cowhide leather, which is much tougher than the more commonly used and thinner goatskin. Our leather takes longer to make and costs more to achieve its' goatskin-like softness. 
• We use a leather reinforcement patch on the palm, protecting all the high-wear areas. We place tough on top of tough.
• We reinforce the gloves wherever possible, including the use of double stitching with the toughest thread available and stronger plastic parts.
• We strongly encourage the use of leather conditioner treatment that extends the durability and toughness of the leather. We created our special formula to do just this. Learn more 
  

Dexterity and Grip: Perhaps the most unique aspect of Free the Powder Gloves is our focus on dexterity and grip for a cold weather insulated glove. To achieve the best results we employ the following:

• Use of non-rigid materials that stretch and conform to your hand. 
• Maximum breathability: Dry hands are essential to the best grip possible.
• Premium cowhide, tanned and treated for maximum softness and grip.
• Thin, dense insulation that retains excellent warmth.
• Both our Long-Cuff and Short-Cuff models are designed for premium dexterity and grip, but our Short-Cuff glove is particularly unique. It employs an over-sized hook and loop closure with a longer stretchy section for maximum tightening ability. The better the glove grips your wrist, the less the palm moves.

Efficient cuff design: we make both Long-Cuff and Short-Cuff gloves. The Long-Cuff design is longer than most other ski gloves for the purpose of providing a 100% seal from the elements in an easy-on, easy-off design. We keep the end of the cuff thin and pliable (easy to open and close) with an efficient cinch cord that uses a Cyberian (pull-to-open) Cord Lock. The sleekness and low profile back-of-the-hand of our Short-Cuff design makes sliding them under the sleeves of your coat a breeze.

The best thing I can say about Free the Powder gloves: their incredible breathability and toughness allows me to wear them backcountry skiing in the winter and for clearing brush and chopping wood in the summer, with equal comfort and performance.

Thanks for considering our gloves,

Chase Stewart - Founder and Head Designer

Free the Powder Gloves