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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 beers... it all adds up very quickly. Why pay more than you have to?
In addition to my job here at Instructables, I'm also a ski patroller in Tahoe. When I first started, some of the veterans taught me how to make these gloves. These days I won't use anything else - a pair of gloves that are warm, durable, snow repellent, and comfortable... all for less than $20!
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.
In addition to my job here at Instructables, I'm also a ski patroller in Tahoe. When I first started, some of the veterans taught me how to make these gloves. These days I won't use anything else - a pair of gloves that are warm, durable, snow repellent, and comfortable... all for less than $20!
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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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.
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.
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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!