Picking the right winter hiking gloves starts with what your hands actually need to do out there, well before the number printed on the label. For an all-rounder that handles wind and wet snow equally well, the Black Diamond Gridtech Storm Hood Gloves is our top pick thanks to its modular design. For mountaineering and ski touring, where every carabiner clip matters, the Salewa Ortles Durastretch takes the lead. For light urban wear with real touchscreen needs, the North Face Etip does exactly the job it was designed for.
- Best overall: Black Diamond Gridtech Storm Hood Gloves, the 2-in-1 system that adapts to whatever the sky throws at you
- Best for technical dexterity: Salewa Ortles Durastretch, for handling ropes, ice screws and ski bindings without fumbling
- Best for light urban use: The North Face Etip Recycled, keeps your touchscreen working without adding bulk
Table of contents
- The comparison: warmth, dexterity, waterproofing
- Why layering beats one thick glove
- Winter hiking gloves and dexterity, the compromise most get wrong
- What wet snow reveals about waterproofing and breathability
- Black Diamond Gridtech Storm Hood Gloves, a modular glove for changing weather
- Salewa Ortles Durastretch, precision handling for ski touring
- The North Face Etip Recycled, a touchscreen glove for short dry outings
- Which winter hiking gloves match your activity
Warmth against dexterity against waterproofing
None of these three winter hiking gloves ticks every box at once, and that’s exactly what should steer your choice. Black Diamond leans into weather versatility. Salewa leans into precision handling. North Face leans into everyday connectivity. Here’s how they stack up on the three things that matter when your hands are cold.
| Model | Warmth level | Dexterity | Waterproofing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Diamond Gridtech Storm Hood Gloves | Manufacturer range -9°C to 0°C | Good, thumb and index touch inserts | Excellent with the storm hood (20,000mm membrane), none without it |
| Salewa Ortles Durastretch | Moderate on the move, limited when static in real cold | Excellent, pre-shaped fingers and flexible softshell | Moderate, DWR treatment but no full membrane |
| The North Face Etip Recycled | Low, built for activity or short use | Excellent, touchscreen on all 5 fingers | None, lets water and wind through |
Why layering beats one thick glove
We covered this exact principle for jackets in our best Gore-Tex hiking jackets comparison: stacking several thin, complementary layers beats one thick piece that’s supposed to do everything. The same logic applies to winter hiking gloves. A thin layer against the skin that moves moisture out, an insulating layer that traps warmth, and an outer shell that blocks wind and water once the weather turns.
The Black Diamond Gridtech builds this logic into a single product. The fleece glove handles the breathable insulating role, and the removable 3-layer nylon storm hood adds a shell the moment wind picks up or snow turns wet. On ultralight hiking forums, the trick that comes up most often for pushing these winter hiking gloves into deep cold is slipping a thin merino liner underneath, which effectively rebuilds the full three-layer system.
The Salewa works differently. There’s no removable outer shell, everything is built into one softshell piece lined with merino wool. That’s a deliberate trade for anyone who wants feel and precision over modularity. The North Face Etip, meanwhile, slots naturally into the liner role under a bulky ski mitt, exactly how reviewers who wear it through winter describe using it.
Winter hiking gloves and dexterity, the compromise most get wrong
A good winter glove needs to let you grip a trekking pole, pull out your phone for a photo, or check a compass without stripping your hands bare every time. Most heavily insulated winter hiking gloves sacrifice this first, chasing maximum warmth until any precise task becomes impossible.
The North Face Etip is the clearest example of this trade-off, in both directions. Its Etip U|R Powered tech covers all five fingers, where entry-level gloves stop at the index, so you can type a message or run a GPS app without ever taking them off. In exchange, this is the thinnest of the three winter hiking gloves, and the one that loses heat fastest under 0°C.
Salewa tackles the problem from another angle. Its anatomically pre-shaped fingers and stretchy softshell fabric give near-bare-hand precision for clipping a carabiner or adjusting a ski binding, without leaning on touchscreen tech at all. Black Diamond sits in between, with touch inserts limited to thumb and index, enough to unlock a phone but less precise than a fully touchscreen-capable glove.
What wet snow reveals about waterproofing and breathability
Dry powder snow is easy on all three. Wet snow, the kind you get late in the day or right around 0°C, shows which of these winter hiking gloves keep water out.
Black Diamond performs best once the storm hood is deployed. Its rated 20,000mm membrane blocks rain and wet snow effectively while still letting sweat escape during hard effort. Salewa handles dry snow and light weather well thanks to its PFC-free DWR treatment, but without a fully sealed membrane, heavy rain or soaked snow will eventually get through. The North Face Etip lets both water and wind through, since it’s built for dry conditions and quickly overwhelmed once snow starts melting in your palm.
