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We’ve been using the Alpha SV glove for a season or two now, so it’s about time we shared some thoughts. The gloves are aimed mainly at the backcountry/ski touring market and feature a durable, waterproof anatomic shell, with a removable liner that can be replaced/dried. This concept is a holy grail for many alpinists too, and doubtless people will use this glove for climbing so it’s worthwhile to review the glove in this context. Al will also post his thoughts from a skiing perspective soon.

UPDATE – Skiers Comments now added below + wear photos to the slideshow - AP

I used the Alphas during the recent spring season in Chamonix on some classic Alpine faces/gullies, so I guess they’ve done about 60+ pitches of climbing and abseiling, plus a lot of general duty on the hill. So far I’ve been really impressed by most things, but here are a few details:

Features: The one handed hem draw cord works well, sealing the gauntlet tightly around the arm, and opens/closes easily even with gloved fingers or teeth. The drawstring channel is quite wide so the elastic cinches tightly and smoothly which also helps to create a good seal. The elastic volume adjuster on back of the hand/wrist is broad and comfy, and lets you set the tension at the reqd level – then you can just slip the gloves on and off. The elastic is contained within a seam sealed channel which is good, but the buckle is quite bulky and would potentially be a pressure point if using an ice axe leash. The liner has a laminated nylon strip about 3 inches wide around the entrance which keeps the entry open making it very easy to get in/out of the glove, and the outer gauntlet cinches snugly just beneath this stiffer part of the liner. Climbers will miss the lack of finger loops – allowing the gloves to be clipped to a harness by the middle fingers, so they don’t fill up with snow.

Fit: With the standard liner they’re quite snug, and work well for belaying and general use on moderate terrain/ice faces etc. These liners are super warm and incorporate the same anatomic shape as the shell, made from a high lofting Polartec fleece. When combined with the shell they form a solid unit which is easy to get on/off due to the laminated stiffener and the minimal movement between the shell and liner. For more technical mixed ground I’ve been using a slightly thinner fleece liner for more even dexterity– perfect for this seasons warm spring temps in theAlps. The fingers seem quite short at first but the curved shape means they actually feel fine when in use, and your fingers are always in contact with the end making them feel nimble. The gauntlet is quite long, definitely feels like a ski glove here but for climbing it does fit easily over any type of cuff however bulky, forming an excellent seal.

Durability: The leather on the palms and fingers has held up really well – abseiling with stiff and frozen ropes is a harsh test but they’ve coped pretty well. There are a few wear points caused by rope abrasion, but the leather is actually bonded onto the underlying Goretex which enhances the overall durability and stops the seams from exploding. This is a key feature in the construction. The ‘Tri-Dex’ design used for the finger shaping (imagine the shape of a peeled banana skin!) means relatively seam free finger tips, which seems to help with durability and dexterity in this high wear area. The Goretex fabric on the rest of the glove is quite tough but thin, and isn’t designed for serious abrasion against rock. So unsurprisingly the knuckles started to pick up small nicks (against the leather seam, and where the underlying seal tape has stiffened the fabric) after the first week – mainly from placing tools in constricted granite cracks and chimneys. To limit the damage I covered the knuckles with a layer of seam grip and this has done the trick although I guess it’s restricted the breathability a bit.. The rest or the fabric away from the knuckles looks like new.

Construction/Quality: Like all Arcteryx products these gloves are beautifully made – tight seams with a high stitch count and well finished all round. The curved ergonomic design of each finger means complex patterning and consequently some intricate seam taping to maintain the integrity of the waterproof shell. Turn the glove inside out and you can see what a neat job they’ve done of this difficult task – using very narrow seam tape to minimise bulk and increase dexterity. The liner is also well crafted with the same ergonomic design (the inner alone is made of around 12 panels of fabric). Yes – work like this doesn’t come cheap and that’s one of the reasons for the £200 price tag!

In use: Gloves are a very personal thing and everyone has their own idea of the perfect system – usually involving 2+ pairs eg a pair of thinner softshell gloves for the harder climbing, and a warmer pair for belaying, general duty and backup. It’s rare I can get through a big day using just one pair of gloves for everything, as they usually wet out from snow or sweat and then start to freeze, but even on the biggest days this spring I managed to get away with just the Alpha. For example on the Droites north face we did approx 900m of moving together/pitched climbing then 20 something raps back down the face (warm conditions on the south side descent and our route had been equipped for rappel). I don’t think I ever took the gloves off, they climbed well and were comfy, dry and warm from bergshrund to bergshrund – enough said!

In conclusion: This is close to being my perfect alpine climbing glove. From a climbers perspective there are a few things I would change/add: Finger clip-in loops, definitely a burlier Goretex fabric and maybe a slightly shorter gauntlet. I guess the price tag is also an issue but if you’re after a top end waterproof glove you couldn’t do much better. It will be interesting to see what Arcteryx come up with for the dedicated alpine climber in the near future…

Alpha SV Glove from a Skiers Perspective

I’ve been using a pair of these as my ski touring work glove for the past two seasons now – so they’ve had a good hammering in all kinds of conditions.  Rich has written plenty about the technical aspects of the glove already, so I’ll try and keep these comments succinct.

Fit/Features: The fit of these gloves has proved excellent, with plenty of dexterity for such a warm glove.  All the key components work very well – single handed closure, wrist volume etc – and the ability to pull out the inners for drying overnight is particularly useful on multiday tours, if you do happen to get some snow in.  The pair I’ve been using were samples, so there were various little tweaks I’d suggested after the first seasons use – I can confirm that all of these have been incorporated into the production model, which says a lot about Arcteryx’s commitment to excellence.

Warmth: I suffer from Reynauds and constantly get cold hands, so warm gloves are a big priority.  Testing them side by side (ie different glove on each hand) against my previous favourite glove, the BD Patrol, the Alpha SV Glove was definitely a notch warmer – the production inners are also made of a thicker pile, so they’re even better.  If it’s really cold, they also do an alpha SV Mitt too.

Durability: This is where they justify their price tag – if you’re going to spend this much cash an a pair of gloves, then they’d better last!  The patented seam construction on the outer makes a huge difference to durability, as it results in far less seam wear, which is always the first place that a glove goes.  My pair show similar levels of seam wear to Rich’s, but with far more use (the wear that has occured, happened when I did a load of multipitch abbing whilst ice climbing rather than skiing) so they are definitely good for several full seasons ski use.  The other big thing ski gloves suffer from is edge cuts on the thumb due to picking up skis – but this hasn’t been a problem either, as the Lezanova leather used is the best quality available.  I’ve added some wear photos to the slideshow – BD Patrol glove + Arcteryx SV glove both after one seasons guiding use.

Conclusions: Don’t let the price put you off – if you ski a lot and want a pair of gloves that will perform and last, then the Alpha SV outperforms anything else on the market and does offer clear value.  For next season, a shorty version – the Vertical SV Glove – will also be available: this has the same warmth and construction technology, but without the long gauntlet, so it comes with a lower price tag – that will be well worth a look too.

AP