Gordini Gore-Tex Down III Women's Review

The Gore-Tex Down III Glove by Gordini is perfectly suited for ladies who want a warm glove at a moderate price. The down insulation will keep you warm during the coldest days at the resort, while the gloved design offers more dexterity than you'd get with any mitten.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

Of all the gloves tested, the Gordini Gore-Tex Down III Glove (rated to 10F) is the warmest. It's loaded with 600-fill goose down (75% goose down, 25% goose feathers) on the back of the palm, with a less bulky MegaLoft insulation on the palm (providing a little more dexterity). In addition to the insulation, we love the ultra-plush and soft inner liner that is sewn into the construction of the glove. This makes it a wonderful option for sitting on an ice-cold chairlift, or while hunkering down at your favorite ice fishing hole. If you run extra cold, slip a hand warmer into the pocket to stay roasty toasty.

This glove does a decent job in the breathability metric. The Gore-Tex liner allows water vapor to escape slowly, but the loft and insulation almost do too good a job of keeping heat trapped inside. As a result, we noticed our hands getting clammy during aerobic or warm days. It's a wonderful resort option, but we wouldn't recommend it for skiing in the backcountry.

Water Resistance

In addition to providing a heap of warmth, this glove does an impeccable job of resisting water. The highly durable and water-resistant goatskin palm and reinforced thumb keep moisture out when playing in the snow. The HydroWick Denier lining keeps water out of the glove throughout the day. During blustery wintery days when the snow was wet, we skied the resort for hours, without feeling cold or discomfort. These gloves are water-resistant!

A use issue that we commonly encountered is associated with the liner. When hands get wet from sweat or damp for another reason, the liner is very 'grabby', bunching up and sticking. Getting a wet hand into this glove can feel near impossible, which lost it some points with us.

During our water dunk tests, we were happy to learn that the Gore-Tex Down III gloves did not leak, just like other gloves with a Gore-Tex insert. It also only absorbed 2.4 oz of water during our tests. We recommend this glove for all types of climates and all weather conditions.

Dexterity

This glove is not as mobile as other thinner options on the market. It does offer more dexterity than a mitt, but because it is loaded with so much insulation throughout its construction, it's harder to use for finer tasks. We do appreciate that most of the insulation is concentrated to the back of the glove, allowing for more mobility in the palm, and that the leather palm is quite buttery, which adds more to the dexterity. It's a fine glove for the basics at the resort — putting on your boots, zipping up jackets, or grasping your ski pole, but for more technical purposes, a thinner, more mobile glove would be a better option.

Features

The Gore-Tex Down III glove has all the features you need for playing in the snow at the resort. An integrated wrist leash is handy when you need to remove your gloves quickly without having to store them in a pocket. No fear of dropping a glove from a chairlift with the leash attached, the gloves just hang off the wrists. The back of the hand has a small pocket that perfectly fits a hand warmer. On extra-frigid mornings, we like the small addition of warmth.

The wrist cinch is simple, and we love the quick cinch and release around the gauntlet. There are also quick clips that hold the gloves together when not in use. The nose wipe on the thumb also kept us happy during snotty days on the mountain.

Our wishlist? With technology being such an important part of our lives these days, we wish this glove had touchscreen compatibility as well as a removable leash. A longer gauntlet would be helpful to keep snow out during super deep days in the mountains. We also like that we could use a super-thin glove liner with this glove to provide additional warmth and versatility.

Durability

We are impressed with the craftsmanship and durability of this glove. Throughout the testing period, the insulation did not pack out or lose warmth, even after washing and our dunk tests. The stitching is very precise, but not seamless.

Also, we love the goatskin leather palm — one of the most durable leathers out there. Even though it only comes with a one-year warranty, we think it will last a few seasons at the least. In general, it was more durable than most contenders.

Should You Buy the Gordini Gore-Tex Down III Glove?

The Gordini Gore-Tex Down III Glove offers great warmth wrapped into a well-constructed glove-shaped package. In our humble opinion, we think this glove offers some of the best value of any of the gloves in this review. It's a high-scoring ski glove with great warmth and overall performance on the ski hill. We feel it is definitely worth the price, and if you seek a moderately priced and very warm glove for resort skiing, this is a great option.

What Other Women's Ski Gloves Should You Consider?

If you're seeking a glove that's warm and still boasts excellent dexterity, the Arc'teryx Fission SV is the best glove we tested. Its excellent performance comes at a much higher price, however. If you're looking to spend way less money, the Dakine Camino is our pick for the highest-value glove in the test. It's not quite as warm, but it's weatherproof and a good option for all but the coldest days.