And this time, we’re rolling out an article for New York Magazine’s The Strategist column. The subhead reads “Whether you’re grabbing a ski pole or a G-train pole.” Here we go:
“I’ll admit that I was the type of person who purchased a cheap pair of knit gloves at the start of every winter and simply hoped for the best. Those gloves developed holes quickly and riddled my text messages with typos despite supposedly being touchscreen-compatible. They were invariably discarded and left to languish at the bottom of various tote bags, never to be worn again. I’ve since found that investing in a sleeker and more dexterous pair of winter gloves makes life much easier during the colder months. Whether you’re walking to the subway, running around the park, or taking a selfie on a ski lift, the right pair will keep your hands cozy and comfortable without getting too sweaty or preventing you from swiping on your smartphone.”
Best gloves for women overall: Black Diamond Midweight Screentap Fleece Gloves $45. Combining stretch fleece on the back of the hand with U|R Powered conductive fleece on palm and fingers, the MidWeight ScreenTap gloves bring touchscreen functionality to your ski, run, hike or cold-weather commute.
Oyuki Sugi GORE-TEX Ski Gloves $80. When buying gloves for the slopes, the most important thing is that they have to be waterproof, windproof, and breathable. Olympic snowboarder Aimee Fuller says that these Oyukis are her favorite gloves because they are lightweight yet versatile, keep your hands warm, and have good movement for holding and grabbing items.
Oh, well. These Eddie Bauer Guide Pro Smart Heated Lite Gloves are $187. If you’re doing intense outdoor work or just don’t want to have cold fingers ever, heated gloves are the best option. In addition to thick insulation, these have a rechargeable heating element to keep you warm on the go. Strategist contributing writer Jessica Silvester tested Eddie Bauer’s AI-powered heated gloves (that automatically adjust their internal heating elements according to the outside temperature) over the course of two months and found them to be surprisingly adaptive. While she mostly used them for cold-weather walking around town, they came in handy during a game of paddle. Silvester notes that there is a bit of a learning curve with these gloves when it comes to their battery life, as your dominant hand will require more battery power to keep warm than the other. Still, especially on milder winter days, her hands stayed “positively cozy” while wearing these — with heat “piping in from everywhere and nowhere at once.”
White Paws Run Mitts, $40, are kinda handy.
If you’re not so fussed about using your fingers to change songs while running, a pair of mittens will be warmer than gloves. Chelsea Rizzo and Allison Levy, the co-founders of Brooklyn-based outdoor-clothing brand Hikerkind, told me about these snuggly convertible ones, with a flip top and a secret pocket to stash a hand warmer on particularly frigid days. Should you need to use your hands to text or tie your shoelaces, it’s easy enough to briefly free your fingers for full dexterity. Rizzo calls the design “super functional and streamlined.”
