Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

so it got really cold here in Montana, and I wanted something other than my 15 year old Hestra 5 finger gloves. being mid-season, the stock in local stores was limited. I wanted the Hestra mitten, but they only had tiny sizes left. so I bought the Hestra Lobster mitt in my size. my concern of course that my pointer finger would be left stranded and therefore be cold. after a couple days of using them for lift served runs on days with minus temps, I can say that my concern about my pointer finger is confirmed, but, its also easy to put your pointer finger in the mitt space with the other fingers. what I really like is having these mitts in my pack to put on after skinning up the mountain. I know that Hestra costs 2X the FTPs, but the lifespan of my gloves is generally 10-15 years, so I am ok with the price. I also prefer the gauntlet cuff because it goes over my parka. the mitten keeper cuff( so you don't drop a mitt off the lift) is tight elastic on these so fits against your wrist, I actually prefer the draw cord that goes over your parka....

I never owned Hestra. However, you could walk me through an outfitting shop blindfolded, and I can easily tell you when I am walking by a Hestra display. The smell of their leather is very pleasing. Also, their leather has great hand; it feels unbelievable.

That being said, smell and feel are not enough for me to authorize a purchase. Glad to hear that @bauerb is happy with their product. Never heard any one complain about Hestra performance.

I have a pair of these exact same mittens and love them for skiing tours. When it gets too warm for the whole mitten I either just use only the liner (this could cause them to wear out faster, but it does work), or on multi day tours I have a lighter pair of gloves around.
Have used them between -20C for 7 years now, cannot fault them, and I haven't found myself wishing for something warmer.
In colder than -20C I rarely go out anyways.