I hate being cold almost as much as I love snowboarding. This is a widely shared, relatable catch-22 for many mountain dwellers. This season, I was in search of a new pair of mittens that would keep me warm even when the thermometer hit single digits. Of course, they’ve got to look good, too. With those two musts in mind, I landed on Hestra’s Fall Line Mitt.
The Hestra Fall Line Mitt is designed to fit smoothly under the sleeves of your outerwear. Photo: Alex Nye
Hestra Fall Line Mitts come with Hestra Handcuffs attached. You put the Handcuffs around your wrists before pulling on the mitt. When you take the mitt off, the Handcuffs keep the mitts hanging from your arms, which is especially helpful when you want to take off your mitt but not store it in a jacket pocket. Hestra Fall Line Mitts also come with a carabiner that can be attached to the metal eyelets on the wrists, which will help keep your mitts together and easily attachable to a bag, or to hang up by the fireplace to dry before another back-to-back day of shredding. Photo: Alex Nye
I have to hand it to Hestra. I’ve been genuinely impressed with the Fall Line Mitt’s craftsmanship. Right from the jump, I was wowed by the mitt’s premium goat leather exterior, its thoughtful design and intricate stitching, the beefy padding covering the backsides, and the blanket-soft, five-finger lining that hugs your hand when you slip the mitt on. The Fall Line Mitt is high-quality where it counts and even has some extra bells and whistles to get excited about.
When I’m at the mountain, I’m constantly taking my mitts off to shoot photos or videos of other riders. The Fall Line Mitt is great in these situations for several reasons. The Velcro strap over the neoprene cuff allows me to quickly remove the mitts when it’s time to capture the action and resecure them when it’s time to jet. It’s a no-fuss system that lets the cuff easily slide back underneath the end of my jacket sleeves. The Fall Line Mitt also comes with Hestra’s Handcuffs—wrist straps designed to help you avoid losing a mitt—and, in my case, are perfect for when you’re handling any sort of equipment. After having my hands out in the cold, I need mitts that will help me get my fingers back up to speed as quickly as possible. Hestra gives the Fall Line Mitt a 7/8 rating for warmth, which has been more than sufficient for the situations I’ve described above.
Notably, there are even warmer options among Hestra’s expansive collection of gloves and mittens. Short of getting their top-of-the-line Heater Gauntlet Mitts (which feature literal rechargeable hand warming panels within the mitts) would be Hestra’s Army Leather Extreme Mitt. Hestra gives the Army Leather Extreme Mitt a full 8/8 rating on their warmth scale, compared to the Fall Line Mitt’s 7/8 rating. However, the Fall Line Mitt scores slightly higher in mobility at 3/8, versus the Army Leather Extreme’s 2/8 (lower numbers represent more restrictive movement). When I’m not shooting photos or video, I’m riding, and I still like catching air and grabbing my snowboard from time to time. Given that I’m mainly riding inbounds at ski areas or taking only short day trips into the backcountry, I figured the Fall Line and their 7/8 warmth rating is more than sufficient. Fortunately, that has proven to be the case. I have terrible circulation and would still personally consider these warm enough for just about any type of snowboarding I get myself into, including the occasional 6-hour catboarding days. The only way I'd consider upgrading to an even warmer option than these Hestra Fall Line Mitts is if I was regularly hitting snowmobile tracks at 4 a.m. in Wyoming.
A look at the removable liner that comes in every pair of Hestra Fall Line Mitts. After a few seasons of wear, you can reinvigorate the life and warmth of your Fall Line Mitt by replacing its worn out liners, rather than replacing the entire pair of mitts. This will significantly increase the life of the mittens, making them even more worth the price than they already are. Photo: Ben Shanks Kindlon
I personally love the feel of the Fall Line/Patrol Liner 5-finger that comes with the Fall Line Mitt. Although, if you'd prefer the inside of your mitten to also be shaped like a mitten, you can easily replace this liner with the Patrol Liner Mitt. Photo: Ben Shanks Kindlon
The Hestra Fall Line Mitt uses the company’s classic five-finger fleece liner, and to extend the lifespan of the Fall Line Mitt, they made the liner removable. This allows for easier washing, and, when the time comes, a fresh liner to reinvigorate a well-worn mitt with leather that still has plenty left in the tank. For folks who aren’t fans of having the five-finger liner and want the inside of their mitten to also feel like a mitten, the Fall Line Mitt is also compatible with the Patrol Liner Mitt. Notably, the ability to remove the liner makes the Fall Line Mitt a solid choice no matter the weather. When spring rolls around, you can use the mitts without the liners inserted for a cooler, comfortable wear.
The Fall Line Mitt is not waterproof, but after a few applications of Hestra Leather Balm, you won't need to worry about that. Photo: Ben Shanks Kindlon
The Fall Line Mitt comes with a small tube of Hestra Leather Balm. The balm is designed for adding a greater level of water resistance to the mitt, as well as increasing its overall durability and preserving the leather. I noticed that after applying the balm, the mitts became that much easier to move my hands around in, too.
With proper care, I expect these mitts to last for years to come--a decade if I’m not too hard on them. Now, rather than worrying about my mitts quickly wearing down, I’ll just have to hope my style preference doesn’t change too much in that time... As if.
Function meets swag in the Hestra Fall Line Mitt, shown here in the Almond White colorway. The mitts are also made in Black and Cork colorways. Like I said at the beginning of this review, style played a major role in my decision to get the Fall Line Mitt. Obviously, this part of the decision-making process is entirely subjective to each individual. That said, I chose with the Fall Line Mitt in the Almond White colorway because they are the coolest looking mitten in Hestra’s lineup, and that’s a fact. Photo: Alex Nye
Hestra Fall Line Mitts retail for $190. They are available with board shops and select retailers across the globe and online directly through Hestra.
ABOUT THE TESTER
Age: 33
Height / Weight: 5'10" / 165 lbs
Mitten Size: 8
Years snowboarding: 25
Home Mountain: Mt. Snow, VT / Mt. Baker, WA
Riding Style: Freestyle-focused, all-terrain jibber