Black Diamond Guide Glove - Men's

Cold hands are often the bottom line for a lot of adventures... It really sucks to bail in fear of frost bite.

After getting turned back 100M short of the summit of Meru in the Garhwal Himalaya (after 20 days on the wall) I will always take these. One of my partners Jimmy Chin had them and I was so jealous...!

Never again without the Guide Glove, its such inexpensive insurance for an enjoyable successful adventure.

ps.. its key how you can remove the liners and put them next to your body at night to dry

The guide is my cold weather glove of choice. Still has reasonable dexterity considering how nicely insulated they are. Great everyday glove for people who normally get cold fingers. I generally have warm hands so these can be hot on warm spring days. The large gauntlet keeps all the fluffy white stuff out even on the deepest days.

I'm constantly changing over from skinning to skiing to filming and my hands get exposed and cold. It's nice to throw the Guides on and know my hands will warm right up. They have been my glove of choice for the past 2 seasons on the local slopes and distant expeditions. The long gauntlet style keeps the snow out and the leather gives good grip on poles, rock, rope and whatever I can get my hands on.

The guide gloves are tough to beat.. bottom line. Despite being outside much of the winter and spring my fingers get cold. The Guide Gloves do the trick for me when it comes to warmth and even though they may feel bulky or stiff out of the bag they actually break in real nice and even seem to mold to your hand after a couple weeks of use. Durability wise they will easily last you a few seasons or more, so at that price they become very worthwhile. I take these gloves to Denali with me... and that pretty much sums it up!

I've been using these gloves for shoveling at Alta, Utah, and other than the palms taking a beating, they are holding up well. They ain't cheap, but for skiing or any other activity that doesn't include hammering on the palms, they rock. They are plenty warm down to about 0 degrees, after that...use a liner with them for maximum warmth.

These gloves are sick. I have had them for two seasons and they have never let me down. Even after a long day in the backcountry my hands are still dry and warm. The removable liner is nice so they dry a little quicker for the next day. The dexterity is pretty good for such a warm glove. I would definitely buy these again!!

Well I finally tested for myself these gloves.
Almost everyone you talk to will reco these
for the coldest weather. They are without question the warmest
on the planet. 10 below 20 below would not matter and they are very well made.
you do give up alot of movement they are stiff out of the box. You will look like Hellboy with these on. They are big but true to size large will be good for most. The leather they use on the glove is made by Pittard's of England the best they make.
and it even smells good!!! the liner is like having your hands in a sheep's wool. The only gloves
made that come close are the Mountain Hard wear Habanero that I tested . Habs offer alot more ease of movement and are also very well made.
Best in class next to the guides . I decided to keep both the habanero for the not so very cold days, that I need to use my walking poles or just need my hands alot for , and the guides
when my hands are freezing . I did like the Habs one hand cinch on the wrist the guides dont have that feature. I don't reco taking out the
insert on the guides they are in tight for a reason. If you read others that say these are not warm its a person who has not worn them.
I tried both gloves so others on here would have a choice on two of the best gloves made. It was close to 300.00 but I think I will save
others time and money by this test. I also tested the Marmot's big selling work glove pass it by its junk next to these two.

loved the first pair so much I got
the black pair also!!!

these gloves rock! i love the dexterity, for the cold cold days these gloves truly stand out. the are true to size and last for ever. if you want a glove to keep you warm then these are the ones. i would recommend getting a 2nd pair that isn't quite as warm just so your hands don't get over heated.

These gloves are the bees knees for days when it is cold and wet. The only other glove that compares is the Marmot Ultimate. You will not be disappointed with these

i'm old, and have had way too much fun, and abused my hands i guess just a little too much. (the small veins in the hands die off and do not regenerate! -- yeah, this is a WARNING!) 3-5 days/yr it's smart to wear mittens! the rest of the time they're fine. my mittens have a pile lining which wicks the moisture away from the hands, after i've had em off for some reason or other! wish the guide gloves had the same kind of liner!

