Have you ever felt your hands freezing even when wearing gloves? Ever felt that the gloves you wear are absolutely useless? If yes, this article is for you.
I bet you were looking for good-quality gloves and stumbled upon this name that ultimately brought you here.
I have tested out these gloves while skiing and based on what I have recorded, I’m gonna help you decide if you should buy Black Diamond Guide Gloves.
Let’s dive right in.
My Review of Black Diamond Guide Gloves
To date, I haven’t found any other gloves that come closer to Black Diamond Guide Gloves, when it comes to providing warmth to my hands while skiing and mountaineering. When I first saw them, I knew these would be different. And I was right.
When it comes to warmth and insulation, the Guide Gloves stand at the top. Yes, because of the heavy insulation, the gloves are sturdy and thick but that does not mean that they are dysfunctional.
The removable liner to protect the glove is made of Primaloft One insulation. The liner in the Black Diamond Guide Gloves ensures that snow or water doesn’t get in and your hands remain dry while the soft wool on the insides makes drying an easy job, unlike the Dakine Leather Titan or Hestra CZone gloves.
Also, if you are a skier or a mountaineer, you would have to discard the hustle of taking off your gloves to wipe off the sweaty hands as the wool is efficient enough in absorbing sweat from your palms. I personally am very pleased with this feature because my hands would get all sweaty while skiing but these gloves changed the scenario for me.
Guide gloves are often compared to mitts because even though they have a house for fingers, it is not very efficient since the intense insulation and sturdy, good-quality leather makes the gloves very bulky which in turn makes it difficult for you to move your fingers.
But since it is apt for activities like skiing and mountaineering where finger movements are not needed at a big scale, these can be considered. But this less dexterity gets fixed after a few uses as the gloves adjust to your palm size.
Getting your gloves wet while skiing is as frustrating as fogging up your goggles as wet goggles cause the grip on the stick to become weak. The Guide Gloves use Gore-Tex leather to keep the gloves dry from snow and rain. It also has a nylon shell as a waterproof layer which implies that the gloves have two layers of water protection.
These are also one of the most water-resistant gloves I have tested apart from the Outdoor Research Illuminator Sensor gloves and the FRDM Clutch Snow Gloves.
Countless mentions of the word good-quality leather, and heavy insulation might have given you an idea of the durability. The Guide Gloves are made of goatskin leather inside out and have a certain amount of EVA foam padding at the back of the glove.
Since that was not enough, the entire gloves were covered with Gore-Tex and Nylon shell on top of it to ensure proof from water. The insulation does wear out soon enough, but overall, it is very durable.
Are The Black Diamond Guide Gloves Worth It?
The Guide Gloves are definitely very much worth it. And if you are involved in intense physical activities during winter like skiing and mountaineering, then I’d recommend you to invest in these gloves because these are the perfect ones for the purpose you want them for.
Since these are crafted for intense physical activities like mountaineering and even star mountaineer Ian Nicholson prefers these gloves over the others, you should definitely give these a try.
But, it’s certainly not that functional for everyday use since these gloves have less dexterity. Also, purchasing a pricey glove for household purposes is just not worth it. I would recommend you guys try out the Hestra Gauntlet Glove, Burton Men’s Deluxe, and Columbia Men’s Last Track Gloves. These are the best ones for everyday activities and are even very affordable, unlike the Black Diamond Guide Gloves.
Conclusion
Now that I have explained everything about these gloves, it will be clear to you that they are just for a certain group of people and not everyone. So remember this before investing in them.
