Skiing Mitten – The North Face Montana Mitt

Skiing Equipment

Wearing gloves while skiing is great because you get dexterity and it’s easy to grab things. There are those cold days, though, when it’s so cold that dexterity doesn’t really matter since you can’t even feel your fingers. That’s when a pair of good ski mittens in your ski bag comes in really “handy” (ok, sorry – had to be done).

A mitten will keep your fingers together so that they can share heat and warm your hand. You can still grab things, of course, but it’s just harder to pick up small things. Still, it’s better to have a warm hand when it’s really cold out. You don’t want your hand to get too warm because then you might sweat. If you do sweat, then you want the lining in the mitten to take the moisture away from your hand.

One skiing mitten that I just picked up is by The North Face and it’s called the Montana Mitt. While trying it on, I looked at it and thought it was just another mitten. Once I put my hand in it, I found individual fingers inside. I had to look at the outside of it again to make sure I didn’t accidentally grab a glove. Nope, it’s a mitten. So it’s like a glove wrapped in a mitten shell. This actually makes a lot of sense.

For one, it seems like the inside lining is not so thick that heat can’t pass between your fingers – so you definitely get the benefits of a mitten. Secondly The North Face Montana Mitt has a waterproof HyVent™ insert that’s also breathable. HyVent technology keeps water out and also lets perspiration escape.

There have been may days skiing where it’s been dry outside and I still have soaked gloves halfway through the day. This is because perspiration from my hands would gather in the glove. The North Face’s HyVent technology helps prevent this. It’s a feature you normally find in very expensive ski mittens and gloves but The North Face brings this technology down to an affordable price.

The Montana Mitt also has some other great features. The inside of the mitten is a abrasion-resistant synthetic gripper reinforcement material that’s durable. You’ll find a goggle wipe, nose wipe and a zippered pouch for a small or regular sized hand warmer. It’s articulated, which means it’s made for movement. There are two straps to help keep the mitten on your hand and keep snow out – one is called an over the cuff gauntlet. There’s also a removable leash which you can put around your wrist so that you don’t lose your mittens. This is convenient if you need to take off your mittens on the ski lift or help a little one with a runny nose or something.

The Montana Mitt is made for men, women and kids. They’re not only for skiing. If you spend any time outside in the winter, they will help keep your hands nice and warm. Since your fingers are an extremity, they will get colder faster since by the time blood reaches your fingers, it’s losing its warmth. So keeping your fingers warm will help keep your whole body warm since cold blood won’t be returning back to your heart.

I plan on wearing mitten more this season because it sounds like it’s going to be cold again. Switching from ski gloves to mittens might really make a big difference. I think so.

Popularity: 39% [?]