These gloves are on the bulky side, but they make up for it with their warmth. They are perfect when the temp drops below 10F. If the temp is above that, they would be too much glove unless your hands tend to get cold easily. The gauntlet is extra long and does its job keeping the snow out. I set the gauntlet diameter the first time I had them on over my shell and haven't had to adjust them since.

Last year I bought the Marmot Ultimate gloves, and this year I got these Black Diamonds. I have yet to put these gloves to work as snow in Tahoe has been a little hard to come by, but the Black Diamonds are much warmer gloves, and I'd have to say the construction quality is a bit higher. The Marmot's are certainly a fine pair of gloves, but I think I'll use them for the warm weather days. The Black Diamonds have a rather scratchy wool interior, which doesn't bug me but could be a deal breaker for some people. It'd be nice if these gloves had a cinch at the wrist, but that's not a huge deal. My only other gripe is that the gauntlet material is stiff enough that it makes it a tad difficult to get a good seal around your forearm by pulling on the cinch cord. Plus, the spring in the cord retainer is so strong that it makes me feel like I'm going to break the cord because I have to pull on it so hard. All in all, minor issues for such a great pair of gloves.

These are by far the best and warmest gloves out there. I've tried them all but these are my cold day go to glove. Quality is second to none. Worth every penny. Once the goatskin palms get even more broken in forget it. Pass these down to generations. Quality all around.

I've had these gloves since early November '08, and have found them to be extraordinary in upstate NY, VT, and NH, where the temperatures can reach zero degrees and below. Everyone includes Gore-Tex, Thinsulate, etc, in their gloves these days, but what separates the BD Guides from the rest is the removable wool lining. And it is a thick lining at that. I ordered these with the Marmot Ultimate's for comparison. Sent the Ultimate's back (see my review). There's no comparison; these are extremely warm. They come with a slight curvature in the 4-finger formation, and quickly will form to your hand. Included are long gaiters (just the right length) with a bungie drawstring and adjustable sliding spring lock. If your fingers are still cold with these gloves, you're looking at spending $300 for the Mountain Gear Red Saliva's, or a heated lithium ion glove liner such as the Vaso's. Try the BD Guide's - I don't think you'll be disappointed...

That's "Mountain Hardware Red Savina" Heated Glove. Haven't tried them, but the materials don't appear to be on the same level as the BD's. Vaso's are an excellent option; inconsistent battery performance an issue at present...

The dexterity in the glove is great. The fitment is great... just the right fit where it's not too tight (I wear large). The gloves are very warm. The entire interior of the gloves remove making this a complete shell glove with removable liner. What's even cooler is the hook and loop attachment for the liner goes around the entire glove in a circle, making it compatible with old liners from other gloves! This lets me use thinner liners from old gloves for warmer days :-D That's the good. The bad: no idiot strap (c'mon, it's 2008), no back-of-the-hand pocket for warmers (not mandatory but it's nice), really cheap and stiff gauntlet closure cord and lock (I worry they'll break because you really have to pull hard on it to close it) that is difficult to close and open, and no wrist cinch strap (I prefer to have these).

As an older guy who has beaten up his hands for thirty six years working on machinery outdoors, I have very poor circulation in my hands, plus some finger tips that have been frostbitten in the past. I mostly rely on wind stopper type liners under heavy mittens anymore, shedding a mitt for a few seconds while making an adjustment or starting a bolt, then returning the hand to the mitt to warm it back up.
A lot of times, though, I need dexterity for long periods of time, so have been looking for years for a truly warm glove.
While the Guide is not the end all answer to all my dreams, it comes closer than any other glove I have found. Changing a tire in +5* F in SW Wyoming (with a 25-30mph wind adding additional chill) two weeks ago, the gloves did pretty well for the 30 some minutes I was working. A few cold spots developed where touching the frozen metal tools, but no stinging or numbness occured.
And bar-hopping around downtown Anchorage last week in -20* F on foot was nearly a pleasure, my hands stayed toasty warm for the 10-20 minute walks between pubs, while my buddies were very happy to get back inside to warm up.
I ordered this pair to fit somewhat snugly; my next pair, and there will likely be a next pair, I will order size large for a looser fit.
I am going up on the North Slope for work this winter, and will write another review in the spring to let you know how they hold up.
Good gloves, if a bit spendy.

