Hestra Heli Glove

My hands were cold riding up the ski lift in 27f weather but were fine when moving. Went back to mitts.

super warm gloves, if that's what you're looking for--they're awesome. they stay dry and function properly-- the wrist strap might look a little hoaxy-- but it's F-in handy. hestra gets it when it comes to gloves

A solid glove. Warm but not bulky, the Heli is a great glove on any powder day. I wish the wrist straps on the backs of the gloves were a little larger to accommodate thicker hands, but overall fairly happy with the fit. The leather is fairly soft though, so if you tend to drag hands it will show some wear. I'd buy them again.

A solid glove. Warm but not bulky, the Heli is a great glove on any powder day. I wish the wrist straps on the backs of the gloves were a little larger to accommodate thicker hands, but overall fairly happy with the fit. The leather is fairly soft though, so if you tend to drag hands it will show some wear. I'd buy them again.

Before this year, I previously used the Marmot Randonnee glove and had great results with it until the fabric was pretty much shredded from normal wear and tear. So I switched to the Hestra Heli glove this year and couldn't be happier. It has some great features like a removable liner and a rather larger gauntlet that is perfect for keeping snow out of your sleeves on the deeper days. I can't comment on durability yet since it's still the early season, but the Heli glove was plenty warm when wind chill values dropped to -20F (-30 Celsius). It was also plenty dry on a day where it was snowing close to 2" per hour.

Well Over the past 2 years I have done extensive field test on the Hestra Heli glove.I decided to go from my size 9 to a size 10. the reason being when Your hands get very cold having a little more room for your fingers to move and have blood circulate helps. So I took these up to the blue hills on a day hike temps around 0. Right from the get go I noticed I had more warmth even when I hit the tree line with more wind and snow. Most average hands run size 9 in these, but try the 10 they are just a tad longer and wider. I would say you get about 10-25 pct more warmth and don't loose any mobility or function. As the last review said about the wrist strap being hoaxy , if your a mountaineer or hiker or skier It is a life saver! I had these on walking across some flat ice over rock and dumped hard and fell onto my wrist ! The wrist lock was on and totally saved me from a broken wrist!!! I walked away with a story and my wrist intact . I have paired these up with a set of patagonia heavy glove liners . They are the best I have come across. hope this latest review helps.

superior warmth,but not too hot on dexterity

These gloves are AMAZING, GET THEM. My brother used the gortex dakine cobra gloves, and they got wet. YOU HAVE TO BUY THESE, YOU WILL NEVER LOOK BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!

These were the best gloves I have ever owned. I went night skiing at squaw valley in the 15 degree temperatures, and never got cold. Once, I accidentally got snow in the glove, and within 10 minutes they were toasty again.

The color of the leather got darker, but when dried, it went back to normal. Is this normal?

Should you put the leather polisher on every day, or every few days?

Very warm gloves and it feels great to have a feel of leather rather than other synthetic materials. I would not use these for anything for a fairly cold day and up in the hills because the hands do get toasty in them.

These gloves are my go to for everything. I'm a ski patroller, and spend about 60 days patrolling per season, and usually another 30 tele skiing every year. I also ice climb and do a lot of mountaineering. These gloves do it all, and do it well. They are super bomber. I've thrown everything that you can think of at these gloves, with minimal maintenance, and I can't wear them out. Overall, great glove!

Well as you may know I had stated before I had seen this glove on the summit of mount everest
Then a few smucks came on here and put up false reports on how these are not!!! extreme gloves or made so and they suck .
I did go on hetra's website and research a bit and did find out they did use this EXACT glove, the ski heli on the show
Everest Beyond the LImit! This was the reason I gave these a field test I can tell you these are the warmest gloves on the market period!
So you you guys sitting on your seat eating chips actually go out in sub zzz and trek 10 miles then talk. Now Thats what I did. The gloves are so well made It really blew me away ! When researching the gloves I found that Hestra has a theory they trap a layer of warm air in the glove around the skin .
This is very tech stuff has to do with the materials they use and so on. These gloves smoke the black diamond guide gloves
I tested and almost got frostbite early this year. Hestra actually sells a mitt that goes over this glove if you needed extra protection this I guess traps more warm air in the glove!!! They run around 60.00, hestra also sells a couple of other liners A silk and waffle Both are around 20 bucks .
Give the site a peek it really blew me away how much research has gone into the hestra glove system.

