Hestra Vertical Cut Freeride 3-finger

The Hestra Vertical Cut Freeride 3-finger is a cold-snow freeride glove: impregnated cowhide palm, shock-absorbing foam on the backhand, removable G-Loft liner, no waterproof membrane. Three fingers share one chamber, which buys warmth and costs finger independence. Water resistance stops at the outer materials.

Fabric and construction

The backhand is Hestra's dobby polyester melange woven fabric. The palm is impregnated cowhide with reinforcement details, its seams sewn outside so no seam ridge sits between hand and pole. The backhand foam is impact padding for knuckles, not insulation. The neoprene cuff closes with Velcro and runs under a jacket sleeve: no snow lock, no gauntlet. Handcuffs, a cuff puller and a carabiner are included.

Warmth and weather

No membrane. Hestra's spec sheet lists no membrane insert for this style, while the CZone and GORE-TEX models name theirs outright. Hestra has not published a product page for it: no official warmth rating, no Waterproof row to quote. On the membrane-free Hestra gloves that do have pages, that row reads Waterproof: No, explained this way: "The glove does not include a waterproof membrane. It may offer water resistance from its outer material but is not designed to keep hands dry in sustained wet conditions." This one is built the same. Cold dry snow, fine; wet spring snow and rain-on-snow, damp hands.

The liner comes out: the G-Loft fill, which Hestra describes as quick-drying and insulating even when wet, sits in a removable Bemberg lining that dries separately from the shell. Inside the three-finger outer is a five-finger liner, so fingers stay separated but share heat.

Fit and sizing

Hestra sizes by hand circumference, "measured around the widest part of the palm," and calls the recommended size "an indication." On its unisex chart a size 7 is a 178 mm palm and a size 8 is 203 mm — roughly the size number in inches. The women's chart runs a full size off that one: 178 mm is a women's 8 but a 7 here, so do not carry a women's number across. Hestra builds it in sizes 5 to 12; PTO stocks one colourway, Cerise/Mustard, in sizes 6, 7 and 8.

Who it is for, and who should not buy it

It suits a rider who skis cold snow, takes the occasional knuckle strike, and wants a slim under-cuff glove with a removable liner. Skip it if you ski wet weather regularly. The membrane alternative in the same three-finger layout is the Hestra Army Leather GORE-TEX 3-finger: its spec sheet lists a GORE-TEX insert and its official Performance block reads Waterproof: Yes, though it is a gauntlet, worn over the sleeve. Need separate fingers for zippers and buckles? Buy a five-finger glove.