Gordini Vertigo Gauntlet Ski Glove Review

Gloves are a key piece to overall comfort on the slopes. A crappy pair of gloves can ruin your day, but a good, versatile pair of gloves will be warm and breathable no matter what conditions Mother Nature throws your way. It’s important to have a variety of gloves, but you should always have a nice pair of gauntlet gloves to cover all your bases–especially on stormy days. I always carry a pair of standard-cuff gloves and a pair of gauntlet gloves with me to the hill, but more often than not, I end up wearing the gauntlet gloves.

Gordini Vertigo Glove Details

Gordini has long been a recognized leader in glove technology and design and the Vertigo glove is a great example of the use of technology to build a better glove with more functional, usable fabrics. Using proprietary Lavawool, the Vertigo glove is soft, supple, flexible and warm in all conditions. The combination of synthetic fibers with a small percentage (10-12%) of natural wool fibers allows you to take advantage of the benefits of wool and synthetic at the same time.

The natural wool fibers absorb moisture and the synthetic fibers then wick it away from your skin, thus taking advantage of the warmth of wool and the wicking of synthetics.

The Vertigo glove is a gauntlet design with enough cuff length to easily cinch over any jacket for a secure weather barrier. Another nice touch with the Vertigo glove is the durable goat skin palm and the grippy Stick Grip fingers.

Gordini Vertigo Gloves Performance

Gauntlet-style gloves are the workhorse of resort-specific and cold weather gloves. On stormy and cold days, nothing is better at keeping the snow out of your jacket cuffs. You want that extra length to ensure no snow enters into your gloves. After a handful of days with the Vertigo gloves, I was sold on the Lavawool technology and I got more comfortable using them not only in-bounds, but in the backcountry as well, where breathability is key.

Softshell technology continues to evolve and Lavawool is a great example of that. Lavawool is Gordini’s patented fabric that is built using a combination of polyester fibers and natural wool. This combination results in a supple and comfortable glove right out of the box. Many gloves take time to break in, but the Vertigo felt comfortable right out of the box.

Most gauntlet gloves are too bulky and warm for backcountry touring, but I thought I’d give the Vertigo a try on a quick tour in Little Cottonwood Canyon. I usually stick to lighter weight gloves–especially while climbing, but the Vertigo breathed well and kept the wind off. By the time we got to the top, I didn’t have much moisture build-up at all–much better than any other cold-weather glove I’d used before. The combination of the Lavawool and 3-layer AquaBloc did a great job at moisture management in athletic conditions.

On cold days inbounds, the Vertigo kept my digits happy and warm. I especially noticed how consistently supple and comfortable the gloves were in all temperatures and conditions. The combination of materials provided just the right dexterity for pole grips, nose wipes and button pushes.

I did have some trouble tightening the wrist straps on-the-fly. Most of the time, I just left them the same tightness and only adjusted the shock-cord at the end of the cuff. Speaking of the shock cord, I pulled the endcap off the end of one of the drawstrings on the first pull. I guess sometimes you can’t pull on them so hard. Oh well… a quick square knot fixed that and I was back in business.

The Bottom Line on the Gordini Vertigo

The Gordini Vertigo gloves are some of the finest examples of the evolution of softshell fabrics. I absolutely love the soft and supple feel that the glove has in all conditions. The combination of the goatskin, Lavawool and Stick Grip outer provided a great overall level of comfort and dexterity, while the 3-layer AquaBloc liner kept my fingers dry and toasty. The Vertigo glove is a great value for an everyday resort or backcountry glove.

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