If I have this, I feel less scared and pumped. So even though I’m a notoriously cold-handed person, I find that wearing lighter weather-resistant gloves allows for the most dexterity and best grip. In order to have warm hands, you have to generate heat no matter what glove you're wearing. Put something cold in it, the thermos keeps it cold.
Over-gripping in cold weather, while simultaneously having your hands above your head and being scared, is a recipe for frozen hands.Īnother way to think about it: If you put something hot in an insulated thermos, the thermos keeps the liquid hot. Bulky gloves make it harder to properly grip an ice tool, which in turn causes over-gripping. It's a common misperception that a big, bulky glove will keep your hands warm while ice climbing. What do you often see people get wrong about choosing gloves for ice climbing? RELATED: CONFESSIONS OF A 75-YEAR-OLD ICE CLIMBER I nearly always switch to a belay glove for belaying, resting, or hanging out so I keep my climbing gloves dry for climbing. On top of my liners I wear either a light glove (for harder climbing) or a midweight glove (for colder temperatures and easier climbing). Liners add warmth, wick away sweat, and allow nimble fingers without completely exposing my hands to the cold if I need to take the outer glove off. What are all the different gloves for? When do you wear each one?įor all but the hardest climbing, I always wear liners underneath. I typically have one pair of liner gloves, a pair of dexterous leather-palmed climbing gloves, a pair of slightly warmer dexterous leather-palmed gloves, and also a pair of warm belay gloves-or, for really cold weather, mittens.
What kinds of gloves and mitts do you pack for ice climbing? Of course it will always ultimately depend on venue and weather, but four pairs of gloves or mitts is pretty standard for me. How many different pairs of gloves do you pack for ice climbing?