Inexpensive Skiing / Snowboarding Gloves by thirtytwoutside
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It's a widely known fact that snow sports are expensive; with all the gear and equipment, gas to get to the mountain, lift tickets, day lodge food, post-skiing beer... it all adds up very quickly.  Why pay more than you have to?

Gloves are an essential component of an enjoyable day on the slopes.  Cheap gloves will fall apart, don't have very good insulation, or will keep your hands too warm without letting them breathe.  With cold hands, you'll end up cold and miserable.  Then the whining starts.  Then your friends ditch you.  Before you know it, your friends have made their way home, with you left on the mountain to fend for yourself and hitchhike home.  You don't want that, do you?  Of course not!  There are bears and ski bums out there, looking for food or the occasional case of PBR.
 
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Step 1:

You will need two things (and an oven) that you can pick up at any decent hardware store.  If you live farther away from anywhere with inclement weather these may be a little harder to find (I can't imagine a hardware store in Hawaii carrying Sno-Seal) but a quick search online should get you what you're looking for. 

I use Sno-Seal beeswax waterproofing - it absorbs nicely into most leather products - because it's cheap and effective and leaves the leather breathable (something animal grease waterproofers don't do). 

As for the gloves themselves, Kinco makes very affordable lined work gloves. I prefer the pigskin gloves but they have a whole line available.

After you've gathered the necessary components, set your oven to "warm" (or 150 degrees) and be sure to open ALL AVAILABLE WINDOWS.  I can't stress this enough; Sno-Seal in your oven is going to make your kitchen smell like chemicals and you want it to air out as much as possible. 
kenbob says: Jan 20, 2012. 7:10 AM
Ok, now i have to try this.
lae52 says: Jan 20, 2012. 6:46 AM
I've done the same thing with leather boots as well, although I've always used the electric burner on the stove top for a heat source
str172 says: Jan 19, 2012. 4:23 PM
Great idea - I am going to make a pair - Indoor oven is tough cause of the smell; hairdryer is tough cause of the extended process - I am going to try using my grill. I can get indirect heat at 150 no problem ......
scottjl says: Jan 19, 2012. 12:55 PM
I've done this myself and I don't even work on a mountain. Instead of "baking" the gloves you can just use a hair-dryer to heat up and work one section at a time. Wear one glove, apply the sno-seal with a cloth and your other hand, alternating with heating with the hair dryer.
lalunette says: Jan 19, 2012. 2:03 PM
Yup, the hair dryer trick works for me every time !!
thirtytwoutside (author) says: Jan 19, 2012. 1:23 PM
The hair dryer sounds like a good idea... especially because then I'd just be able to do it outside. The smell of the Sno Seal isn't all that pleasant, especially when it lingers for at least half the day! And it sounds like it'd be much easier to add a bit of heat when the glove you're working on starts to cool down.
apccool says: Jan 19, 2012. 12:36 PM
As a fellow resort employee, I also endorse those leather kincos with sno-seal. Can't beat em, especially at that price (we do get an employee special at Mt Hood at $9 for a full set). Put them to the test against any burton, reusch, grenade, etc. (aside from aesthetics maybe...), my money's on the kincos.
thirtytwoutside (author) says: Jan 19, 2012. 1:35 PM
Not the best looking glove like you mentioned - my gloves from last winter look dirty and beat to hell (but I just resealed them to reuse this winter... right before we get pounded by this storm).

I'd take durability and affordability over having stylish gloves any day... especially since no one wants to use expensive gloves to fix rope lines and raise tower pads. Also, hello to Mt. Hood from Northstar!
katiem83 says: Jan 19, 2012. 11:05 AM
Wow, that's great...thanks for sharing!
healeyc0 says: Jan 19, 2012. 9:18 AM
Would'nt it be easier to just melt the snoseal and paint it on the gloves?
agis68 says: Jan 19, 2012. 8:35 AM
That excactly i need for my motorbike
badpanda says: Jan 18, 2012. 8:20 AM
Strong work GL!
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