As another test on these gloves that the staff at backcountry holds as the warmest glove around.
This is not true first I have done tons of research to find the warmest made, these are not close they are great done get mr wrong
I have cold fingers so keep that in mind as I want to be 100 pct fair. I used these this weekend when we had temps around zero maybe less.
I has a pair of smart wool liners under these as well , and if I had not been within a mile of my truck I would have gotten frost bite. I had to take my hands out several times during my test and get the blood moving in my tips it was not fun! After doing tons of research which I know most of the top tier guros don't they just leave tons of comments to climb the list! The Alti mitts made by Outdoor Research are the warmest made period. This information comes from many climbers who climbed Everest more then once. And are considered by almost every mountaineer as the only choice above 8000 meters. Funny backcountry still wont reorder these but keep pushing other less quality gloves that are in stock. Hope this long review helps others.
Mario Sarrica

There is almost nothing bad I can write about this glove. It is super warm, and is very comfortable. Washes nice, especially after sweating for hours on end. Great for skiing, winter sports, and general-duty outdoor work. Fingers are a bit hard to move outside, but this is nothing new with good winter gloves. They look cool too! As mentioned by another reviewer, these are not expedition gloves for multiple-day, 8000m peaks! Good for regular-duty and even heavy duty, but not for extreme adventurers.

I work in Yellowstone Park, riding a snowmobile as much as 100+ miles a week at 35mph in sub-zero weather and then there is the windchill... COLD!!!! Spend every other spare second exploring the winter wonderland backcountry. These gloves rock. Were recommended purely for their warmth and have stood up to the reputation. Super warm and cozy and dexterity remains. Use the shells with a light Black Diamond liner on the not so cold days and when activity with hands is high. Black really soaks up the sun when it shines. Worth the extra $$$ if you intend to duel with some of mother natures coldest...

Finally had enough cold weather to allow a rating on these gloves. These are definitely warm and kept my hands warm with little to no activity during single digit temps.

I also have the BD Patrol gloves and these never really kept my hands warm. The removable liners are ideal and make it easy to rapidy dry out the gloves if you sweat too much in them :-)

I used them for a week in Northern Maine snowmobiling. The temperature got to about 17 below. I'm 50 and have minor carple tunnel. My hands got numb from being in the same position for extended time, but the gloves performed well and kept my hands warm. They were tight when I first wore them but after a week they fit perfect. They are true to size. I will now test them on the slopes on cold days. I'm certain they will perform

I still had to ball my fist riding up the lift in 15 degree temps. I should have gone with a mitten.

Nice gloves from a functional point of view, but color (of "Natural" version) on website is deceiving...actual color of body is much more blue than grey. If that doesn't matter to you, then you can't beat this glove for a warm and well designed winter ski glove.

I have wore these gloves twice skiing in New England. The first day they were put to the test with 3 degree weather with a wind chill of 14 below. They did the job which was amazing to me since they are a glove not a mitten. I was going to get a mitten but based on the reviews on this site I went for the glove. Sure there were times I had to move my fingers around to get the blood flowing, but there were many times I had to take my hands out of the gllove in order to deal with by glasses and though my hand wound never recoup once back in the glove but they did. Yes as others have said they are a bit bulky but no big deal.

Forget about just skiiing with the liner and taking out the insert. The liner is just a shell which is a strange feeling to the hand and I am not sire it would offer any protefection from teh cold.

By far the best glove I have owned.