The Hestra Heli is the warmest, most comfortable, most dextrous glove I've ever owned. I was nervous about trying a leather glove, so I applied a nice thick coat of the supplied wax a few days before I used them. After 4 days at Mt. Baker, my hands didn't get cold or wet once, and so far no damage from my board edge. On the thrid day, a few spots in the leather looked like the wax had worn off and water had soaked into the leather, but my hands never got wet. No cuts from my board edge yet either.

The one issue that I have is that snow seems to work its way into the velcro wrist closure, and if you're in deep powder, by about 10am they won't even close. I had to leave them open all day towards the end of my trip. Not a deal breaker, but I've never had that issue on my last two pairs of Burton Gore-Tex gloves.

So yeah, you already know that these gloves are the business. Here's a little tip regarding the removable liner.

When touring, I often find that I need a windproof glove to block the wind, but my hands get far too warm when using the Hestras. Instead of packing two sets of gloves, I remove the inner liners, and use a set of super-thin wool liners from smartwool/icebreaker instead. At the top, I add the normal Hestra liners, which are dry and warm, and can even use the wool liners inside them if it's really cold.

Warm, durable, and great fit! What else would you want in a glove?

I'm using these gloves for my third year now skiing in Vermotn and they have only gotten better over time! The amazing quality leather Hestra uses in these gloves (their "Army" leather) just gets better and better over time. I condition mine regularly with Hestra Balm (about twice a season) and these gloves mold to my hand. Very dexterous!

Also, my hands run extremely cold and these are good until about mid 20's on me. Anything lower than that I play it safe and use my Hestra Heli mittens, even though many of my friends use these gloves into the teens and ever lower.

Just got a pair, out of the box they look like a wicked pair of gloves. soft and thick goat leather on the palm and good quality construction. I got the grey. Long gauntlet and nice tie in straps. I used them on a touring trip up Whiteface mountain this past Saturday. Going up, the liners were too warm and had to remove them. At the top temps dropped to -5 and the wind picked up. Undoubtedly, my fingers got mad cold after I took them off to help the gf while strapping her pack up. At those temps with the amount of time my hands were exposed, I was pleasantly surprised my hands warmed up as fast as they did. Still took a few minutes of course, but in all honesty, with my hands being that stiff and numb, the gloves def did the trick on the way down.also have to mention while I was wearing the shells I had gotten some condensation inside. So these wet shells, dry liners got my hands toasty after just a few minutes.
Just to note, the palms do need that waterproof balm right out of the box, they did soak up some water I noticed, but, didn't feel the wetness when wearing just the shells. Also, even thought the liners are warm, they are a tad bulky.
I definitely would recommend to a friend

These gloves are clearly constructed very well. When putting them on I felt a burst of warmth from the thick insolation which was great on cold days.
Where they fell short was the lack of the DWR on the leather palms. One of the first few times of me wore them I made a few snow balls to throw at some friends. I felt a chill and looked down to see the leather soaking up some of the snow melt. I tried reapplying the Hestra leather treatment but the problem continued. This was a deal breaker for me since I am primarily living in a temperate rain forest (SE AK).
Overall I am impressed with Hestra's construction quality and materials but see there are some limitations that move me to wanting an actual waterproof layer for my next set of heavy gloves. I still think these gloves would do well for some solid park sessions in cold snow. If you are dealing with wet snow/freezing rain look elsewhere.

P.S. Hestra's size scale is great.

