The North Face Summit Series Patrol Gore-Tex Gloves are burly, but not bulky or heavy. These boast the rugged advantages of a leather shell to stand up against rock and rope, extra padding on the knuckles and a waterproof lining all in a lightweight and comfortable construction. The Heatseeker Eco Pro High-Performance Synthetic Insulation has worked for us in conditions at while the soft fleece lining is enough that you can wear them in milder conditions too.
Curved fingers mean you can wear them comfortably all day long. In addition to weather protection, mountaineering gloves really need to be easy to get on and off in a hurry, and without being dropped, and this pair has all the bells and whistles needed to keep them functional. Wrist leashes ensure you can remove them to take photos or check your without losing them and a cuff pull makes them easy to get on in a hurry or over .
There's also a carabiner loop on the ring finger if you want to attach them to your pack and keep them close to hand. A soft nose wipe on the thumb means there's no need to go digging for tissues when you're climbing up a steep slope and your nose is running faster than your legs. These gloves are more about protection than they are about dexterity, and you shouldn't expect to be able to operate your phone with them, but you can adjust the buckles on your ski boots no problem.
If you compare them to a pair of ski gloves, they're eye-wateringly expensive, but bear in mind these are meant for alpine .