I bought these for my husband, who has had problems with cold hands on previous ski trips. These were incredibly warm - in fact, he didn't wear them after the first day because they were TOO warm. It was in the 20's and 30's the whole time so he ended up skiing in Outdoor Research Omni Gloves (totally awesome!) but he is looking forward to wearing these on colder ski days. They're like ovens for your hands but reduce your dexterity a bit. Highly recommend for warmth.

Very-very warm. Runs a bit bulky, but you can remove the liner and use the outer shell with a tech glove. That's what I did in -15F, less than that, just use it as it comes. Truly waterproof. Bulkiness can cost mobility, i.e. putting on a crampon can be a challenge :)

No wrist straps make this a glove you might see below a chair lift someday. Keep your eyes out cause they're warm.

I bought these gloves after spending a few days in Vermont. It rained one day and my gloves completely soaked through and my fingers were frozen. I'd had enough. My next trip was a week in Vail and my new Guide gloves were exactly what I wanted- warm and dry. The inner liner is very comfortable and they're fairly easy to pull on and off; I did have one gripe- the drawstring on the gauntlet broke, but this store sent me a new pair as soon as I told them about it. All-in-all, I'd say these are the best gloves I've owned and should last for a least a few more seasons.

I have last year's model. They are great gloves: warm, sturdy, dry. Just don't sweat in them and try to take them off and put them on again! The fingers will bunch up bad, it just happened today in the Tahoe backcountry and I wished I had brought another pair of gloves cause I could not get my fingers back in them right. Although the new ones have a wool liner which would probably fix this problem. I still like these...

I do a lot of back country work and I just used these at the night down to 5 degrees and they kept my hands really warm. They are not as dexterous as other gloves but those are not as warm. Put a Icebreaker wool liner under these and they are indestructible. Leather palms are very tough and soft.

I have had these gloves for about three seasons and one of those I was bumping chairs at Grand Targhee. These gloves have never let me down, even in Targhee when temps can drop down to -10. The leather on the fingers and the palms has been wearing down, but this has no affect on the performance. Plus if you live in SLC, you can take them to BD and they will patch them up for free, buy local!

I just returned from a week skiing in Utah. It was unusually cold with most days in the teens. I have always had cold fingers when I skied and used hand warmers. I did use an additional liner with these gloves. These were the warmest gloves I have used to date. They are expensive but I was happy with how they worked and I did not use any warmers.I would recommend.

These fit a little snug for me (I usually wear a large, but the XL fit better in these). They are awesome for a weekend of backcountry skiing. My hands never got cold once in the windy 0-10 degree temps. The only thing that I would like to see is a safety clip to attach to my jacket.

These gloves are a bit bulky, but definitely warm. They were fine for skiing - enough dexterity to pinch and attach my telemark ski leashes - and the removeable liner makes drying easy. I would have preferred a cinch strap around the wrist, but overall a great glove

I've had these gloves for a month or so. I'm currently using them for bicycle commuting in Minneapolis.
I've had them out on hour and a half rides with temps -10F and wind, sometimes a 30 mph wind or more when I'm riding into the wind (wind speed and my speed combined.)
They have kept my hands warm on the coldest days. You don't typically get a lot of blood flow to the hands when biking, so this is an impressive feat.
The gloves construction looks and feels first rate.
Not one complaint.

Extremely warm...the coldest these saw since I bought them was 0 F,with about 20knot winds, and my hands were toasty warm, my fingertips usually get cold, and they were nice and warm.

I got a chance to test how dry they were, not intentionally but one day it got up to 40 F and it rained all day, my hands were dry as hell......I was amazed

They are a little bulky at first, like others have stated, but after 1 day of use, i can unzip zippers without taking them off, even operate my digital camera....I liked that fact

I like how the liner comes out, so if you get the inside wet(which I did by mistake)They dry very fast, and the liners is way more comfortable than any glove I have used
Overall I love these and will be buying a pair for my wife

Great gloves, I ski resort, sidecountry or backcountry about 3 days / week. These are too warm for most Utah days and too warm for hiking in unless it's fridgid out. But they are build for cold days and they are very warm and as water, wind, snow proof as ski gloves get. I wear XL's in Marmot, TNF and Hestras but had to send the XL's back for large. They tend to be bulky and lose a star for dexterity especially if they are at all on the big side. Dexterity and bulk were much better with the large. The wool liners do pack out if you buy them snug at first, so buy snug as long as the fingers are long enough.