These things are absolutely awesome. I skied with them in temperatures as warm as 40 F and as cold as 5 F and they were equally comfortable. Super warm and extremely reliable. My favorite piece of new gear.

I already had the mittens, which I Love, but I wanted some gloves for working outside in the winter when I truly needed all 5 fingers. These gloves are wonderful. Extremely warm, quick to dry out with seperate liner that pulls away, and I love the wrist straps. I abuse them pretty hard chopping fire wood, shoveling snow, working around house, and they have held up great. Hestra just makes great gloves and mittens. I still use my mittens for skiing becaue they keep my hands a little warmer, and I don't need all the dexterity when skiing that I do for other activities.

No one does gloves like Hestra, and these are no exception. You won't be disappointed with these, Super warm, yet amazingly dexterous. Tested on the slopes and in freezing blizzards, truly exceptional.

I have had my Hestra gloves for going on 4 years. I was able to snag them from a Hestra Rep while I was working as a ski instructor and have never gone back to anything else. I'm sure there are other gloves out there that will do the trick but these will do it right the first time and every time after. Get them and don't look back.

Let me first say, these gloves are not meant for very cold weather. Anything below 10 degrees F and fingers start to get a little chilly, anything below zero and i lose the sensation in my tips. That being said I love these gloves for skiing. They have been extremely waterproof and the wrist bungee is awesome, such a better device than the draw cord that most gloves use. Dexterity isnt great, but for basic skiing tasks its fine (I would not use this glove for technical mountaineering or climbing). Overall great ski glove that stays dry and has a removable liner.

Just picked these up in Black size 8.0. The fit is unlike any glove I have ever had before, and they are super warm (wore them around campus today in the frigid Boston weather). They are definitely a super warm glove and I don't see myself getting any other glove for a very long time.

Received my gloves 2 days after ordering via free standard shipping. Way to go BC.
Gloves fit true to size, though appear to be sized for more slender fingers.

Gloves appear to be well made. I love that there is no "plastic bag" on the inside of them.

I'll be heading to Alaska in a few months where they will be put through their paces.

Can't wait to get out and play.

I spent a few days in Sun Valley, Idaho. Not terribly cold outside, mid-teens. These gloves started out cold when I put them on but after ten minutes or so they warm up really nice. My hands are soon sweating when its mid-twenties outside. Nice gloves. I really like the goatskin palms. The wrist cinches are different as they are on the palm side of the glove.

Within a month of purchasing, the wrist strap stitching broke and I couldn't find any warranty info the Hestra's website (unfortunately these were purchased at my local ski store not backcountry). Ended up trying to fix myself since it was still ski season. These gloves have a great design; the fit and features are awesome. However after a year, I find myself still wanting my hands to be warmer at times (might be time for liners or mittens). Skiing in the PNW, the outer leather tends to get pretty wet by the end of the day, which makes back-to-back ski days slightly less fun since you shouldn't heat the leather to dry it.

A friend recommended these gloves to me and I heartily recommend these gloves to you! They are warm and comfortable, and they fit great!

Compared them to numerous gloves including the BD Guide, Marmot, Burtons, Grandoe, North Face and found the Hestra Heli glove had the best combination. Boarded with them in the rain, in a blizzard, in -30 deg Celsuis, and under 30-45km/hr winds and they were always warm, water resistant, and breathable. Always kept wool icebreaker liners in my pockets but never had to use them. The leather does get wet after awhile especially after having a snowball fight but my hands never got wet or cold. The inner liners are really warm and comfortable and go higher than others in the gauntlets which is nice. The gauntlets are easy to tighten and loosen and the leashes are very useful. I conditioned the leather with the Hestra conditioner/protector even at the end of the fingertips and also the sides of the fingers so maybe that's why I never felt any wind go through them at all even in high winds. The liner dries out really quickly and if the leather is wet, it takes a bit longer.
As other reviewers have said, all my friends were complaining of chilly fingers when my hands were still very toasty. Would definitely recommend them.

