Snowboard Mittens

Snowboard Mittens at Behind The Pines Amsterdam

Around forty mittens, and Hestra makes most of them: the waxed goat leather Wakayama, the Army Leather Gore-Tex, the reMix, Fall Line and Leather Box, plus the Abisko Ecocuir for anyone who would rather not buy leather. Alongside those, Pow's XG MID and Wayback Gore-Tex Short, Howl's Jed and Down, the Volcom Stay Dry and the Arc'teryx Sabre Mitten.

Two quite different buyers shop this page. One wants a mitt still on their hands in eight seasons and does not mind maintaining it. The other wants warm, waterproof and replaceable, with no thinking involved. The rest of this page is about telling them apart.

Mittens are warmer. The question is what you give up.

A mitten beats a glove of the same construction, insulation and price, and it is not close. Four fingers sit in one chamber and heat each other instead of each radiating through its own shell, and there is less surface area for that heat to leave through. That is geometry, not something a brand engineered.

What you give up is your hands. You cannot work a binding ratchet, pull a zip or answer a message with a mitt on, so you take it off, and taking a mitt off on a cold chairlift is how hands actually get cold: twenty minutes of warm air leaves at once. The riders who regret mittens are the ones in and out of their pockets all day. If that sounds like you, read the snowboard gloves page instead.

Leather or synthetic

A leather mitt behaves like a leather boot. The Wakayama, Army Leather Gore-Tex and Leather Box start stiff, soften over a few days and end up shaped to your hand, in exchange for waxing two or three times a season. The Pow XG MID, Howl Jed and Volcom Stay Dry ask nothing of you: waterproof from day one, cheaper to replace when a palm wears through. For two weeks a year on snow that is often the smarter buy, and nobody should be talked into leather.

Liners and the three-finger middle ground

A removable liner is the quietly useful feature: pull it out and the shell dries overnight, instead of you pushing a hand into a damp mitt the next morning. Hestra builds them through much of its range and sells the Patrol Liner Mitt separately. And if you want mitt warmth without losing every finger, the Arc'teryx Sabre Index Mitt is here, though most trigger-style models we carry sit under gloves.

How mittens fit with the rest of your kit

Hands go cold first and usually get the smallest budget. A mitt wants a base layer from thermal underwear under a jacket whose cuffs suit it. The whole handwear range sits in snow gloves, and every Hestra model in Hestra gloves.

What to look for in a snowboard mitt

• Shell and membrane: Gore-Tex or Hestra's Czone for wet storm days, leather for cold dry weather and a longer life, provided you wax it.
• Cuff length: an over-cuff goes outside the jacket sleeve and sheds deep snow, an under-cuff is less bulky for lift-served days.
• Removable liner: dries the mitt overnight and gets worn alone off the hill, which decides whether day two is warm or miserable.
• Wrist leash: boring until you take a mitt off on a chairlift, then the only thing between you and the trees below.

Why buy snowboard mittens at Behind The Pines

We ride this gear, in the Alps in winter and Dutch drizzle the rest of the year, and we have had the cold hands that teach you what matters. In the shop on Ceintuurbaan 248 you can hold a Wakayama next to a Pow XG MID and feel the difference.

Tell us how you ride and how cold you run and we will say when the cheaper mitt is right. Everything ships from Amsterdam, with 30 days to send it back.

Frequently asked questions

Are mittens warmer than gloves?

Yes, clearly, at the same quality and price, because your fingers share one chamber and warm each other. The exception is the rider who keeps taking the mitt off, since every removal dumps the warm air.

How should a snowboard mitt fit?

Snug across the palm, with a few millimetres of air at the fingertips. A mitt crammed tight is a cold mitt, because the trapped air does much of the insulating. Size up if you plan to wear a liner.

Do leather mittens really need waxing?

Two or three times a season, and again after a soaking. Ten minutes with Hestra's leather balm is why a leather mitt lasts years rather than one winter. Dry them at room temperature, never on a radiator.

Can I use my phone with mittens on?

No, and any mitt claiming otherwise is overselling. The fix is a thin merino liner underneath, so your hand stays covered when the mitt comes off.

Mittens or gloves for snowboarding?

Mittens if warmth is the priority and you can accept strapping in with a liner on. Gloves if you need your fingers all day, which covers most park riders and anyone teaching.

Shop snowboard mittens at Behind The Pines Amsterdam

Hestra, Pow, Howl, Volcom, Arc'teryx and Transform mittens, shipping from Amsterdam. Still deciding? Compare them with the snowboard gloves, or see the rest of the kit in snow.