Ortovox Tour Pro Cover Gloves Review

17/07/2024

By Felicity Thomas

I have very small hands. The sort of hands that are so small they can become a talking point at parties and a source of great delight when cracks narrow beyond the width of the average mortal’s digits. I have saved money over the years by purchasing child’s gloves. However, children’s gloves aren’t often made with ski-touring and mountaineering in mind. They tend to disintegrate with skin glue and/or lose their waterproofness at an alarming rate. 

So then, what to do—I have tried using regular adults gloves, but even at the XS size of unisex gloves I lose the dexterity needed to strip skins and adjust ski boot buckles, my fingers swimming in additional fabric. I end up having to take my gloves on and off. Something which isn’t too much of an issue in the temperate climate of New Zealand—until there is a howling wind during your transition and you end up with the screaming barfies and can’t think of much else during your long-anticipated ski descent. 

However, the TLDR summary, my quest to find the perfect ski touring and ski mountaineering glove seems to have ended. Last year I purchased the womens Ortovox Tour Pro Cover Gloves in XS. It was love at first sight, or at least first touch. They fitted my hand … wait for it … like a glove. The thin goat skin palm gives them great dexterity and the soft recycled merino lining makes them feel cozy but not bulky. When ski touring, I put them on and leave them on for skin track and descent. They even have mitten wind covers tucked away at the wrist for extra protection on those days with howling winds.

I find it reassuring to have a robust pair of gloves on my hand when the skin track gets firm. The temptation in New Zealand to skin without gloves on can be strong, sometimes you don’t even want to have ski-pants on, but having seen the results of ice burn on the face and hands of a friend who took a nasty tumble on hard-packed snow, I always try to have my extremities covered on the skin track and ski descent. The Ortovox Tour Pro Cover Gloves support this by being breathable enough for the skin track, but in most cases warm enough for the descent. If it’s forecast to be really cold, I do carry a pair of Hestra mittens with me, but I haven’t had to reach for them yet and I do this more as a safety measure. 

I also appreciate the commitment to sustainability Ortovox make with sourcing fabrics, including recycled wool. Sustainability attempts by brands often are just an excuse to try and sell more product at a higher margin by making very little change. But Ortovox is very clear about the composition of their products and provides a level of transparency over other ESG-related claims they are making as a brand. This is better than the efforts of many outdoor brands, but could still be better.

I don’t think these gloves are just for people with childlike paws either—they do come in a range of sizes and there is a men’s version. If you’re looking for a great all-round ski-touring glove that you can wear all day, I recommend checking them out.