I have a really hard time keeping my hands and feet warm. These gloves rock. They are some of the warmest i have ever owned. At first i didn't love the high gauntlet because you can't really tuck them under a cuff, however as it turns out the guys at hestra know what they are doing. The gauntlet really keeps snow out and makes it easy to slip gloves on and off to take pictures or handle other gear. Pick these up, you won't be disappointed!

Didnt get a chance to wear this one out because the extended cuff didnt fit under my jacket. That being said, when i tried it on it had the best dexterity of any glove that i have tried, it was comfy, and warm. Would recommend to a cuff lover

Ok so if you are like me, you're probobly thinking do I really want to spend 100+ dollars on gloves?!
The answer is YES! I'm not a product rep...I don't work for Backcountry & I never post reviews untill now.
This is by far the best glove on the market & worth every penny. Had these out skining anyweher from the Alps to the Rockies & also small garbage hill dumps around the midwest. Measure your hand for the perfect fit & these babies will feel like they were factury sewn just for you. These are more like a good investment.. don't think twice, pick these up!

I've used these gloves all over the globe now and I have never been happier with a glove. They have kept my finger tips warm in sub zero temperatures with 30 knot winds, which are temperatures I have never been able to keep warm hands in. They are genuine leather, which makes their grip good and strong so you really can get into your bag/gear without taking them off or letting any snow up your sleeve. Just remember to keep putting the leather guard on every time they get wet at all so they last forever, which they will.

Really amazing glove. Keeps me warm and dry. No need to reiterate what everyone else has said. But two minor criticisms. The gauntlets are really stiff. Hopefully this will cure itself with age, but the velcro for the lining gives the gauntlets structure that I wish they didn't have.

Also, I wish Hestra made a light-weight liner that velcros into the glove like the stock liner does.

Dont kid yourself, whatever you're doing, if you're relying on user reviews, these gloves will be more than enough.

Awesome awesome awesome. Super warm, super comfortable. Been in several days at 0-10 deg F. MORE than comfortable.

WELL worth the extra $$$$.

I ripped through a pair of goretex burtons before this, the Hestras are well worth the money. Pull the trigger, you wont regret it. Plus, with backcountry's return policy, its impossible to go wrong. However, I highly doubt the return policy will be an issue.

I absolutely adore these gloves - SUPER warm. CRAZY comfy. TOTALLY versatile. PERFECT over coats. I'm hoping they last for a few more seasons and then I'm buying another pair.

Best gloves I've ever had. They fit great my hands never got cold. Only wish the leather came in a darker color. I would definitely recommend these gloves.

First, let me say how impressed I was with backcountry.com I ordered these gloves at 11pm on a Wednesday night and received confirmation the next day that the order was processed and shipped at 12:30am the following morning - they arrived as expected on Friday just in time to test this weekend at a very cold Killington which due to high winds had many lifts shut down all morning.

These gloves are very, very nice and I'm extremely happy with them. Can't speak for how well they do in wet conditions, but in bitter, windy cold, I had no problems.

The details and quality are impeccable. The inner fleece liner is secured at the wrist with a full circumference strip of velcro. A small carabiner connects the two gloves at a brass eyelet - no worries of cheap plastic connectors breaking under cold/duress. For me personally, the school kid-like wrist bands were my favorite feature. I'm constantly taking my gloves off at different points skiing down a trail to snap pictures of my kids, and having the ability to quickly pull off a glove to fish out a camera without fear of dropping and losing a glove is nice peace of mind.

The goat leather is very soft and supple. I think this could be reworked with a tougher leather. Hestra clearly states on the tag that ski/board edges are sharp and be careful handling with the gloves as you can cut the leather - this concerned me every time I picked up the skis, especially when scrambling around to get them secured on a gondola. I didn't get any rips/tears, but I can see it happening.

