If you haven’t heard, Gore-Tex is one of the outdoor industry’s favorite materials for balancing waterproofing with breathability. I’ve noticed that the inserts, in this case, make a big difference on wet and windy days. On Glisshop.co.uk, we have so many gloves available that if you don’t know exactly what you want, you will probably hesitate with several models. If you look for something light that you can use every day and that you will also use for your ski holidays when the weather is nice, a basic pair of gloves should make you happy. You won’t spend too much money and it will keep your hands warm enough. But just how warm are they? Compared to other budget models that I’ve tested, there’s no competition. We’ll dig a little more into the construction details below, but the Storm Trooper II is built more like a premium resort glove than something cheap or a repurposed work glove.

A stand-out difference between the Mercury Mitt and the rest is the puffy full mitten liner that is also removable. The Mercury's all-around awesome performance, both in the liner and its construction, wins it our top honors. Warmth: Gloves

We’ve tried and tested quite a few budget gloves over the years. While each has its merits, they always seem to come with caveats that make them more niche options. I think that the Storm Trooper II is the most well-rounded out of all the gloves I’ve tested in its price range. If you’re on the fence between a glove and a mitten, it’s worth looking into a trigger mitt (also known as a three-finger mitt or lobster mitt). On paper, this concept is the best of both worlds: By combining a mitten with a dedicated slot for your pointer finger, you get more thermal efficiency than a standard glove while retaining enough dexterity to pinch a zipper, fiddle with your bindings, or even send a text. Downsides are that your pointer finger ends up being just as cold as it would be in a glove, and freedom of movement still falls short of a regular five-finger design. But trigger mitts nevertheless provide a nice middle ground of warmth and dexterity, and we think Oyuki’s Pep pulls it off better than most. A final alternative is the 3-finger glove (also called a trigger or split-finger glove), which attempts to bring together the attributes of glove and mitten designs. In these gloves, the pointer finger and thumb have their own slots while your remaining fingers huddle together for warmth. We don’t often recommend this style (the Oyuki Pep GTX Trigger Mitt above is one exception) because we've found that freeing up your pointer finger isn’t a huge difference maker for dexterity, and that finger ends up just as cold as it would be in a standard glove. In this case, it doesn’t truly amount to the best of both worlds. The Oyuki Pep 3-finger gloves offer a nice combination of warmth and dexterity Materials: Leather vs. Synthetic However, if you are on the slopes 7 days a week no matter the weather conditions, do not neglict quality. You need a high-end leather ski glove that can keep you warm even if it’s freezing cold outside. There is nothing worse than having your hands frozen, it can literally ruin your day. It will also be perfectly windproof like a softshell so as not to suffer the end of icy days. Any glove worth its salt needs to shine when the sun isn’t. Fortunately for all of us up in the country’s rainy corner, the Storm Trooper II is ready to weather whatever weather decides to roll through.

Aside from warmth, waterproofness is the second major factor that can make or break your days on the slopes. And not only does your glove need to keep snow from entering, it needs to let perspiration out from the inside. Stitching is a common point of failure in gloves, and is an easy indicator of their overall quality. The Storm Trooper II takes some major preventative measures in their stitching- the seams are hearty and have held up even when I’ve had to hold onto a sapling or two trying to sideslip into a sketchy, iced-over chute. There are longer, more elastic leashes out there, but the Storm Trooper II is more than adequate for daily usage. I’ve never found a reason to take them off- but it’s nice to know that you can if the need should arise. Who’s it for?Synthetic insulation is a no-brainer for gloves. There’s nothing exceptional about the Megaloft fill that the Storm Trooper uses to keep you warm. It’s generously applied and more than adequate for most days on the mountain. It’s more durable than down, and it stays warm while wet. For me, the stand out trait here is the Storm Trooper ii’s value. In today’s ski world, saving money is not that easy. Being able to get a pair of warm, reliable gloves at an affordable price is amazing. You don’t even need to be on a budget to appreciate these. They have many features that skiers of all levels will love. It's not easy to grab a tissue with your gloves on, so many models feature a soft patch of fabric on the thumb or pointer finger to help with your runny nose. Nose wipes are good in a pinch and the fabric helps to avoid irritation that you might get from doing the same thing with tough shell fabric. Of course, they lose their effectiveness when overused or when the temperature really drops, but they are a nice touch nevertheless. Leki's Trigger System (outlined below) offers sleek glove-to-pole attachment It's 2023, so why wouldn't you want touch-screen sensitivity on your ski gloves? A number of manufacturers now offer exactly that (including The North Face's Montana), so that you can snap photos or videos without taking your gloves off. You'll most often find the technology, however, on thin gloves and liners where it's easier to incorporate, plus the thinner liners are more precise when typing. On some models, only pointer fingers and thumbs are touch-screen compatible. Overall, we consider this a nice feature if a model you like has it, but it's not the first factor we consider in selecting a glove. The Burton Gore-Tex glove is compatible with smartphone screens