Bought the BD guides and the Kevlar stitching unraveled on day one. Not what I'd expect from such an expensive glove.

Materials are high quality... warm and dry and I agree pretty much w/ what everybody else said. I'm just concerned about the quality of manufacture.

Going to give the BDs another chance and chalk this up to one bad apple made late on a Friday afternoon before a long holiday weekend. Nobody's perfect.

This store was great. Had a return label in about five minutes and a replacement pair the next day. Top notch customer service.

Lets see if this pair makes it past day one...I'll be sure to let you all know.

I've had these gloves for a year know but I'm really not known to have the coldest hands these gloves are awesome I beat the crap out of my stuff and these hold up great I have been in -20 degree weather wi 20mph winds and I was never cold to really test them I would get them wet and go outside for a walk in these types of temps still I wouldn't feel a thing the only bad part is the shell isn't goretex the linner glove has the goretex in it trust me I tested it in my sink good gloves though overall. And to set the story straight northern outfitters mittens are the warmest mittens ever the alti mitts are good but u can't beat those northern outfitters mitts.

If you buy these gloves make sure you keep the receipt. The palms will fall apart under frequent use and the liners split along the finger seems. Black diamond will warranty the gloves and I have gone through about five pairs. Each pair starts to fall apart after about 40 days. I think the backcountry hiking is rough on them. For 150 dollars they should last a season. This is what happens when products are made in china. If you ski often and in the backcountry, (100 days a year) you are better off buying different gloves.

I have had these gloves for over a year now, these gloves are pretty warm but not for the coldest new england days. When the temp hits 5 degrees or lower my fingers start to go numb. the other problem with these is that the fleece fingers of the liner tend to pull out which makes it very difficult to put back on. The shell is very durable and I have never had a problem with wet hands.

-Dexterity: 1 turn. This should not be construed as being a "bad rating". Given that this was the warmest glove with the most insulation within the class, dexterity should not be a factor when requiring something this warm. Given skiing in the 4 corners region, it is overkill and warrants the low rating for me.

-Removable liner: 2 turns. The liner is basic, but not really usable outside the shell.

-Wrist fit: 3 turns. Elastic, no wrist strap, but firm and tight.

-Palm material: 3 turns. Heavy duty leather, great doubling of leather in key areas, tacky and soft.

-Overall Construction: 3 turns. Well designed and fits great, but lacks idiot strap which I would add as a modification.

-Verdict: 2.4 turns. If I were looking for a very warm/hot glove, the dexterity and removable liner points would have been higher, rendering this the overall winner. Minus points only for this reason. Great glove and decent dexterity for amount of insulation material to include wool.

I've had these gloves for 11 years of skiing (lift served and backcountry) and winter activities and have not been able to complain about anything yet. While I don't believe these are designed to climb 8000m peaks (as a previous reviewer seemed to suggest) they fit the bill for skiing, snow-machines, and outdoor work in very cold temperatures. The collar is great at keeping snow out and cinches down tight, it is great to be able to remove the inserts to help with drying and to use the shell with lighter gloves for some corn skiing.

All in all the best pair of gloves I've ever used. The leather on the fingers is finally starting to show some wear so it may be time for a new pair.

I bought these on the advice of the other reviewers and I have to disagree. They are bulky and uncomfortable. They seemed cold to me in only 15 degree weather and then hot at 30 degrees. I have been disappointed!

These gloves are nice. I like the wool lining and the articulation. I am, however; disappointed. They are not "totally waterproof" as the description says. I stuck my hands in them and put them in a bowl of water for one minute. They outer shell leaked like a sieve and the Gore-tex liner was leaking water badly through the finger tips.