Lastly, I must advise that when I measured my hand size out, the XL (10) was pretty spot on with measurements coming in ever so slightly below what they called out for size. Having used the gloves for a full day, I think they are a bit too small and have already ordered up the next size up. My hands were comfy, they were warm, but at 3:30pm with the sun starting to dip, my fingers started getting pretty cold on the lift (everyone's were), but I attribute some of that to the fact that my glove was maybe just a bit too snug. I like a little more airspace. Depending on how you like to wear your gloves and the temperature conditions you are going to be in, if you come out nearly on top of the size that fits your hand, you might want to jump up a size.

Bottomline - yes, you can get a similarly functioning (and excellent) glove from Cabellas, but for overall form, function, and sharp, clean design, this glove is very, very, nice.

Didn't think I would love these gloves but I do. Nice surprise with the quality and durability. Good pick Backcountry!

I'm Swedish and have always had Hestra gloves for any type of winter outdoor adventures. So, when these came on sale, I bought them (size 6) for our active 9 yr. old son since they are essentially bulletproof and you can buy a replacement liner (if needed) in a few years. He tried them in a chilly, windy 11 deg. F with the windchills down to 0 deg. F in New Hampshire over the weekend. Although he skied for nearly 20 km with my husband, his hands were toasty warm (everything else was covered with a thin layer of ice by the time they got back). All this without the hand warmers we usually put in our gloves. So, in a nutshell, if you live in cold climates and love the outdoors, spend a little bit extra and buy these gloves as they are worth their weight in gold!! On a side note, we bought kids Hestra gloves when our children were younger and they too have lasted 4 long winters (through both kids) in cold wintery Maine.

I ordered these from another site and am returning them... I am sure they are very warm, but you pay for it with dexterity... Isn't that the point of having gloves instead of mitts?

I have some very old brandless gloves that have way more dexterity and are fairly good at keeping me warm..

I measured my hand according to Hestra's sizing guide and chose a size of 9.0. It turns out that they are a bit long in the fingers although after being out in the cold i'm glad for it as they keep my hands warm all day. The leather got very dry after my first day in the rain so I used the supplied leather balm to soften them up again. I'll continue to use leather balm as the manual suggests. My only gripe is that the tab on the closure at the wrist broke off after I pulled it. It slipped out of my hand and snapped back against another piece of plastic on the glove and shattered into a million pieces. Be careful with the plastic.

I've got quite a few high end ski gloves. BD, OR, MH, TNF and these. Attention to detail and construction are top notch. Materials are bomb proof and after 50, days they are nicely broken in. 200 days durability wouldn't be a stretch. I like the removable liners, and the fact they aren't Goretex. When temps fluctuate from the teens to about thirty, your hands can sweat and the Gortex doesn't quite breathe as well as you might like, even the XCR. Then, when the temps go down, your hands get cold. These don't suffer that problem. The tall gauntlets with easy to pull cinches keep out the snow and wind and excellent idiot cords are great on the chair lift. If you need extreme cold protection, get the three finger of mitten version and you'll be set. If you have really cold hands, you'll need down filled mittens with waterproof shells but we're talking COLD like -10f and colder.

Hestra overall makes the best line of ski gloves: materials and the fit are simply a cut above all. There are gloves in the hestra line that are better than the heli for some specific purposes, such as racing or spring skiing, but nthe Heli is the best general purpose ski glove bar none. It fits well, it protects you from snow, it has killer "idiot leashes", it is waterproof, and the removable liner makes it a snap to dry. If I had to have only one ski glove, that would be the Heli. Hestar hit that one out of the park.

