realskiers
Skis and Gear Discussion => Gear Garage => Topic started by: ToddW on November 13, 2012, 07:38:06 pm
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As LP knows, my previous Hestra "waterproof" gloves fail after about 4 hours of heavy rain. That's a pity since some of the best NE skiing is in the rain.
Last year, Mountain Hardwear's OutDry technology caused a stir on Epic. So I decided to give them a try. I bought the Bazuka model, an act which could have had potentially universe-ending consequences since Ron reportedly bought them last year. Since I skied with them this weekend and the universe appears largely intact, I'm betting that he sold them long ago. (Ron and I are like matter and anti-matter -- let us occupy the same niche and kaboom! )
Friday had a high in the low 40s at Loveland, Saturday the mid 20's at A-Basin, and on Sunday the base of Chair 1 at Loveland hung around 4* all day. The gloves were comfortable throughout this temperature range. They're well built, but a touch bulky. I had to open my pole straps (velcro strap on old Scott Slalom Series 4) almost to the max to accomodate them (size XL.)
I haven't yet skied in the rain with them. LP will have to come up to Killington again this Spring to help me put them through their paces in the rain. I'll post again when I have experience with the OutDry water protection.
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Since I skied with them this weekend and the universe appears largely intact, I'm betting that he sold them long ago. (Ron and I are like matter and anti-matter -- let us occupy the same niche and kaboom! )
LOL -- being a physicist, you would know. ;) Wouldn't want to ride in the same gondola with both of you guys.
....since some of the best NE skiing is in the rain.
I never would have believed that until two years ago Gary and his diminutive but forcefully persuasive wife literally blackmailed my family and I to ski at their local hill (upstate NY) in a steady light rain and drizzle. All of us were repulsed by the idea of getting soaked from the rain, but to our delight, the snow was fantastic and we all had a blast. Intermittent thick fog was added just to make it interesting. I've since skied in the rain several times here at Blue, and just love it now.
Good luck with the gloves, Todd....
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Todd brings back a memory of a semi-sweet day. Great skiing in some intense rain.
Todd may recall that I was a participant in that Epic thread about MH Outdry gloves. Put my money where my mouth is and purchased a pair, skied with them all last season. I'm still smiling. Great waterproof gloves with high capability to vent trapped moisture from building up inside the glove. I did not ski with them in really cold weather as it was very moderate last year. They do have removable liners and as the temps rose I would take the liners out. Mountain Hardware has a life time satisfaction guarantee that was a factor in my decision to buy.
High Angles has high praise for MH's Outdry jackets. I've come close to pulling the trigger on the Alacasm model, just can't get past the fact I've too many jackets already.
As Ron still lurks here, I'm sure he's smiling at Todd's matter/antimatter analogy. In technique and equipment, it sure exists, gloves may be the middle ground.
And, Todd, I hope we can make some turns in non-liquid precipitation this season. I may try the PMTS eastern event if the dates are good.
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As Ron still lurks here, I'm sure he's smiling at Todd's matter/antimatter analogy.
Well, it was easier for me to write that than to say "Holy Cow, Ron was right!" :o
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I bought the Bazuka model, an act which could have had potentially universe-ending consequences since Ron reportedly bought them last year. Since I skied with them this weekend and the universe appears largely intact, I'm betting that he sold them long ago. (Ron and I are like matter and anti-matter -- let us occupy the same niche and kaboom! )
Interesting, Todd. Have you considered that Ron may have been right about skis and technique as well?? :-\
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Well, it was easier for me to write that than to say "Holy Cow, Ron was right!" :o
Ron may not always be right, but, in his mind, he's never wrong (except about the effects of Sandy).
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Interesting, Todd. Have you considered that Ron may have been right about skis and technique as well?? :-\
Jim,
Long, long ago when the Earth was young and shaped skis were new and skis were cambered, Ron was a big Head Supershape fan. Then entropy set in .... Chaos and Darkness fell upon skierdom. A Dark Age of skiing arose during which rational knowledge was replaced by mysticism and the words of false prophets ("132-98-123 R 17.2m CARVE IT. FLOAT IT. CONQUER IT ALL!") Size and rocker became king.
