Rab Khroma Freeride Gore-Tex Gloves Review

These gloves score well across the board, with high marks in water resistance, features, and durability, but they aren't quite as warm or as dexterous as our favorite gloves on the market.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

The Khroma Freeride uses high-quality insulation throughout the front, back, wrist, and fingers to provide a warm experience for the user. They also have a thick fleece lining which adds warmth and a cozy, comfortable feeling. Overall, these are warm gloves, though they don't provide as much warmth as the best gloves on the market. Still, for most conditions, these are warm enough. Only in truly frigid temperatures did our testers notice their fingers starting to become chilly.

Dexterity

Given the amount of insulation and the waterproof membrane stuffed into the body of these gloves, we were impressed by their dexterity, though they still suffer from slightly puffy fingers. We were able to perform most detailed tasks like pulling zippers and clipping buckles, though we occasionally fumbled through these tasks in our test. It was hard to tie our boot laces in these gloves. That said, they can perform most tasks that we ask of them. Compared to lighter gloves, they lack dexterity, but compared to other warm and weather-proof gloves, these perform pretty well.

Water Resistance

These gloves are tightly sealed against the environment. They feature burly leather and softshell outers, a DWR treatment, and a Gore-Tex insert to keep water out. The wrist gauntlet reaches high up the user's forearm and has a drawstring that securely tightens over a jacket cuff to keep snow out of the glove on powder days. We did not feel any water seeping into the glove during our dunk test, and trust these gloves in the worst weather conditions. If you need a glove that will keep you dry in any weather, these are a great option.

Durability

The Khroma Freeride is built to last. The leather palm and fingers are reinforced in key areas including the outside of the index finger and the space between the thumb and forefinger. This reinforcement patch is secured with double-stitching, meaning it will take a lot of abrasion to get these gloves to wear out. This design feature also makes them a good choice for winter mountaineers and ice climbers. The softshell material on the back of the hand and wrist gauntlet deflects sharp objects, and there is no hook-and-loop design to wear out. Of course, synthetic insulation and leather fingertips wear out over time, but these gloves didn't raise any warning signs during our test period.

Features

The Rab Khroma Freeride is loaded with tons of useful features. The wrist gauntlet is wide enough to fit over a hardshell jacket cuff, but it also sinches tight enough to fit inside of most winter jackets. A removable wrist leash helps avoid dropping the gloves off the chairlift, and there is also a clip to keep the gloves together during storage and travel. Finally, there is a soft and generous nose wipe on the outside of the thumbs.

Should You Buy the Rab Khroma Freeride Gore-Tex?

These are great gloves for resort skiers who spend most days of the winter on the ski hill, or for snow professionals to use on cold days. They also come at a great price, especially given their performance. We wouldn't hesitate to choose these gloves as our go-to pair for any winter conditions, though they might be overkill for warm spring skiing.

What Other Ski Gloves Should You Consider?

These gloves nearly match the performance of our top choice, the Arc'teryx Fission SV, and they cost a little less. If you are looking for a lower price, check out our best option for tight budgets, the Gordini GTX Storm Trooper II. The Black Diamond Guide is similarly weather-resistant and much warmer, though you won't have as much dexterity.