The Best Ski Gloves of 2024

The Swany Men’s X-Cell Glove ($180) has a special place on our mantle. This toasty, tenacious silhouette is the one we grab during a blizzard at the ski area. Equally, the X-Cell is our backup pair we don’t leave home without when we head to the backcountry. The design is available for women, too, with the Swany Women’s X-Cell Glove ($180).

What do we love? Our hands have never been cold in these gloves even in arctic wind, ice, snow, heavy moisture, and long 12-hour days out. The insulation combines PrimaLoft Gold — with an equivalent of 750-fill down — and aerogel fibers. Developed by NASA, aerogel is tagged as the lightest solid material on the planet and serves as a temperature barrier.

Our eco-hearts are happy that the insulation includes more than 35% recycled content. For even more warmth, the back of the hand has a heat shield insert, called Volcotek, which absorbs and reflects far-infrared energy to promote blood circulation.

Even in a wicked snowstorm, and if we’re managing a snowmobile or skins and multiple ski or splitboard transitions, the waterproofing on these gloves sets a new bar. Called Dryfinger, the membrane is 100% waterproof and remains breathable. Inside, the lining is a cozy, high-performance textile called Dyna-therm, which wicks moisture and dries well though generates heat even if your palms sweat. Yes, we found this to be true. Another bonus is that the fabric is both hypoallergenic and anti-microbial.

Overall, materials are more densely stacked on the back of the hand and leaner on the palm for better grip. The linings that frame the fourchettes are more malleable to support dexterity. While this glove isn’t the leanest for fine operations, like grabbing our front jacket zipper while wearing a full-face helmet that blocks the view, the shape performs most tasks just fine. Safety and unwavering warmth come at a very small compromise.

On the back of the hand, there’s a small zipper that opens for ventilation or to pop in a hand warmer — we’ve used the zip for both. The double gauntlet cuff typically fits best over ski jacket arms unless the circumference is on the broader side. The quick-release strap took about five years of beatings to finally break. Throughout that time, no holes have appeared in the nubuck and top-grain leather.

The Swany Men’s X-Cell Glove design is available in small through 3XL, while the Swany Women’s X-Cell Glove is offered in small through large: the sizing charts differ between those gendered options. Be sure to measure the circumference of your hand in inches, to find an ideal fit.

Kincos are the best trick for budget-seekers whether you’re heading to the hill a handful of times or skiing 100 days. Diehards and novices alike appreciate the simplicity, durability, and price point of this classic pair, officially deemed the Kinco Lined Heavy-Duty Premium Grain & Suede Pigskin Ski Glove with Omni-Cuff ($54).

If you beat up your gloves or do work, this design is lined, made of pigskin, and the digits are lined with a streamlined foam padding for extra reinforcement, say if you’re handling ropes, carrying equipment, or handling machinery.

Protecting hands from the cold, this ski glove is outfitted with thermal insulation, called Heatkeep, which is made from finely spun polyester. To waterproof the exterior, wearers simply need to add the Nikwax waterproofing wax before use, which is included in the bundle. A reapplication is likely needed, and that timeline depends on the amount of moisture the glove is exposed to throughout a given season.

The wrist cuff is streamlined, elastic, and stretchy. The band slides easily beneath ski jacket arms.

Potential drawbacks of this design include that if the glove does get wet, such as when the surface needs to be waxed, it becomes incredibly stiff and uncomfortable — it basically freezes. Maintaining care of the glove can prevent that debacle.

Some folks that tend to get super cold hands don’t generally reach for this glove, because other designs offer more insulation. Overall, the Kinco Lined Heavy-Duty Premium Grain & Suede Pigskin Ski Glove with Omni-Cuff is a fan favorite as one of the best budget options out there for skiing.

The Black Diamond Guide Gloves ($180) from Black Diamond are the ultimate hand protection for skiers. With a tough exterior, impressive warmth, and quality materials, this glove has very few flaws. For good reason, the Guide is among the most popular skiing handwear options on the market.

Though this is a great glove by any standards, the Guide’s standout trait is its warmth. During testing, we found that this glove felt at least as warm as several top-notch mittens.

Thanks to a combination of PrimaLoft synthetic insulation and wool, the Guide is an ideal choice for frigid conditions. If you are looking for high-end warmth but don’t like the added complexity of battery-heated gloves, we strongly recommend the Guide.

