Another Product Review: Winter Gloves

I know I've been giving Ski Rack a lot of love recently, but there's a reason for that: they carry good gear at reasonable prices, and create an atmosphere where elite athletes and weekend warriors alike are welcomed.

I suffer from a condition called Raynaud's, which means that my fingers and toes are painfully frozen at any temperature lower than about 50 degrees.  I wear gloves in the frozen food section of the grocery store year round. As a result, winter running can be incredibly painful.  I've tried gloves, I've tried mittens. Thin gloves result in pain, huge mittens result in hands that get so clammy, I have to take them off mid-run.  Not a great solution on either end.

When I was in Ski Rack last weekend, the 180s Ultralite Running glove was recommended to me.  I was skeptical to say the least. The fabric was thinner than most windbreakers, with a glove inside a mitten construction (hereafter: glitten). They did come with the required fleece strip for nose wiping (gross, but totally necessary. Don't lie, you do it too). I liked that I had the dexterity of a glove with the (alleged) warmth of a mitten.  At $25, they were much more reasonably priced than other running gloves.  I decided to give them a try, with the idea that they would at least be a good glitten for late Fall/early Spring.

Much to my surprise, they are really warm.  I've worn them comfortably from 30 degrees down to 0. My hands were a little warm at 30, and a little cold at 0, but I never had the throbbing/white/frozen feeling that I usually do.  They are particularly great between 10 and 25.  My hands were warm, but not sweaty. I would actually describe the feeling as comfortable, which is something my hands rarely are.

Overall, this is the best running glove I've come across:
*Preserves dexterity
*Option to be a glove (mitten tucks into itself) in warmer weather
*Metal touch pads to operate phone/iPod
*Wind/Water Resistant
*Reflective strips

Link to Ski Rack:
http://www.skirack.com/browse.cfm/4,10408.html

Link to 180s Website:
http://www.180s.com/