As for me, I steadfastly remain an old-fashioned empirical rationalist. After listening this weekend to instructor clinics at 2 areas, ski patrol training at one, and watching a well-known PSIA-RM examiner ski a coupla runs, I'm more convinced than before that only a small clique of coaches headquartered in Dumont is right about technique. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. (And the more wrong I am, the more stubbornly I'll stick to it ::) )
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I hope they work out well for you, Todd! I'm curious what membrane and seam tape they use in them. Making a glove that'll stay dry and breathable is pretty tough. It's hard enough to get tapes that won't peel and membranes that won't delaminate for use in garments. The life of a glove sounds like hell for that type of thing.
My rain glove experiment this year will be my pair of these: http://glacierglove.com/perfect-curve-glove.html (http://glacierglove.com/perfect-curve-glove.html)
They're warm, grippy, waterproof, and durable. I've got a couple seasons of cold-weather kayaking out of mine so far, and they're still awesome. Glued & stitched means they'll stay wet inside for weeks if you forget to turn them inside-out to dry.. ;D
I figure if they keep my hands warm when immersed in snowmelt in March, they'll probably be okay with a bit of rain.
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I own two pairs of the MH OutDry-based gloves and I've been very happy with them. Sierra Trading Post still puts them up for sale for ridiculously low prices (and with the 35% off specials they send me it's just crazy to not buy them).
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Last year I bought a pair of Columbia (Columbia owns Mountain Hardwear) OutDry gloves and have been very happy with them. Warm and keeps my sweaty hands pretty dry so far.
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Smackboy1: Now that is interesting information. I didn't know that Columbia owned MH, and buying good quality at Columbia prices is really an interesting option. I have a pair of Columbia hiking shoes as well as ski jacket and pants, and have been really happy with all of it.
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My understanding is that Columbia has owned MH for a several years, and, more recently purchased the "Out Dry" technology from an Itialian company. I just checked Columbia's website and the use of Out Dry appears limited to shoes and gloves. Mountain Hardware uses the Out Dry process as a major component in jackets and pants.
High Angles stated last year that Mountain Hardware would become much more a high end, high price line to differentiate MH from Columbia and directly compete with the high end lines such as ArcTeryx. Prices for MH 2013 ski gear do seem to reflect that merchandising philosophy.
I do wonder if all the discussion about the weird sizing of Mountain Hardware jackets will result in more typical sizing patterns. Try it on before you buy.
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It's not much of a test, but the gloves handled 2 hours of rain this afternoon with no problems.
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I was in the Columbia outlet store and found that they had a few pair of Outdry gauntlet gloves with leather palm, Omni heat, and battery powered electric heating elements. MSRP of $400, sale price of $90.
I didn't let the fact that they were women's models slow me down even a little bit -- the woman large fit me just fine.
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Jim
And what size did you buy Lynn for Valentine's Day?
FWIW,
My theory is that the MH Outdry gloves are not designed to be very warm as heavy insulation makes hands perspire, and, the resulting moisture is a problem to vent. The design appears to minimal insulation, high venting of moisture resulting in a dry glove. My advice is to try them without the electronics, and see what happens. Do yours come with an inner liner? They are a little cool, but, rarely do my hands feel cold. During 2 cold weeks this year, they still worked great.
Great buy! Enjoy!
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MIKE: :o What kind of a Valentine's Day gift would that be. For Christmas, yeah! But for Valentine's Day, ski gloves would be an awfully "cold" gift (pun certainly intended).
I certainly view the electronics as frosting. The real attraction was the OutDry fabric and the price markdown. The silvery dotted OmniHeat liner was the next "feature". Keep the hand heat in, keep the wind out.
We did have a couple of days recently at less than 10 degrees with 20 mph winds blowing in our faces going up the lift when my hands cooled of a bit -- I would have turned the heat on for the lift ride up -- then off at the top.
I don't want the gloves to feel warm, just not cold. It's a subtle place in the middle, but like you said, if your hands feel warm then they are probably going to sweat a little bit. Will be fun to see how they work.
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MIKE: :o What kind of a Valentine's Day gift would that be. For Christmas, yeah! But for Valentine's Day, ski gloves would be an awfully "cold" gift (pun certainly intended).
I certainly view the electronics as frosting. The real attraction was the OutDry fabric and the price markdown. The silvery dotted OmniHeat liner was the next "feature". Keep the hand heat in, keep the wind out.
Jim,
We all know the fastest way to a woman's heart is via her nice warm hands. You know, like putting a diamond on one.
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Jim,
We all know the fastest way to a woman's heart is via her nice warm hands. You know, like putting a diamond on one.
I'm thinking I need to "moderate" this thread before anyone else reads it.
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;D :P ;D
Too late.