The chunky padding might look cumbersome, but once you slide your hand into the fleece lining, they feel like driving gloves a rich grandmother might wear. Well articulated, the pre-bent padding wraps comfortably around the top of the hand and along the fingers, and moves easily. Grip your poles, adjust zippers, light a cigarette, or hang the bird- anything you cant be bothered to take your gloves off for is no stress in these gloves. The Kevlar Shield with fabric coated padding protects your hands from the trees and icy conditions, something you might not normally expect a glove to provide.

What you do expect from a glove is warmth and waterproofing. The Palm X delivers on this front. They aren’t the warmest gloves, but if you are skiing quick laps and subjecting yourself to anything but the coldest Rocky Mountain days, then these gloves are amply warm enough. On the Coast they held up to the wet maritime conditions incredibly well, especially for a glove that isn’t Goretex. The genuine cow-hide and Pittards goat leather grip on the palm is supple and durable for freeriders that ski hard day in day out, abusing their bodies and their gloves.

Many a sledder cast an envious eye towards these gloves for long bashes through the trees to reach the alpine. Bred from racing background and POC’s commitment to building functional products to protect you from not only the elements but the potential impacts associated with sliding on snow, these gloves are a good investment.