Review last updated 11/30/2016

When it comes to snow hikes and mountaineering, finding the perfect go-to glove has been an ongoing battle for me. Wind stoppers are perfect for covering up on those late-spring, blue-bird in days but simply not enough for alpine starts or steep slopes where snow and ice contact is inevitable. Stepping up to mid-weight gloves, I’ve found myself stuck picking between adequate insulation and useful dexterity while waterproofing has been a distant dream unless I invested a small fortune. Stepping all the way up to guide-level gloves does of course keep the elements out but those are simply too bulky and hot for me to want use while moving. For two years I’ve searched for the perfect all around glove with no winners.

Then this summer I randomly swung into the Whittaker’s Mountaineering Shop on the way up Mount Rainier and found myself gawking at the Black Diamond Arc gloves. Waterproof, insulated, mid-weight, they got my attention from a start. With a sub-freezing forecast for the mountain, they did more than that in fact; they joined me on my trip to the summit the next day.

Arc Gloves: A [obvious] combination of alpine features that no one else seems to have

Six months later, I’ve had the chance to use my Arc Gloves across a variety of conditions from near zero in the snow & ice on Rainier to just a little chilly on a rocky fall day at Mount St. Helens. What keeps them in my pack and more so on my hands as my increasingly go-to glove (my default is still contractor gloves but that’s a story for another post) has been more their overall performance than any one feature:

• A mid weight that offers real dexterity: Arc gloves are described as ultralight weight though I’d call their place in the glove world far more mid-weight as they’re considerably bigger than any liner / windstopper but with a “snug” fit, they’re also well more compact than your typical ski glove. Thin enough to let me still tie my boots though not so thin that I’d like to keep them on when doing so.
• Insulation that’s ready for real cold: Black Diamond lined the Arc gloves with a 40 gram Thinsulate fill which gives them temp rating of 15-40 (F). That was enough to keep me from having to step up to guide gloves on Rainier, on frozen days at Helens and Hood and yet not so hot that I think about taking them off while on the mountains now that winter has started to return.
• Grip that actually like grabs: The palm of the gloves are a leathery material described as “Pittards Oil Tac” which I can best describe as grippy, rugged, almost plastic. This translates into real utility whether scrambling around some frozen alpine rocks or hanging on to a slippery ice axe and frozen rope. At $70 a pair, I’m not going to take them on a full rock climb but aside from some permanent dirt, they’ve held up just fine over the last six months.
• Waterproofing that’s really, really waterproof: The main reason I picked up these gloves in the first place was for BDry, Black Diamond’s supposedly 100% waterproof insert. It’s the same technology found in my far heavier Patrol gloves and putting it to the test, it’s absolutely true. While I can certainly feel the cold of running water or snow around my hand, nothing gets through to my skin and that means the gloves can hold up to an entire day of use, not just until they get wet like so many other mid-weights.

With a retail price of $69.95, the Arc gloves not exactly something you’ll find in the winter section of your local grocery store’s winter asile but they ring up considerably lower than anything else that I’ve seen claiming a similar all around result.

Putting them to the test in the real world on the mountains:

With a forecast for summit temps in the teens before wind chill, I didn’t buy the Arc gloves to write a review, I bought them because my not so insulted, not so waterproof Torsion gloves were sounding pretty inadequate for my climb.

Arriving at Camp Muir, the weather gods certainly did not hold back on us as everything around camp was cased in a crust of snow on a day that drove even me and my “I like the cold” attitude to bundle way up. This made me all the more excited when I was able to setup camp and gear up a few hours later while keeping the gloves on for all but the most detailed of tasks. Finer details like rigging 5mm prusiks were too cumbersome however; they’re no ultralight weight glove.

Traveling up the completely frozen slopes of Rainier in the middle of the night, my hands felt good and warm out the gate and up the entire mountain for that matter. In fact, the only time I switched out of my Arc Gloves between the start of the climb and the summit was scrambling up the exposed rock that makes up Disappointment Cleaver. At the time, I was rather worried about wrecking my brand new buy on the rock though I’ve since had my Arc gloves out on a few Cascade routes and they did fine holding up in brief dosages.

We lucked out on weather with no precip at all that day but I have not been quite so lucky every adventure since then. From dirt hikes that were just reaallllyyy cold (and wet) to a day on the mountain with it dumping snow, the waterproof liner has proven to really perform for me. As for the cold, I’ll again preface this by saying that I run rather warm and suspect most people would have swapped into a heavy glove for the top of Rainier that first week but despite the frigid reality of Rainier’s summit, I didn’t have to. At the lower edge of their rating, the gloves held up and yet they breath just enough that as long as the temps stay under about 35, I can keep them on even when the sun comes back out.

Liner pull: the one downside everyone talks about but not anymore for me!

Overall, the Arc gloves have completely lived up to their description but when I first got them, I experienced one major drawback which is mentioned time and time again in reviews: the liner pulling back out and not going back in easily. This is obviously a huge problem for a winter glove when you’re on the mountain and need to get back into your glove. I had the issue a few times on Rainier, especially on the descent as my hands got hotter and hotter, sticking to the inside before I finally went down to wind-stoppers.

However, whether a result of sweat on that first day, sitting on a gear shelf for a few summer months, water, better use on my part or whatever, the issue seems to be almost entirely gone. I can still feel the liner move separately from the exterior of the glove and I certainly don’t understand why BD skimped on some glue or other method of connecting the two layers better but in the past few months I haven’t had a single instance of the liners actually backing out this season. Even taking the gloves off and on right and left to fiddle with my phone (they’re not touchtip), no issue!

Still, it’s something in the reviews and really worth knowing though I’m convinced a little break in helps solve the problem. This leaves the lack of touchtip support as their one and only real downside that I can see and that’s not something remotely high on my priority list, even if it is nice.

If it sounds like I’ve been overly glowing on these gloves scroll back up to the start of this review and my rant on searching for an all around solution. The Arc gloves are not some space age, rocket science developed product but they do something nothing else in their price or weight class seems to be capable of: support you through a cold, wet day in the snow. 5 stars for delivering everything I need with very little that I did not.

Product Overview:

• Category: Gloves
• Utility: Snow & alpine climbing
• Pros: Warm, waterproof & durable all at a good price point
• Cons: Can be hard to put back on with the interior liner
• Style: Black / Grey in XS to XXL (runs slightly small)
• Price: $69.95 MSRP
• Rating: 5 of 5
• Official Site | Buy It Now at MooseJaw.com*

Alternative options: For something lighter, a little cheaper and without waterproofing try Mountain Hardwear’s Torsion Gloves

* Disclosure: I earn a commissions for any sales made through Buy It Now links to Moosejaw.