Hestra Voss CZone

The Hestra Voss CZone is a leather ski glove with a real membrane behind the hide: Hestra's performance panel answers "Waterproof: Yes", and that membrane is the reason to buy it. The insulation is not — Hestra rates the warmth 4/8 — and the liner never comes out. $150.

Fabric and construction

Hestra's own line: "Sewn in hardwearing, treated goatskin leather and polyester fabric, with a waterproof, breathable CZone membrane." The palm is impregnated goat leather, the backhand is Niak polyester, the insulation is G-Loft. Goat leather is thinner and more supple than cowhide, which is why the glove rates 6/8 Mobility, "Agile" — enough hand left to work a buckle without taking it off — and, treated and reinforced, 6/8 Durability, "Rugged".

Warmth and weather

Warmth is 4/8, "Very warm", on Hestra's eight-point scale. The label reads warmer than the position is: this is a resort glove, not one for a long cold chairlift. The waterproofing survives scrutiny. Hestra: "The glove features a waterproof membrane that prevents moisture from reaching your hands, keeping them dry in wet and snowy conditions." Credit the membrane, not the leather, which Hestra calls only water-resistant. Hestra publishes no hydrostatic head for CZone.

Fit and sizing

Hestra sizes numerically by hand circumference, not S/M/L; this style runs 6 to 10. Sizes are not uniform across colours in our buy: size 7 comes in Candy and Beige only, size 10 in Black/Cork only. The cuff is short and worn under the sleeve: a paracord cinches the wrist, a puller sits at the cuff, handcuffs keep the glove on you when you strip it off. Hestra lists no gauntlet and no snow lock for this style, and in deep snow a gauntlet seals better.

Who it is for, and who should not buy it

Buy it for wet, heavy maritime snow, where a membrane earns its keep and a leather-only glove wets out, and for the skier in and out of buckles all day. Do not buy it if you need to pull the liner out and dry it overnight — the lining is sewn in. Hestra's Army Leather Heli Ski ($185) has a removable liner and no membrane, and Hestra answers "Waterproof: No" for it. Membrane or dryable liner: Hestra makes you pick. And not for deep cold — Hestra calls the Voss CZone Mitt, same materials and same $150, slightly warmer.