The Gordini Gore Gauntlet is a plain black Gore-Tex ski glove with no clever features. It costs about half of what a Hestra does, and Gordini comes up in almost every budget glove thread.
So the question is simple. Is a cheap Gore-Tex gauntlet good enough, or do you pay for it later?
I owned a pair for several seasons. The short answer: they are warm, comfortable and dry. They are also bulky, and the fingertips wore out sooner than I wanted. Otherwise, great gloves.
What You Get for the Money
The shell is polyester with a ripstop trim. The palm and thumb have a textured grip panel, and the fingers are wrapped in real leather. That leather is where your hands touch the most, which matters later.
Inside the shell is a Gore-Tex insert. That is a waterproof, breathable membrane sewn between the outer fabric and the lining. Snow and slush stay out, and some of the sweat gets out. Behind it sits synthetic insulation and a moisture-wicking lining.
The cuff is a full gauntlet. It goes over your jacket sleeve, and a drawcord cinches it shut. A buckle strap at the wrist snugs the glove to your hand.
One note on the name. Gordini's own site now lists its GTX Storm gloves as the main Gore-Tex line. The Gore Gauntlet mostly sells through Amazon.
On the Hill: Warm Hands, Thick Fingers
These gloves are warm. On cold chairlift rides my hands stayed comfortable, and I never felt the need for a liner glove. They were also comfortable from the first day. No break-in, no stiff seams digging into my knuckles.
They stay dry, too. Wet snow, sitting down to strap in, packing a snowball: the Gore-Tex does its job.
The trade-off is in the fingers. They are thick. Ratchet straps and pole grips are fine, but small jobs are clumsy. Zipper pulls, goggle straps, a phone, a lift ticket in a pocket: plan to pull a glove off for those. If you care about feel, you will notice the bulk every run.
Where It Excels
Cold, wet resort days. This is the glove for a gray, sleety day on the East Coast or a frigid morning anywhere. Riders on the icecoast forum say the same thing over and over: get Gore-Tex, and Gordini is a reasonably priced place to get it.
Value. Owners regularly compare Gordini gloves to Hestra. One skier calls their Gordini Gore-Tex pair about as good as Hestras for half the price. That is generous, but the gap is smaller than the price gap.
Comfort. Some warm gloves feel like oven mitts with a plastic bag inside. These feel soft and broken in from the start.
Where It Falls Short
The cuff tightener is finicky. Getting the gauntlet snug over a jacket sleeve takes more fiddling than it should. It works, but it never feels quick.
The fingertip leather wears out. On my pair, the leather on the fingers started to wear down after a season or two. The rest of the glove held up fine. Fingertips take the most abuse: grabbing bindings, pushing off the snow, brushing off a board.
Dexterity. This is a warm glove first. The thick fingers that keep you warm also make fine work hard.
The Durability Debate
Gordini owners disagree on how long these gloves last.
Some report a pair lasting close to ten years and calling them the best gloves they have owned. One rider is on a second pair of Gordini Gore-Tex gloves after first buying them about 15 years ago, and describes them as cheap, warm, dry and durable. Another longtime owner says the newer versions are still good, but not quite the same as the older ones.
On the other side, one owner of a Gordini Gore-Tex glove noticed the palm wearing after about 30 days on snow. Their take: treat gloves as a wear item you replace now and then.
My experience lands in the middle. The glove kept working, but the fingertip leather showed wear well before the rest. At this price, that is an easy trade.
Pro tip: Treat the leather fingers with a leather wax or conditioner before the season, and again when they look dry. It slows the wear and keeps the leather from soaking up water.
Who Should Buy It
Buy the Gore Gauntlet if you ride resorts in cold or wet places and want Gore-Tex without paying premium prices. It suits riders who run cold, riders who ride in all weather, and anyone who keeps losing or wrecking expensive gloves.
Look elsewhere if you want a thin, nimble glove for park laps or spring days. Also think twice if your jacket has long, snug sleeves. One owner points out that a gauntlet over a long sleeve can bunch up your arms, and an under-the-cuff glove may fit better.
Alternatives
The Burton Gore-Tex Gloves cost more, but add a removable liner and touchscreen fingertips. The liner dries faster on its own and gives you a thinner glove for warm days. Read our full Burton Gore-Tex Gloves review.
The Kinco 901 is the cheap leather option. It is a work-style pigskin glove with a warm lining. It costs about the same as the Gordini, but it is not waterproof from the factory. You wax it yourself to shed water.
The Hestra Army Leather Heli Ski Mitt is the big step up. It is a leather mitt with a removable liner, built to last for many seasons. As a mitt it trades even more dexterity for warmth, and it costs several times more.
Verdict
The Gordini Gore Gauntlet does the main job of a winter glove very well. It keeps your hands warm and dry, and it feels good from day one.
You give up dexterity, and the fingertip leather will not last forever. Wax the leather, accept the bulk, and these are an easy pick for cold, wet resort days at a fair price.
