Best mitts?

Can anyone recommend super warm mitts? My budget is unlimited...will pay what it takes for warm fingers, though in reality I think there is no such thing as guaranteed warmth. I already wear glove liners, and dispensed with full gloves last season in favour of mitts with inbuilt fingers. They were better, but I still seek the holy grail! I'd rather not have those funny little rectangular handwarmers as I'm bound to lose them. Any suggestions?
Ta
Perty

Several years ago I was given a pair of mitts to test for two months.They appeared to be very normal, typical mitts however they had a small pocket where you can insert "heat pack"!

At -30 they kept me warm!

There is a common myth that getting thick mitts will keep hands warm!

The best way to keep hands warm is the following;
1. Keep body core warm at all times since it is the blood from your body core that keeps hands warm.
2.Insert heat packs ( when needed) around wrists
3. Never take gloves off
4.Do not breath into gloves
5. I have a cheap hair dryer that I use to "heat" inside of boots and gloves in the morning!
6. One of the places cold enters is interface between gloves and jacket cuff! I have discovered that tennis wrist collars are great to keep heat in!

In the Spring I wear thin gloves and place tennis wrist collars over gloves so that wet snow does not enter gloves!

The same wrist collars are great Ipod warmers and protectors. Just get a nice ribbon to hold Ipod over neck.

Hope this gives you some ideas how to make hands warmer! As last resort you might do as Eskimos do. Place cold nake hands on girlfriend's bare stomach for about 2 hours!
It will warm you up!!!!

pavelski wrote:Place cold naked hands on girlfriend's bare stomach for about 2 hours!
It will warm you up!!!!

Does this work with anyone's girlfriend or does it have to be your own? :shock:

Just asking... :lol:

Powderhound

A lot of what Pavelski writes is very true (including the girlfriends belly thing - although I'm not sure that works halfway up a mountain!)

I particularly agree when he said - don't take your gloves off. Many people put they're gloves on or react to cold too slowly. As soon as you feel your hands getting colder - do something about it otherwise it will be too late.

This is not to say that you'll lose you fingers or something! it's just that they won't get warm again.

The reason gloves and mitts work is that they trap the warmth from your hands. If you have let your hands get cold then there is no warmth to trap and they will just stay cold in the gloves.

One of the best ways to keep your hands warm is to use a good layering system - just like you do on your body.
The warmest baselayer for your hands is a glove made out of Powerstretch (e.g. Rab Powerstretch glove, Trekmates squid, Outdoor Reserch Powerliner) which fits snug to your hand and traps any warmth in. The other advantage of the liner glove is that you can take your outer glove off and not expose your hands directly to the cold air.

So on top of your liners you need a good warm shell. The warmest option by far is a mitt. Mitts will keep your fingers much warmer than gloves as they hold your fingers together and so they all heat each other - think how much warmer you and your respective other half are in a double bed compaired to two singles!
Some good options to go for for mitts are the Black Diamond Mercury Mitt, Marmot Crestline Mitt, or the Outdoor Designs Summit Mitt.

And if all else fails, shake your hands as if you're trying to shake your gloves off. Do this until you can feel the blood being forced to the ends of your fingers and then put your hands under your armpits. If that doesn't work - get inside next to a roaring fire.

All of the gloves mentioned are available at the www.climbers-shop.com. Happy skiing and stay warm.