Hestra Heli Ski Female 3-finger

The Hestra Heli Ski Female 3-finger is a women's leather ski glove built for cold, not for wet. Hestra's own spec panel rates it Warmth 7/8 (Extreme) and, in the same panel, Waterproof: No — "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."

Army goat leather, Triton fabric, removable liner

The Heli Ski Female 3-finger is Hestra's women's cut of the Army Leather Heli Ski: an Army goat leather palm and a HESTRA Triton polyamide backhand, which Hestra rates windproof, water-resistant and breathable, 100% polyamide. Insulation is G-Loft; the Bemberg liner is removable and itself 3-fingered; durability is rated 6/8 (Rugged). Features: long cuff with snow lock, wrist strap with Velcro closure, elastic at wrist, handcuffs, carabiner.

Warmth and weather

Warmth 7/8 (Extreme) is one rung below the top of Hestra's eight-point scale, and the three-finger chamber is why: the fingers share a compartment and heat each other. The Heli Ski Female 3-finger pays in dexterity: Mobility 4/8 (Good), against 6/8 (Agile) for the five-finger version. Warmer, clumsier.

Windproof and water-resistant are not waterproof. The Heli Ski Female 3-finger carries no membrane, so leather and Triton shed wind and dry snow all day, while spring slush and rain-on-snow soak through eventually. G-Loft blunts that: Hestra says it keeps insulating even in wet conditions and dries quickly.

Fit and sizing

Hestra sizes by hand circumference, measured around the widest part of the palm; the recommended size is an indication only. Hestra's chart for the Heli Ski Female 3-finger: size 6 = 127 mm (5 in), 7 = 152 mm (6 in), 8 = 178 mm (7 in). The women's cut is narrower than the men's, in the same materials.

PTO stocks the Heli Ski Female 3-finger in sizes 6, 7 and 8, both colourways in all three sizes: Syringa/Offwhite and Pale Grey/Offwhite. Sizes 5 and 9 are not part of this order.

Who it is for, and who should not buy it

The Heli Ski Female 3-finger is for women who ski cold: deep winter, exposed alpine, chairlift days that never warm up. Hestra files the glove under Alpine Pro: skiing, backcountry, snowboarding.

Skiers whose season runs wet need a membrane — a different glove, not this one with a membrane added. Hestra's Army Leather GORE-TEX 3-finger is a separate model: unisex cut, recycled Triton backhand, Eagle Grip construction, GORE-TEX membrane, Waterproof: Yes, $230. Charts shift with the cut: 178 mm is a women's 8 but a unisex 7. For dexterity, take the five-finger Heli Ski Female: Mobility 6/8 (Agile), warmth down to 6/8 (Insulated).