Cloudveil Troller Glove - 2010 BCS

I love Cloudveil and these have always been my dream ski glove since they were introduced a few years ago. I had been waiting to find them on sale when my old gloves wore out, so I was totally psyched when I found them for more than 50% off on Steep and Cheap. I ordered right away. When I received them I was somewhatg disappointed. They are fairly light weight but can probably be worn comfortably into the 20's. They also run very small. That being said, the leather seems to be stretching a bit as I break them in. I think the short finger length does fatigue my hand a bit.

Sizing is very small. I normally wear a medium but can get my hand into some smalls at times. The size medium has very short fingers and almost seems smaller than most brands size small. I would order at least one size up in these.

Pros: Good-looking glove. Leather is very pliable. High dexterity when sized tight to the hand. Extra leather overlay on palm seems to provide extra wear resistance especially when handling ropes, ski edges, etc.

Cons: Very small size. Light weight.

I owned a pair of Tram Line Gloves that Cloudveil has discontinued. They were the best fitting warm gloves I've ever used. I tried the 2011 Troller Gloves as a replacement and they were the worst fitting gloves I have ever tried on. The seams on the fingers were twisted and they bunched up when I bent my fingers. Just look at the manufacturer's photo (above) of the glove on the left and you can see what I mean. I'm not sure if Cloudveil is using a different factory, but these new gloves truly suck.

I have owned numerous Cloudveil products over the years and have always respected the quality and design of their products. that being said, the new Trollers don't stand up to the reputation. After four or five days out I started to notice the stitching coming apart on one of the thumbs and had to send them back. Not very warm either, after a couple hours on a cold day at Breckenfridge my fingers felt like lifeless nubs. For a leather glove touted as being bomber equipment Cloudveil falls short on this one. I think the new ownership needs to retool their production process.

I've used these gloves for two years solid, and they still look and feel great. I have used them at the ski are where I work for snowmaking and lift operations, and they show very little wear. they broke in awesome, and are super comfortable. I can wear them all season, they are warm enough except for a few super cold (-20) days, and are cool enough for spring skiing as well. I have one little wear spot on a stich on the middle finger of the left glove, but other than that they have outlasted any other glove I have owned!

I have worn these gloves for years, and in the past have ordered a new pair every year because they were comfortable, tough, and warm for their weight/loft. Alas, Cloudveil has totally sold out on this one. I don't know where they're being made, but they are ultra cheap feeling and not nearly as warm as they used to be. I took the new ones out yesterday on a 30 degree day and my fingers froze. Perhaps an example of decreased quality due to manufacturing overseas, I'm not sure. But do yourself a favor and don't bother with these. They still look nice, but poor quality product.