As with any piece of cold-weather gear, extra insulation and durability tend to decrease freedom of movement. The Guide gloves are not the most dexterous option on this list, which is not surprising given their warmth and burly leather and nylon shell.

Still, the main job of ski gloves is warmth and protection, and the Black Diamond Guide Gloves delivers. At the resort or in the backcountry, these gloves are fully capable in any weather conditions. We’re confident they remain among the best ski gloves available today.

For skiers whose always-cold hands keep cutting their days short on the ski hill, heated gloves can be a game-changer. They’re also a simpler solution than constantly squeezing hand warmer packets which don’t cover as much surface area and cause a mess if you accidentally blow them apart. The Outdoor Research Prevail Heated GORE-TEX Gloves ($339) set a gold standard for battery-powered handwear. If you have trouble keeping your hands warm while skiing, look no further than the Prevail.

This heated option isn’t a bulky, soft glove for chilled grandparents at the tubing hill. They have a pre-curved shape and performance materials including a GORE-TEX liner and water-resistant goat-skin palm, since even heated gloves can’t overcome wetting out your insulation. Our testers have appreciated the low-profile battery system that powers the heating elements but doesn’t get in the way or make these gloves hard to take on and off.

We found the (rechargeable) battery life to be about average for heated gloves. On the medium setting, the battery tended to last for most of a casual-start ski day at the resort with a lunch break. There are low, medium, and high heat settings. The brand estimates the high heat setting will burn through battery life in about 2.5 hours while the low setting can extend it out to 8 hours on a full charge, so you can charge fully over a bell-to-bell ski day if you need to.

Our biggest hang-up with the gloves was an oddly narrow fit in the middle of the glove where the fingers meet the hand. Clearly, this wasn’t a quirk of our tester’s hands: Outdoor Research has a disclaimer on the product page that reads, “These gloves are more narrow than other OR gloves. People with average and above-average width hands should order up one size.”

Electric heating system aside, the Outdoor Research Prevail Heated GORE-TEX Gloves come with all the bells and whistles of top-notch skiing handwear. Touchscreen compatibility and easy-to-cinch cuffs are an added bonus.

This warm five-finger wonder is streamlined and stylish for dexterity and good looks. The Dakine Team Bronco GORE-TEX Glove Karl Fostvedt ($85) is a solid contender for most warm, moderate, and chilly days shredding at the hill. 

We love being able to easily grip our phone — that touchscreen capability works stupendously — and we appreciate the generous nose wipe on the thumb, all the way from the fingertip to the wrist, and a full 3-inch wrap at the widest point.

The slender, long gauntlet is easy to fit beneath jackets and the wide Velcro strap quickly sticks in place. There’s a unique 2.5-inch long wrist hook, so you can easily tug the glove into place, like a heel hook on the back of a snow boot.

A plush fleece liner hugs the inside of the glove, a lovely welcome against the hand. Overall, the glove kept our hands warm until extreme windchill and temps dropped into the 10 to 20-degree range. Otherwise, our hands were stoked. The Hi Loft insulation, which is 50% recycled polyester and 50% polyester, does the job. So does the waterproof GORE-TEX insert and PFC-free DWR treatment on the shell, which kept our hands dry all day even on snowy laps. A tiny buckle clips the two gloves together during travel.   

There’s no wrist guard to ensure loss on the lift — so mindfulness is key. Another drawback: the external PU material along the palm, which stretches from the wrist to the tips of the fingers, is not the most durable. Before the end of a season, we saw nicks developing especially in the fingertips along the seams. 

All around, we love how functional and svelte these gloves are for inbounds rips. The Dakine Team Bronco GORE-TEX Glove Karl Fostvedt might not be the warmest ski glove but they’re among the most functional and work most days on the hill.

Seeking a balance between a streamlined yet warm, waterproof, and super durable ski glove? Introducing the Leki Xplore S unisex ski glove and Xplore S Women’s ski glove ($140), which are among our favorite models we’ve pulled on. Topped with Primaloft insulation, this waterproof-windproof hand shield is a great everyday driver for the hill.

For how svelte this design is, we’re surprised that our fingers hardly ever get cold. Temperatures need to plummet — around 10 degrees F — or the scene is ravished by harsh gusts for us to swap out to mittens.

