Montane Extreme Mitt - AW22

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The warmth was excellent, easily up to the job in Alpine winter, Scotland and we would love to take them to the Greater Ranges, confident the UKC review budget would take more of a battering than our hands would in these warm, tough and fairly dextrous mitts.

We did come up with a negative for the Nebulas though, and that was fit. You can't go far wrong with mitts, as they aren't the most complex of designs, so of course the Nebulas went over our hands and kept them warm! But if we are looking closely then we thought that the mitt itself was slightly too narrow in shape, and the thumb section was hard to find with the thumb, and slightly too high up the mitt. Also we found the insulation or lining behind the hand on just one of the mitts seemed to fold over slighty, as if the inner was wider than the outer and didn't have anywhere to go. It could just have been our test model, so we'd say try before you buy. Gloves have individual fingers that allow you to move each finger separately. Mittens usually only have a separate thumb (although there are some on the market with a separate index finger that gives you increased warmth with decreased mobility. The material the product is made from is often a sign of the quality for gloves. Take a look at the product details over at Cotswold Outdoor to get a feel for this. People are often surprised when I tell them not to forget their sunglasses when they are heading to extremely cold places, a rookie mistake if there ever was one! The sunlight at high latitudes and altitudes is usually incredibly bright, especially when you consider the pure white reflection off the snow and ice. As with sunburn, don’t be caught out by the temperature or clouds up above. In a recent expedition to Alaska, one of my teammates experienced severe snow blindness which can be very painful and last for days. Protecting your eyes with sunglasses or goggles is crucial for safety. They also provide a great shield from the wind from moving ice and snow in polar climates. Eye protection should always be high up on your list of adventure essentials!

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That’s why we’ve pulled together this list of key factors for Montane Extreme Glove below, to help you choose if it’s the right product for you and your budget.

When buying gloves, the quality of the product is going to be one of the factors that you really scrutinise before you commit to buying. PrimaLoft Gold insulation / Pertex Shield / Kevlar stitching / split-finger lining / BDry waterproof insert. Whilst taking part in the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra, I used the Punk Balaclava for the first time and it didn’t disappoint. As we know, a large proportion of our body heat is lost through our head so, once again, this is another essential piece of cold weather kit for climbing, hiking, running or any adventure where you are battling against the cold elements. “The Punk” as I like to call it, provides durable warmth and insulation, with breathability (nose and mouth) and true comfort is considered in the design. I have used it under both an outer shell hood and a helmet too without any issues to report, an absolute must have! 5. A good baselayer The palms of the mitts have a grippy reinforced material that seems fairly hard wearing (so far) but we don't think it has quite the beef of a real leather palm (get it!). The leather feels quite soft in comparison to some of the other gloves here, like the Rab Guide – so it’s perhaps a little less durable. However, this makes the glove feel nicely dexterous straight from the get-go with that worn in comfort felt from day one. Full Specifications

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The idea of carrying two gloves is to keep the warmer pair as dry as possible. When winter climbing, on particularly wet days, I’ll travel with a third pair that I can switch over at belay stances, or when my main gloves become a little too damp to perform. Gore-Tex / Pittards Atacama Goat leather / further Pittards reinforcement / PrimaLoft Gold – 60g/m2. They have a really comfortable micro-fleece liner, and the Pertext outer fabric, whilst not as tough as the leather palm, certainly held the down well and was completely wind-proof. I’ve been using both the Guide Long and Short for the past year or so as my go-to glove. Once the leather has been broken in, the glove gives an extremely comfortable fit, with just about enough dexterity and warmth to allow you to do just about anything with minimal issues. Full Specifications

It’s fairly beefed up, but despite this, there’s still good dexterity. It has a very slightly pre-curved construction and the leather is supple enough without being flimsy. This covers the whole palm and then wraps around and over the index finger. The down insulated Ulvetanna mitts from Berghaus are by far the warmest in this test and are clearly aimed at extremely cold temperatures and high altitudes. They are overkill for Scottish winter, but could be a finger saver in the harshest of Alpine winter conditions. But they are best suited to the Greater Ranges.Mitts: perhaps not the sexiest of outdoor clothing, but if the weather is at its worst, or you suffer from cold extremities, then these are the things that will make the biggest difference to your hands. There are however some methods that you can use to determine a product’s quality without needing to physically have it.