Outdoor Research Alti Gloves

My new go-to gloves for cold weather!

Well these are now the gloves against which I compare all other gloves and mittens. They are extremely warm and have proven to be very durable so far (I've not had them very long, though). I've used them in -20°F windchill with gusts up to 30 mph and in warmer, wetter weather. They've been bullet proof so far.

In fact, these are the first pair of gloves that I've owned that allow my fingers to warm up in sub-zero weather. What I mean is this: usually in sub-zero temperatures, if my bare fingers are exposed it's pretty much game over. I have to ball them up in a mitten or grab a chemical hand warmer to get my fingers warmed back up again. Amazingly, I was able to just slip my cold, stiff hands back into these gloves and, within about 10 minutes of casual walking, they were warm!

These come with liners and a cinch cord that goes around the wrist to keep track of the outers. I went for a hike this past weekend where it started of very cold but by mid-day it was in the mid-20s. I was able to wear just the liners for the majority of the afternoon and let the outers dangle. As the sun went down, it was easy to pop the outers on and get toasty warm fingers. They seem to breathe well, but my hands don't sweat much so it's hard to tell for sure.

The only real complaints I have are with the sizing and liners. First, the most trivial: the liners are supposed to be touch screen compatible. They have pads sewn onto the thumb and pointer/index finger to allow operation of a touch screen but they were flaky at best and completely useless at worst. I don't see this as a big deal.

Somewhat more annoying is the fit. The length of my hand is 8.5" so I ordered a large. The liners are huge on me, with lots of excess room in my finger tips (possibly why I had trouble with the touchscreen) and palm. The outer, on the other hand, feels like the fingers are much too short. It also has a pretty wide palm but that doesn't bother me—it's the short, stiff fingers that make these gloves feel a bit clumsy. Maybe this is intentional; kind of like a mitten/glove hybrid where the fingers are really just for the upper segments of the fingers. That makes sense from a warmth perspective but you do take a hit on dexterity.

Still, these gloves are warmer than any mitten I own and offer more dexterity than a mitten, so I consider them to be an excellent bit of kit. 

I have read many negative reviews about these gloves, and a few positive ones, but I recently purchased a pair on sale.

My hands are a problem to keep warm in the winter due to the fact that in order to maintain dexterity you can't have a lot of insulation over them, and in order to keep them warm you must. So, therein lies the problem.

I live in the Arctic and spend a lot of time working outside in temperatures below -40 C, so I am particular about the clothing I wear. What I discovered about the Alti Glove is that they work just fine. In comparison with the Black Diamond Guide Glove, which I also own, I would have to say that they are on par, if not better.

My only complaint is that the Alti Glove does not have Pittards leather palm, but have chosen for some reason to go with AlpinGrip which seems to be less robust. But, if it is any indication as to how well these can insulate, I slept outside at -42 C with just my clothes and Alti Gloves and they kept my hands warm. I should caution that I was dressed very well, was well fed and hydrated.

If anyone reading this article decides to purchase these, please remember that gloves are inherently "less warm" than mitts for obvious reasons and gloves, more so than mitts, should fit well. For extreme cold and when I don't need my fingers separated I go with OR Alti Mitts with thin liner gloves inside.

These gloves are very warm! A little to warm for the 14ers and lower 48 mountains. I took them to Pico De Orizaba and they worked perfectly on the glacier and in the morning up there. The dexterity was great considering they are comfort rated from -5 to -20. They are a great glove and I can't wait to use them on Acon!

I bought the medium and they worked well. I am 6'1" and so I tried the large, but they were too big. They are warm and a perfect pair if you want separate the liner from the shell on warmer days, or use the pair on cold days.