I’ve gotten to the point where I’m comfortable with my choice of technical clothing for outdoor activities. I wouldn’t say I’ve experienced everything that nature has to throw at me but in general I like to think I’m prepared. The only missing piece was the best gloves to use for ice climbing. The problem is that thick gloves can be cumbersome and they won’t let you get a really good comfortable grip on the tools which can be a real problem especially if you’re climbing leashless.

I read on a blog written by a very accomplished climber that he likes to wear a thin shell type glove with liners and he usually takes several pairs of liners so he can change them out if they get wet. Another climber said he takes three pairs, one for approach, one for climbing and one for belaying.

Anyway I need to find the best system for me. I’ve climbing with thin, non waterproof gloves which allow me to have a good grip but my hands get very cold and worst of all very wet if the ice is wet. I’ve tried big heavy ski gloves and they’re warm and dry but the terrible grip on the tools wasn’t worth having that level of comfort. I’ve accepted that I’m not going to be very comfortable on a pitch so what’s the best compromise?

The system that worked best for me was a shell glove for some degree of waterproofness and a medium weight wool liner. I used these gloves for some climbing just before Christmas in dry conditions that ranged from -5°C to -10°C and they worked very very well. The jury is still out on whether this combination will work well in wet conditions. In cold conditions I think it’ll be fine because screaming barfies are a fact of life for ice climbers and I’m not expecting cozy warm hands while climbing.

In particular I went with the MEC Vertige gloves and a pair of Icebreaker Quantum liner gloves. I was able to grip the tools well and managed to work with my gear and place a couple of screws with surprising manual dexterity while wearing these gloves.

Update: And interesting post on the topic of gloves for winter mountain sports.

Update 2: Another great post on keeping hands warm.