I was just in a mountaineering class in the adirondacks and a few of the instructors were using leather chopper mittens over wool gloves I think for ice axe work.

Anyone else useing them/were can I get a set?

Is there a newer solution to the frozen hand problem with an ice axe?

Thanks.

For simple task (self arrest grip, chopping steps...) a trick is to insert a piece of foam inside your mitten. Something about 1/4" or less provides enough insultation without affecting too much your dexterity.

Cheers.

tape foam or foam tape over the parts you hold on yr axe

If I was going to use leather mitten shells I'd use my Dachstein boiled wool mittens as liners. They are extremely warm and durable. If you wear a hole in them you can get someone to crochet it closed in a spiral pattern with wool yarn. Worked great for me when I accidentally burned a hole in my mitten's thumb.

Could you post some pictures of your mittens?

I have a pair..bomber!

THey are now sold again in the US for $32
http://www.sweatersintl.com/store/woolmittens.html

Kat - Can you make something like that?

Maybe "Lobster" style?

I don't know what that means David. But yeah, I have made some for myself and family a while ago. I am making a pair right now, but I have a question for those that have them. How do you like the wrist part being felted as well? Does it retain some stretch, or would it be better to knit the wrist on, after the rest is felted, and the wrist remain more stretchy? Is there anything else that would make them even better?
And yes, I will be knitting a KKettle next ;), watch out !

That's where the fingers are put together in two pairs.

The index finger and the bird finger together and the ring finger and pinky together.

Looks like a lobster claw.

Sort of a hybrid between mittens and gloves. I've only ever seen them by Swix, but there must be others.

If you can make a dense pair like those Austrian mitts I'l buy them from you.....

David, can you maybe give me a link to a picture so I get a better idea? The density is not a problem, just loosely knitted, then washed in really hot soapy water, until they are the desired thickness. Can do, pretty sure.


Edited: Do you mean, just like a mitten, but the hand part is split in two, plus the thumb? So basically 3 parts to the hand, in proportion?

Edited by Kat_P on 02/17/2011 18:58:00 MST.

That's right.

How do I get an image of the web into here?

Search google images for "Swix mittens".

Edited by davidlutz on 02/17/2011 19:10:59 MST.

Edit: David, I just saved it on my hard drive, then used the "Insert Image at Cursor" button.

Edited by zencarver on 02/17/2011 19:13:42 MST.

I see. I'll give it a try and let you know how it went in the next couple of days. What about the cuff; how long would be ideal? This first pair of "lobsters" will just be a trial, then I'll check about size and all that.

BD mercury mitts have a separate index finger in the liner, but not the shell ...

it makes quite a bit of difference IMO ... when cold you can just put the index finger with the other fingers

Re: "If I was going to use leather mitten shells I'd use my Dachstein boiled wool mittens as liners." Good luck holding on to an ice axe with that combo. Sadly, I am old enough to own a pair of the original boiled wool mitts, used in climbing ice in Scotland in the early days by slapping one onto the ice, letting it adhere, then pulling up on it like pulling up on a Quark ice tool. They have zero dexterilty. RBH Designs make a warm "Trigger Mitt" with a thumb, index finger, and the rest of the digits fit in a mitt section.

Mountain Biking split gloves have padding and work fine for ice climbing.

Edited by footeab on 02/17/2011 23:30:46 MST.

The Dachsteins are BOILED wool.

They are placed over a wooden form and then boiled to shrink to the size of the form. That process makes them have a very tight and thick knit, which gives them their warmth. These suckers are teh sine' qua non of wool mittens.

Having used the same pair of Dachstein mittens for over 35 years I can attest to their durability and versatility. I climbed four volcanoes and many other mountains in Washington State with them, and have taken them on innumerable x-c ski and winter camping trips. I never had any problem holding onto ice axes or ski poles, even when I used shell overmitts.

Just recently a hole appeared in one thumb, I think because of the way I hold x-c poles and the constant rubbing (my wife's pair, purchased at the same time, is fine, but she hasn't used them as much). I hope to be able to repair it.

If not I'll purchase another pair in the hope they are of the same quality as the originals. If they are I'll will them to my children or grandchildren.

Uhhhhh, good thing I still have your paypal address. Let me know when the Pierini wool lobster mitts are done!

And I'd be for a stretchy wrist part, easier to get on and off.

I just want to clarify that boiling wool is one of at least three methods of achieving felted wool. Boiling wool is the least labor intensive method, second is washing them in hot water and agitating them , third is to use barbed needles and "stabbing" the wool hundreds of times, interlacing its fibers. The most common problem with the first two methods is overfelting, where the items shrink too much and the wool gets so dense that it can become useless for certain applications. The mitts I felted this morning shrank too much and the wool become very dense, about 1/2 " thick.


"sine qua non" ? You mean " non plus ultra" perhaps?

Edited by Kat_P on 02/24/2011 10:49:29 MST.