HOW DEXTROUS ARE SOME OF THESE GLOVES? A STILL FROM WINTER CLIMBING IN A-FLANKE BY BLACKDOOR FILMS SHOWING SUGURU TAKAYANAGI DELICATELY TOOLING, JAMING AND PLACING GEAR IN THE SHOWA HOLD GLOVES
MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE RIGHT NOW WE ARE GETTING INUNDATED WITH ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE JAPANESE WINTER WORK GLOVES WE USE, SOURCED THROUGH OUR SISTER COMPANY ALPINE CLIMBING JAPAN. IT’S NOT OFTEN WE ARE AHEAD OF THE TRENDS, BUT AS THE CLIMBING WORLD SWITCHES ONTO THE TEMRES GLOVES THEY ARE STARTING TO QUESTION THE NORMAL CLIMBING GLOVE MARKET, SO WE THOUGHT WE’D SHOW WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE.
BECAUSE YOU WILL ASK – YES WE CAN GET THEM. GO THROUGH THE ORDER FORM TO MAKE IT WORK.
ALL THESE GLOVES HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR DECADES IN VARIOUS FORMS BUT EACH YEAR THE STUFF ON THE SHELVES GETS UPDATED OR REPLACED. THIS IS WHAT’S COMMON IN NOVEMBER 2021. THERE ARE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF OPTIONS BUT THESE ARE THE ONES CHOSEN THE CLOSEST TO WHAT CLIMBERS WILL RECOGNIZE. THEY ARE ALL BREATHABLE/WATERPROOF DUE TO BEING AN ORGANIC POLYMER. THEY ALL WILL HANDLE A FEW SEASONS.
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ATLAS MIDWEIGHT
LAST YEAR THESE DIDN’T HAVE THE VELCRO CUFF. A GOOD ALL ROUND GLOVES THAT HANDLES MIXED ALPINE WELL
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SHOWA HOLD
VERY DEXTROUS AND STICKY, NICE WEIGHT, WATER RESISTANT BACK OF THE HAND
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SHOWA TEMRES 202 CLASSIC -60
THE ONES THAT STARTED IT ALL. MIDDLE OF THE PACK, EASY TO GET ON AND DRY FAST. A BIT CHEAPER THAN THE SPECIAL OUTDOOR VERSION.
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AOI THERMO -40
WHAT THE 282-2’s WISH THEY WERE. MUCH BETTER QUALITY, PLUSH LINER, BETTER CUT, MORE DEXTROUS AND MUCH WARMER.
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MAX THERMOREFLECT
SECOND WARMEST HERE, SHORT CUFF, STILL DEXTROUS. THE CHOICE FOR COLD BUT COMPLICATED CLIMBING. VERY STICKY PALMS.
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MAX THERMO LITE
TRUE DEXTROUS GLOVES BUT ALSO WARM. BREATHABLE BACK OF THE HAND SO THEY WON’T BLOCK WIND LIKE THE OTHERS, BUT NICELY PLUSH, VERY STICKY AND CONFORMING TO THE HAND.
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THESE GLOVES EXCEL BY HAVING NO SEAMS TO BLOW AND AFFECT SHAPE OR BULK, THEY ARE ALL MOLD FORMED TO BE PRE-SHAPED TO THE ERGONOMICS OF A HAND USING TOOLS, THEY ALL BREATH AS WELL AS LEATHER BUT WON’T WET OUT, AND THEY ARE ALL AS STICKY IF NOT MORE SO THAN CLIMBING SHOE RUBBER. THEY WILL FORM TO THE HAND SOMEWHAT. WHERE THEY LACK IS THE ABSENCE OF ANY CLIP LOOPS.
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WORTH NOTING IS HOW MOST OF THESE GLOVES SHOW THE EN511 RATING – A TEST SPECIFICALLY FOR GLOVES USED IN THE COLD THAT COVERS COLD RESISTANCE IN THE CATEGORIES OF CONVECTIVE HEAT LOSS, CONDUCTIVE HEAT LOSS AND WATERPROOFING, AND SOMETHING THAT SEEMS NEVER TO HAVE BEEN RAISED IN THE OUTDOOR INDUSTRY DESPITE THE HEAVY CITATION OF EN AND OTHER STANDARDS FOR SO MUCH ELSE.
