Black Diamond Mercury Mitts

Last week, before the crowds descended for the Ouray Ice Festival, I had an opportunity to get away from work and spend 4 days climbing in the Ouray Ice Park. Though the weather was beautiful and temps optimal, I still relied on my Black Diamond Mercury Mitts to keep my hands warm between climbs. After years of trying different mittens to keep my low-circulation hands warm, the warmest mitt I've found (with the exception of OR's Expedition Altimitts and BDs Absolute Mitts, both intended for extreme cold weather mountaineering and certainly NOT dexterous or practical for daily climbing use) is the Black Diamond Mercury Mitt. With removable liners, the mitt is ideal for warming your hands up after a cold climb or for spending a day resort skiing in. The gloves still have enough dexterity to belay in, and have a great leather palm that offers resistance for those same belays and for great grip on ski poles. Cool Features of the Black Diamond Mercury Mitt Removable Liner- allows you to efficiently dry the mitts out and ensure both the shell and insides get dry. :Liner is made of primaloft, and it provides some primo insulation! Also, "lobster claw" feature isolates your index finger from the other 3, allowing for more dexterity. Big gauntlet! I can put these gloves on over my softshell and MH SubZero Hooded Puffy, and they fit easily over the layers around my wrist, and still come with a drawstring to tighten. "Dummy Straps"- certainly not the technical term, but I can't seem to find the official name for them. Know the straps that come on the mitts so you can attach them to your wrist, and then be able to yank them off real quick without losing them? Crucial feature for me. I can't count the times my mitts would be down the hill if it weren't for those guys. Surprisingly, many adult mitts don't come with these! Apparently when you're past the age of 6 you're supposed to be able to keep track of your stuff without strings on it... Right... With a temperature rating down to -20, these are great mitts for cold days at the ski resort to to warm up pumped hands after a cold climb! The only disadvantage might be that these gloves can be too warm for regular resort days or all day wear. Toasty toasty! Check it out! Women's Mercury Mitt