We like the hybrid material choice: 100% goatskin leather is on the back of the hand, palm, and Velcro wrist belt for durability and protection. The tops of the digits and gauntlet are a pliable synthetic blend. We’re only starting to see the seams wear out at the tips of the fingers after several seasons.

These gloves are among Leki’s designs that have the Trigger System, a small integrated loop between the thumb and forefinger that clips into Leki ski poles, so you can ditch ski pole straps altogether. If you prefer a wrist guard, there’s no downfall of the loops on the Xplore, which are minimal enough that you can’t feel ’em.

On the back, you’ll find a zippered pocket for ventilation or tucking a hand warmer on those coldest days. The leash is elastic, easy to pull on and off, and has kept us from dropping or misplacing our pair.

Simply put, the Leki Xplore S and Xplore S Women’s ski gloves are a great-fitting, high-performance choice.

For Nordic skiing, less is more. We picked the Hestra Windstopper Touring ($60) for its lightweight profile, grippy goat leather palm (that never got saturated with snowmelt or sweat), and stylish look.

The Windstoppers are internally lined with GORE-TEX Infinium micro-check material, which keeps the windchill out without sacrificing breathability. Though these gloves include minimal insulation, a layer of fleece on the backhand provides just enough warmth for cross-country touring and other active outdoor activities.

Like all Hestra products, these gloves are well-made and plenty durable for regular use. From a versatility standpoint, we love that these gloves also work well for jogging, running errands, and simply getting your hands warm throughout the winter.

For multi-use versatility, the Hestra Windstopper Touring are some of the best Nordic ski gloves to have around in cold temps.

When you need just enough protection against the wind and cold air, but you’re on a climb in the backcountry and don’t want to sweat out your gloves, consider pulling on the Outdoor Research Women’s Sureshot Pro Gloves and Men’s Sureshot Pro Gloves ($65). This is one of our favorite guardrails for human-powered ascents or super-toasty spring days at the ski area. These ski gloves are also more streamlined, so they can offer a nice hand feel for Nordic skiing, driving, or when you’d prefer more dexterity like running errands.

Outdoor Research rates this glove as a medium-grade warmth among the brand’s designs, and we find that to be true. The glove is insulated with 133 grams of EnduraLoft 100% polyester. The ski glove is also treated with ActiveTemp, a Bluesign-approved polymer, to help with thermo-regulation, so your hands don’t get too hot or moist.

The amount of water resistance, offered via a waterproof insert, serves the purpose of protecting our hands on a climb if the snow happens to fall or we need to reach through deep snow to our bindings. We dig the durable goat leather insert, which wraps across the palm, the undersides of the thumb and two forefingers, and the back of the pointer finger.

We also really appreciate the touchscreen compatibility of the fingertips, which is among the best designs we’ve tested to date.

We wouldn’t want to wear these gloves for freezing descents but when we want protection on a wind-beaten ridge, this glove delivers. The Outdoor Research Women’s Sureshot Pro Gloves and Men’s Sureshot Pro Gloves have a defined spot in our quiver.

Leki draws heavily on the brand’s racing heritage for these padded, protective gloves that have a bit of a Darth Vader meets Hermann Maier vibe but are neutral enough to fit with most any ski kit. We dig the Leki Griffin Pro 3D ($160), and they’re durable, too. From the exterior material to the EVA pad reinforcements along the tops of the fingers and backs of the hands plus the grip pads along the palm and underside of the knuckles, this design is built to last despite repetitive motion.

The gloves certainly get points for style. But our primary tester was able to use the Griffin Pro 3D with a pair of compatible Leki ski poles that are free of wrist loops and felt that’s what really set these gloves apart. Called the Trigger System, the design allows compatible pairs of ski gloves, which have a small loop integrated between the thumb and forefinger, to click into the pole handles instead of using a strap.

Straps can cause hand and wrist injuries in crashes. And the Trigger System has an automatic release with a firm yank to protect you while making connecting to your ski poles easier at the same time.

The Leki Griffin Pro 3D ski gloves kept our hands warm down into the teens thanks to PrimaLoft insulation throughout the design. The secure neoprene cuff also eliminated drafts. While skiing in a blizzard that lasted several days, we were able to check the water resistance, which performed well under the pressure. But it’s worth noting that these gloves are water-resistant, not waterproof like other ski gloves with a GORE-TEX waterproof membrane.

Read our full GearJunkie review of the LEKI Griffin Pro 3D.