I wanted to love the Hestra Heli Glove but it just wasn’t warm, wasn’t windproof and wasn’t waterproof. Essentially it was not the bulletproof backcountry glove I was looking for which I find really surprising considering the number of positive reviews. However, I will say that backcountry.com’s ordering and return process is one of the best.
I was looking for a pair of gloves that could be used on cold ski days and on multi day trips in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Therefore when I stumbled upon the Hestra Heli Glove I thought I had found perfection. It has an average 5 star rating after 109 reviews, which made me think this glove is perfection. Also the product description said all the right words such as “warm”, “breathable”, and “waterproof”. I did my research and could find nothing but praise for these gloves so I placed my order.
Backcountry.com promptly sent me my new red Hestra Heli Gloves and I could not wait to get out there and use them. I first used them on Signal Ridge near the summit of Mount Carrigain in mild winds and temps in the 20s. I was a little confused when my hands continued feeling cold; I mean these gloves are supposed to be warm right? At first I didn’t blame the gloves for this, I thought the must have been cold because they were in my pack.
I broke out the Heli Gloves again at Mount Snow during a sunny day in the low 20s. I found that wind would penetrate them even during small wind gusts while on the chairlift. I also found that my fingers would frequently get cold while wearing these gloves. I constantly had to clench my first to generate enough warmth to continue skiing. At this point I thought that maybe I needed to apply to Hestra leather balm to increase the water/ wind proofing. A few days later I went skiing again and gave the Hestra Glove their last chance. Once again my fingers got cold, mild wind penetrated the glove and I lost all faith in this glove. I am glad I found this out before I took them on a multi day trip or else I wouldn’t have any fingers left to write this review with.
On a positive note, these gloves look great. Whenever I took them out people commented on how good they looked. I also love the wrist straps which help prevent glove loss; all gloves should have this. However, gloves need to meet a performance standard and the Hestra Heli glove simply disappoints. I returned these and picked up some Outdoor Research Alti Gloves.

these gloves fit true to the sizing guide. the liners are really warm. we had a minus 10 wind chill today and my hands were very warm on a walk. i will be getting a seperate pair of liners, something a little lighter just to have options. the gloves just feel well constructed. they also include a small bit of leather lube. if maintained i see these gloves lasting a long time. liners are available from hestra if backcountry is out.

Best glove I've owned. I had a pair going strong for six years, and when I lost one I picked up another identical pair. Warm and comfy, just don't forget to treat the leather periodically.

At first I was hesitant to write about these. Mostly due to the fact that these are the best gloves I've ever owned. I've run through several liner/shell type gloves from Burton and even Black Diamond, but, if you want warmth and durability then you got to buy these. Only drawback that I could think of was, uh, um.. come to think of it, there wasn't any. If I had the bucks to spare I would have bought a second pair because knowing my luck, Backcountry won't carry them next year....

I bought these gloves for colder days obviously. They are amazing. My hands never got cold or wet. I bought these over the army patrol gloves because i like my cuffs on the outside of my jacket. IMO this and the patrol glove are the only two serious choices for serious skiers or snowboarders. I wont ever get cold. Hestras quality is far superior to any that I have seen. I bought my gf a pair of bd patrol gloves and my hestras are just a step above. They are no joke. Get em if you want to be core, jong.

These are the first pair of gloves I have bought that have withstood gale force winds, sleet, rain, hail and snow all in the same day without soaking. The lowest temp I have tried them out in is -15C ( 5F ) in 55mph winds and they rocked it easily. I even felt at some point a little too warm. But I tend to run a little hot.
I measured my hand at about 7.4" and perimiter about 9" and bought a size 9. Fits true to size and I have room to wiggle the digits.

I'm a Hestra fan, and own a pair of under cuff Hestra Ski Cross as well. These things are not Gore Tex, but after a full season never had an issue of staying dry (of course I'm CO, so heavy, wet snow fall is not that common). I picked these up for powder days, and ended up using them every day. The wrist strap wide and very comfortable. The cuffs are huge and easy to tighten. Once the lining packed out a little they became the perfect fit. Supple and if they don't make that weird fabric on fabric noise you get with other non-leather gloves. Adding oil/wax will keep them soft and increase waterproofing, but will darken the appearance of leather palms, but that shouldn't be a surprise. Finally, very warm for a glove, but I still keep a pair of light liners just in case.

