Gear Review: Columbia Carabineer Gloves

Toasty Digits
See more glove & mitten options from our 2010 Fall/Winter Gear Guide.

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The new thermal-reflective Omni-Heat lining in this glove is “one part space blanket, one part wicking synthetic, and one part disco ball,” says one tester. The black material with shiny silver dots (also used in the company’s Heat-Elite jacket, p. 44) is designed to reflect body heat while at the same time moving moisture from the skin to create a dry, warm glove without excess volume.

Columbia says Omni-Heat is 20 percent warmer than gloves of similar thickness, and our tester, who used them while heli-skiing in Alaska and Nordic skiing at Vermont’s Bolton Valley, agrees. “My hands stayed toasty and never got clammy no matter how hard I was pushing,” she says. “Plus, they’re more affordable than many other gloves of the same warmth. They became my go-to glove for everything from building snowmen to alpine skiing.” Verdict: a primo choice for high-output activity on raw days. $55; 5.3 oz.; (m’s and w’s S-XL); columbia.com

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