Slipping your hand into the Hestra Army Leather Heli Ski ($160) is like putting on your favorite sweater. The three-layer dobby polyester melange is soft and molds to your hand over time. The proofed goat leather outer material is durable and water-resistant. Overall, this is a reliable glove that is fully equipped for harsh conditions.

Inside, the removable five-finger liner is deliciously cozy and warm but not bulky. We like the extended wrist cuffs and integrated Velcro cinch. Even on the deepest of days, these gloves keep bits of snow from entering at the opening.

We recommend the Hestra Army Leather Heli Ski to skiers who spend lots of time in cold conditions with lots of snowfall. They are certainly on the more expensive end of the glove spectrum, but if you’re looking for high performance and durability, this glove is a solid value.

While the Oyuki Tamashii GTX Glove ($140) is a streamlined ski glove, we’re thrilled to see the sleek fit offered with a GORE-TEX waterproof membrane for full protection against moisture. GORE-TEX is a hard technology to beat when you’re searching for the best waterproof benchmark, gloves included. And this pair offers great dexterity.

With a unique touch, the wrist cuff is secured via a zipper. To easily slide in, open the zipper, pull on the glove, and then zip ‘er up. The design relinquishes the need for a pull loop.

The goatskin leather material, which comprises the uppermost region of the hands, along the fingers, is also water resistant. For more flexibility, the wrist is protected by a softshell material.

Inside, the glove is lined with a super soft tricot fabric. For coziness, the design has 133 g of PrimaLoft Gold insulation against the tops of the hands and another 80 g of PrimaLoft Grip insulation in the palm.

If you’re hungry for a maneuverable pair of gloves that’s also waterproof with moderate insulation, check out the Oyuki Tamashii GTX Glove.

While testing out the new Leki Copper S ($120) ski glove, we finished our ski days pleased. These gloves are well-built, ergonomic, and comfortable. Plus, the Copper S is made to be compatible with the brand’s releasable ski pole strap design called the Trigger 3D system, an alternative for skiers who dislike the management of traditional straps.

The Copper S has an undeniable out-of-box comfort that we love. Softness is the golden trait of this glove’s exterior and 100% polyester liner. Made of goatskin leather, these gloves feel more pliable than other stiffer, beefier leather gloves we’ve worn. The potential tradeoff is that they might not be as robust as other leather gloves in our toolkit, which our female testers noted more than the males.

That streamlined undercuff has a wide Velcro strap that’s easy to tighten and the slender fit slides easily into the arm of a ski jacket. No fuss.

If you’re eager to skip the break-in period for a softer pair of quality leather ski gloves, the Leki Copper S fits the bill.

To learn more, read the full GearJunkie review on the Leki Copper S.

Cold hands and feet can interfere with winter fun. When you’re wearing the Black Diamond Solano Heated Gloves ($400), even arctic temperatures won’t keep you off the ski hill.

For an electric glove, the Solano is relatively low-profile, with a rechargeable battery pack in the cuff and heating elements that wrap around the inside of your wrist, where blood is close to the surface and can best absorb the heat.

The new Solano has more synthetic insulation in the back of the hand and the palm than previous versions, but not so much it’s hard to grip a ski pole. And you get to pick how warm you want your hands to be.

A switch on the back of this GORE-TEX-lined goat leather glove lets you choose from three settings. We wore these gloves in the deepest freeze Vermont could muster, alpine skiing, and fat biking down to -20 degrees. Through it all, our hands were toasty warm in the Black Diamond Solano Heated Gloves.

Three-finger gloves combine the warmth of mittens with the dexterity of gloves. For skiers with chronically cold hands, three-finger gloves offer a great solution without the added complexity of a built-in battery. The Hestra Army Leather Heli Ski 3-Finger ($160) easily rises to the top of this niche handwear category.

Hestra consistently crafts handwear from quality, long-lasting materials. The Heli Three-Finger gloves feature supple goatskin palms, removable insulated liners, and a waterproof yet breathable outer fabric. As yet another mark of Hestra’s attention to detail, the Heli’s finger design is pre-curved, resulting in a wonderfully anatomical fit.

Though every skier has a different comfort zone, users of these gloves report feeling warm down to -20F. The standalone index finger does have a tendency to become colder than the other fingers when wearing the Hestra Army Leather Heli Ski 3-Finger, which should be expected given the three-finger design.