It’s a glove, it’s a mitten – no, it’s the Mountain Hardwear split mitt!

It’s a glove, it’s a mitten – no, it’s the Mountain Hardwear split mitt!

Mountain Hardwear split mitt

The Mountain Hardwear split mitt combines design features of gloves and mittens. Pam LeBlanc photo

And it’s the lobster claw gloves for the win – or, more specifically, the Mountain Hardwear split mitt.

I love to ski, but I hate getting cold. And until this season, I hadn’t found the right covering to keep my hands warm.

I tried ski gloves, but my fingers turned into popsicles. I’d pull my fingers out of their individual glove sockets on every lift ride up, then curl them into a ball to try to thaw out between runs. I liked having the use of my fingers, but my fingers got numb and I couldn’t use them anyway, so what’s the point?

Mountain Hardwear split mitt

The Mountain Hardwear split mitt has a separate pocket for the pointer finger. Pam LeBlanc photo

Then I got a pair of mittens, which made me feel like an oversized kid. I’d wear a pair of thin glove liners underneath and shoved a chemical hand warmer between the layers. That helped, but it felt awkward and bulky. I missed having the use of at least one finger, so I could clip my helmet on, adjust my boots, or pull out my camera.

Read more:  In Northern Idaho, don’t miss charming Lookout Pass ski area

This season, I tested a pair of Mountain Hardwear High Exposure GTX Split Mitts. They’re a cross between mittens and gloves. My thumb and pointer finger get their own cozy pockets; my last three fingers huddle together for warmth.

The gloves are made with Gore Tex and are wind and waterproof. Other things I like? They extend about 5 inches past my wrist and have a drawstring so no snow slips down my sleeve. They’re also equipped with a wrist leash, so I don’t lose them.

Most importantly, they’re toasty warm.

 

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My Mountain Hardwear down pants are the bomb – thanks to a Greylag goose in China

My Mountain Hardwear down pants are the bomb – thanks to a Greylag goose in China

Mountain Hardwear down pants

I love these new Stretchdown pants by Mountain Hardwear. Self-timer photo by Pam LeBlanc

First let me say I love the new slate blue insulated pants that Mountain Hardwear sent me to test drive.

They’re light. They’re fluffy. They’re slightly stretchy, yet oh so strong.

I tugged on the pants, which you might mistake for a down jacket, when I woke up to 48-degree temperatures last weekend while staying in Vincent VanGo, my campervan, at Seminole Canyon State Park. I slipped them on in the morning, when I got up to heat water for hot tea.

In a word, yum. Pulling on these pants felt like curling up in a bird’s nest lined with clouds, whipped cream, and silk.

Truthfully, I didn’t expect to love them. Who wants puffy pants? The Stay Pufft marshmallow man?

I was wrong.

Read more: What’s biltong? A less sweet, higher protein type of beef jerky

I’ll wear these pants on cold mornings when I’m camping. I might even wear them around the house on really cold days. They’d have come in handy during Snowpocalypse in Austin last February.

But I’m still chuckling, because the $250 pants came with an RDS – that’s Responsible Down Standard – tag to reassure me about the contents of the fill. Curious, I logged into the www.trackmydown.com website and typed in the lot number on the tag. Within seconds, I knew everything about the exact batch of down that was used to craft my puffers.

What are my Mountain Hardwear down pants filled with?

Mountain Hardwear down pants

These slightly stretchy down pants are perfect for camping. Pam LeBlanc photo

My pants, it turns out, were made with down from grey goose in China. The down was a byproduct of the food industry. The geese in question were Greylag geese, which are larger than ducks, and therefore grow larger down clusters.

It all reminded me of the episode of “Portlandia” in which a couple visits a restaurant and asks about the organic chicken on the menu. The waitress shows them paperwork with the chicken’s name (Colin) and the farm where it lived.

“They do a lot to make sure their chickens are happy,” the waitress clucks.

My down-filled pants have two hand pockets, one hidden zippered coin pocket, and elastic bands at the cuff. I’m not sure the name of the grey goose that contributed the fluff that fills them, but I certainly appreciate the animal, and I’m glad it was raised under strict animal welfare standards.

You can buy your own pair at REI or online at www.mountainhardwear.com.

 

 

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

Where is Pam?

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