Had these for a season now and love em. Only time I've ever been cold was at the top of Imperial with 60mph gusts. Elastic bands are odd at first but extraordinarily convenient on lifts or when you need to get stuff from your pockets. So far so good durability wise as well, hopefully they last a few more seasons.

not enough padding

Just got back from the Chugach. These gloves are the best out there. These gloves were frozen solid and filled to the top with snow, and they still kept my hands warm. I have had issues with cold hands in the past, but not anymore!

I have been skiing for the last 20 years and never had such a great pair of gloves. Went sking in the blizzard at breck with temperatures hovering around 12 degrees and my fingers never got cold. Well worth the money.

They are quite comfortable and are clearly of superior quality. Leather is solid and stitching is sound. The strap, while a little weird at first is awesome. I love taking my gloves off on the way up the chair to adjust my music, without fear of them falling into the abyss. They are a warm glove but not expedition ready. When it's down in the single digits or colder my fingers freeze.

I've been trying out a bunch of different gloves and these are the easiest gloves to put on and use. They're really dexterous and easy to use.

There have been some reviews saying they get wet but I found that if I take the liners out each night that they dry out just fine.

I found also that they are very warm even down to -20 degrees. They're a little cold after that but not too bad.

Nice, very nice. Everything about these gloves are top notch from construction to warmth to sizing - all amazing. The second my hands touched the fluff- bunny-esc removable liners I knew I was going to like them. Then the field tests - snow, ice, wind, zero degree temps - cant faze them, even with my historically cold hands.

The closures do a a great job of keeping everything out and the handcuffs have saved me a number of times already aside from just being down right convenient.

Get over the price and just buy the glove - you'll have them for a while.

I bought two pairs of these gloves- one for me and one for my 12 year old daughter. We recently skied at Whistler and we both were happy with the gloves at around 0-3 degrees celcius. Colder weather than this meant that we needed hand warmers inside the gloves. They were sturdy, waterproof and comfortable.

Using these in 30 degree weather, fingers were cold by the time I got to the top of the lift. After 2 runs I was backing my fingers out to the middle of the gloves to keep them warm. My hands don't get cold easy, will definitely wear an additional thin liner before putting these on in 30 degree weather.
Fit is pretty good, little loose in the palm area.
Wasn't sure if I was going to like the wrist strap, it worked out fine easy to get on and off. The strap was about 1" away from being snug, but that's fine, you need more than an inch stretch to get it off.
Top material is not windproof, you will feel the wind a little with a strong breeze or a fast chair lift.
They are definitely not bulky, which I like. Definitely not warm either.

I've experimented with LOTS of high end gloves for years, including two pairs of BD Guides: as great as they are, the small stuff doesn't hold together & various clips break & seams burst.
On the other hand I've now had the Hestra Heli for about a month & have a dozen ski days on them, ranging from temps in the 40s all the way down to blizzard & deep pow conditions at -7 degrees.
The ONLY complaint, which is clearly operator error, is that I get snow in the gloves when I remove them. This is because I've never had such an effective leash system, which means I trust them to not go away, which means they hang below me, and if I forget to wipe ALL snow away from them it falls into the fingers. Having said that, I'm amazed that the initial crunchy snow turns to cold wetness & then disappears altogether in less than 10 minutes & they feel warm & dry again. How do they do this?
I'll add that price is the least of my concerns for this critical piece of gear, but to get all this for a lot LESS $$ than the BD Guide (or others in my now obsolete arsenal) just makes a great thing even better. Very highly recommended.

