Keeping my pinkies warm and dry! (Trek Mates Avalanche GTX Ski Gloves)

Member Name: grahamt

Product:	Trek Mates Avalanche GTX Ski Gloves
Date:	10/11/08 (265 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: They use Gore-Tex insulation

Disadvantages: Usually expensive, but not if bought from TK Maxx

As you will have gathered from my various reviews, I am an enthusiastic skier. My wife and I look forward to our annual ski trip with great anticipation. In the past I have supplemented it with a "Boys Weekend" with guys from where I used to work, mostly to an apartment owned by one of them in Chamonix.

We have been skiing for many years and have assembled a set of clothing and equipment that these days we do not need to replace much, if at all. We are not, fortunately, fashion victims and so it is not important to us to only be seen on the slopes in the very latest colours and styles.

The one exception to this rule for me has been ski gloves. Over the years I have bought cheap and cheerful on the basis that gloves take the most battering and so getting only a couple of years of use out of them before throwing them away would not be an ordeal when they cost less than £15 a pair.

That was until a couple of years ago. I was in TK Maxx, where incredible bargains can be found at this time of year on skiwear, and there saw a pair of ski gloves from a manufacturer whose name was not familiar to me - Trek Mates. On the rack was a pair of Avalanche ski gloves for a less than £20, about half the RRP.

What made these gloves more exceptional than usual was that the insulation employed in them was Gore-Tex. Now, if you know your insulation you will know that there are basically two main brands, Gore-Tex and Thinsulate. All of the gloves I have previously bought have been gloves containing Thinsulate insulation. Gore-Tex gloves tend to be very much more expensive, which is why I have never previously bothered with them.

However, at that price I just had to give them a try. I needed to find out if the claims for Gore-Tex were justified and why my friends have always sworn by them. The purchase was made.

The glove has a rubberised surface to the palm and the inside of the fingers as well as to the side of the thumb and this gives an excellent grip on the pole handle as well as preventing damage and wear to the glove. The cuff is extended but not elasticated. It is certainly long enough to overlap the sleeve of your jacket and in practice I noticed no draughts. If you find a problem though, there is a drawstring through the cuff rim that can be tightened.

The first time I used them I knew immediately that these gloves were just a whole different level above the ones I had used previously. The felt completely comfortable and remained warm throughout all the weather conditions thrown at them, including that year, unfortunately, occasional drizzle. The insides stayed dry, both from the weather and from the inevitable sweat that comes as a result of exertion and excitement.

When I took them off after a hard day's skiing they felt as good as new although I still made sure that they got a good airing overnight. In the morning they were ready to use again and didn't need to be rotated with an alternative pair, even though I had brought two other old, cheap pairs with me. During the entire holiday they were the only ones I wore.

The second year (last year), putting them back on they felt just like new whereas in the past there could never have been any doubt that the cheaper ones had already had an outing. The insides didn't feel rough and the insulation compacted like the cheap ones do when they have had even as little as a week's use.

I will probably buy another pair of Trek Mates' Gore-Tex gloves for this years skiing holiday, even though I don't really need to. I just wouldn't feel comfortable with just a single pair; you need to be prepared for unexpected emergencies. They will, however, be the last ones I shall probably ever buy, and I will undoubtedly get them, once again, from TK Maxx.

Summary: The best ski gloves I have ever used