On breathability, Black Diamond’s grid fleece moves moisture out well during hard effort like a ski touring ascent, and Salewa’s Alpine Merino Responsive lining does the same job while avoiding overheating on intense climbs. These two winter hiking gloves take different routes to the same result: keeping hands dry from the inside as well as shielded from the outside.
Black Diamond Gridtech Storm Hood Gloves, a modular glove for changing weather
At 60 grams a pair, the Black Diamond Gridtech Storm Hood Gloves answers a simple problem: what do you do when the weather flips three times on the same outing? The fleece glove alone breathes well and keeps good freedom of movement for trail running or fast-hiking. The moment wind picks up or rain shows up, the removable nylon storm hood deploys in seconds and turns the glove into near-waterproof protection.
In the field, hikers who use these winter hiking gloves for pitching a tent in the rain or blocking a cold gust praise this instant switch the most. The wrist opening for a GPS watch avoids creating a cold gap mid-hike, and the silicone grip on the palm holds trekking poles well.
Among the winter hiking gloves in this comparison, the Black Diamond Gridtech brings real weather versatility thanks to its removable storm hood, handles moisture well under effort, and gets the details right with its GPS watch notch, thumb and index touch inserts, and excellent silicone grip on the palm. On the downside, it’s too light on its own for static use or Raynaud’s-type cold sensitivity, the folded storm hood creates a small bulge at the wrist that feels awkward under a tight sleeve, and the palm has no abrasion reinforcement, which rules it out for heavy rope work.
Salewa Ortles Durastretch, precision handling for ski touring
The Salewa Ortles Durastretch is built around one specific problem: actually feeling what you’re handling while moving fast, whether on a ski touring ascent or ice climbing. The goat leather palm, listed on Salewa’s official product page, takes repeated friction against a rope or an ice axe handle in stride, while the Alpine Merino Responsive lining regulates heat without turning your hand into a sweaty mess on a hard climb.
This is a softshell glove, built for precision rather than the piste. On static stretches at camp or a belay in real cold, it shows its limits fast, and its PFC-free DWR treatment handles dry snow and gives way under a persistent downpour. Salewa also makes a warmer, fully waterproof version (Ortles Powertex) for anyone who wants something other than pure dexterity, a role this model leaves to its sibling.
As technical winter hiking gloves go, the Salewa Ortles Durastretch offers exceptional dexterity thanks to its pre-shaped fingers, smart thermal regulation under hard effort, a goat leather palm that holds up well against abrasion, and a short, stretchy cuff that tucks neatly under a jacket. The trade-off is warmth that falls short when you’re static in real cold, and without a fully waterproof membrane, it saturates under heavy rain.
The North Face Etip Recycled, a touchscreen glove for short dry outings
The The North Face Etip Recycled knows exactly what it is: a thin, urban-friendly glove, worlds away from an expedition piece. Its Etip U|R Powered tech covers all five fingers with a silicone palm grip that holds a phone well, and the build uses 93% recycled polyester. It’s the obvious pick for a daily commute, a cool-morning run, or as a discreet liner tucked under a bulky mitt.
Its limit is clear and North Face doesn’t hide it, this sits at the lowest warmth tier in the range, and it lets water and wind straight through. One more thing to flag, the current version lost some of the stretch at the wrist compared to older versions, which can make it harder to pull on over wider hands. Size up if you’re on the fence rather than fight a stiff seam every time.
The North Face Etip Recycled offers the best touchscreen compatibility of the three winter hiking gloves, on all 5 fingers, stays light and comfortable for everyday wear, holds a phone securely with its silicone grip, and uses a high share of recycled materials. It also has the lowest warmth level of the three, unsuited to static use under 0°C, it lets water and wind through, and its wrist is stiffer than before, so try it on first if your hands are wide.
Which winter hiking gloves match your activity
| Best overall | Black Diamond Gridtech Storm Hood Gloves, for adapting to weather that keeps changing |
| Best for mountaineering and ski touring | Salewa Ortles Durastretch, for a level of handling precision neither of the other two matches |
| Best for urban and touchscreen use | The North Face Etip Recycled, for daily wear and short outings in dry weather |
All three are active gloves, built for movement, and hours of sitting still in real cold call for expedition-grade mitts. If that’s your main use case, look at that kind of mitt instead. For most hikers who move, sweat, stop, and move again, the choice between these three winter hiking gloves comes down to one honest question: what exactly are your hands going to do between two pairs pulled too fast out of your pack. Worth checking too is your 72-hour survival kit, which should already include a dry spare pair. Our four survival terrains guide and our complete bushcraft guide round out the thinking on kitting out your extremities, and our piece on carbon monoxide risk in a closed shelter is worth reading before any winter night out.