These are great for what they are intended to do. They are very warm and surprised me with awesome dexterity. I have worn them down to -5 deg F. Your hands will start to get cold if you are not moving. Unlike another review says, these gloves will not keep your hands warm on Everest! You will definitely loose all of your fingers. However, I too have seen some sort of Hestra Mitt on the summit of Everest on the "Everest: Beyond the Limit" show. The liner that it comes with is nice, but would be nicer if it could be used on its own. You can purchase Merino wool and Polartec Power Dry replacement liners to go with the glove if you prefer.

I got a pair of these gloves over a year ago after spending years in a glove/mitten hybrid for warmth and I will never go back. They are super warm and they still allow you to use your hands.

most warm gloves i have ever worn.
if they are in the rain they will let water in.
if your going to use the for 31 or colder they are perfect.
i would recomend they to a friend.

Warmest gloves I've ever worn! I live in Utah and going skiing at least once a week and these babies are the part of my gear that I can always count on to take care of me no matter what! I took a pretty sick tumble in the pow pow and got some snow in my gloves, but the water instantly dried and my hands didn't feel one bit colder! They are excellent! Very good grip and comfortable fit as well! TOTALLY RECOMMEND THESE BAD BOYS!

Great insulation and waterproof. Comes in so many sizes you can find an exact fit. wrist leashes are comfortable and are great so you don't drop them off of lift or lose them in a yard sale.

Well worth the price and built to last.

I've not tried every glove on the market, so I can't say that there is not a better glove out there, but I can't imagine a glove surpassing this one. Here's what I personally like:
(1) Friggin' warm. Rarely do my fingers get cold, and on the one or two occasions they were just barely so. Best fingered gloves I've had for warmth.
(2) Durable. Going into my 3rd season and they're still in great shape. No stitching wear issues so far. I've used the included oil to keep the palms supple.
(3) Large gaunts slide over my coat and then the elastic clamps keep snow out. Can't recall getting powder down in them.
(4) Wrist cuffs. I like 'em. I like knowing that when I pull the glove off, it won't tumble off the lift or fall into a snow bank. Some people don't like this feature, but I think it's sheer genius.
(5) Repels water adequately for me. I've skied in wet gloppy snow in April and had no wetness issues. That being said, I think someone who has their hands in wet snow all day long may have some moisture ingress. Waterproof enough for skiing, yep. Not going to keep your hands dry if you dunk them in a sink of water.

When I get asked to recommend a glove, I say : Shell out the hundy and buy the Heli. You're going to have to search a long time to find something better.

SIzing is perfect! Cuffs work well.

This glove is so great. My hands were warm and dry for the entire day during a recent powder day/all day snowstorm. Leather stays dry when conditioned with the Hestra Leather Balm. Great fit. Great feel. Excellent performance! Oh, and I can't imagine not having the cuff straps anymore!

Have used these for the first part of this season (12 days.) I have been impressed with these gloves, I am super hard on gloves and these have help up well. Very waterproof (I treat them with leather balm every 5 ski days or so) and they have been very warm for me. I skied Silverton last Saturday and we pulled into the parking lot with -16 degree weather. The gloves kept me plenty warm even with that brutal cold.

Hit the slopes at Sundance ski resort in UT on new years eve with my son, and it was breezy and 7 deg F in the parking lot. His hands were numb by lunch, so I gave him my decent gloves and went to the shop for some new ones.

I started looking at the $39 gloves, and worked my way up to these Hestras. Never heard of them before, but couldn't believe how nicely they fit (esp for large hands). These blew away the others.

Back on the slopes, these were incredibly warm and comfortable, and even after removing them several times to fiddle with my iPhone, and several spills in powder, they didn't give in at all. My hands had never been this comfortable before, especially on a single-digit day.

I've never spent this much for gloves before, but haven't regretted it for a second.

Used my new gloves over the holidays on a trip to Mammoth. Liked the overall features and the quality of the gloves are excellent. The weather was very good and very bad (heavy snow and 6 degrees at the low). Gloves did not keep hands really warm at the extreme low, even with additional glove liners - however gloves did fine above 25 degrees.

are this gloves really warm