Black Diamond Tour Review

These gloves sacrifice warmth and some weather resistance for dexterity and breathability.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

With only a thin fleece lining for insulation and a soft leather shell fabric, these gloves are not warm enough for cold days at the ski resort. They kept our testers' hands warm down to about 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-4 degrees Celcius), but below that, our hands got cold. That means that these gloves aren't warm enough for most days at the ski resort. They perform well on spring days, but other than that, these gloves won't keep you warm.

That said, for backcountry tours, we found that these gloves provide the perfect amount of insulation. As long as we were moving aerobically, we produced enough heat to keep our hands warm. The fleece traps just enough heat while the rest escapes through the leather shell. The hook-and-loop cuff strap seals the glove securely against the wrist, trapping more warm air. For backcountry tours in most winter weather, these gloves provide the perfect amount of warmth.

Dexterity

The major upshot of using less insulation is that these gloves are supremely dexterous. We had no problem using our hands and fingers to complete detailed tasks like zipping zippers and finding lip balm in our pockets while wearing these gloves. We rarely had to take these gloves off throughout entire days in the backcountry.

Other gloves may be (much) warmer, but there is a warmth advantage to a glove that you never have to remove. Any hot air that is trapped inside the glove will escape when the glove is removed, and since we never had to take these gloves off, our hands developed a cozy equilibrium temperature that was easy to maintain all day. Furthermore, these gloves are dexterous enough to use while ski mountaineering, and we were able to place rock protection, tie knots in ropes, and climb 4th-class rock while wearing these gloves.

Water Resistance

The BD Tour uses Black Diamond's proprietary waterproof and breathable membrane, BDry, to keep the water out of these gloves. This membrane works well most of the time. In light snow, these gloves stay dry. However, if you spend a lot of time with your hands in the snow, these gloves eventually let the water in. While digging snow pits or using an ice axe while climbing steep couloirs, the leather quickly absorbs water, which then somehow makes its way through the membrane and into your hands.

This problem is mostly mitigated by the regular use of a waterproofing treatment. The leather quickly soaks up these treatments, which seem to last for a few weeks of daily use before they need to be treated again. The softshell material around the wrists is waterproof, and the wrist straps create an effective seal.

Durability

We are impressed by the long-term durability of the Black Diamond Tour. Other similar products from this manufacturer have shown wear and tear in the leather after a short life of usage, but these gloves seem to do better. Our gloves show no signs of wearing through the leather after about 50 days of use, which is better than other products we've tested. Black Diamond has historically provided excellent customer service for their gloves and we have always received a warranty replacement when we've asked for one.

These gloves have a short break-in period, which suggests expert tailoring and design. The finger seams aren't placed in locations that receive direct wear and tear, which helps add longevity. Inevitably, the soft goatskin leather will wear out, as all leather gloves do. However, we are surprised by the lifespan of the pair that we tested, especially considering how supple the leather feels right out of the box.

Features

The Black Diamond Tour is decidedly light on features. Since its primary use is backcountry skiing, it can do with fewer features than gloves made for resort skiing since backcountry skiers rarely need wrist gauntlets, handwarmer pockets, and cinch cords. That said, these gloves come with a soft nose wipe pad on each thumb and a keeper clip that helps keep the pair together. The large wrist strap is easy to operate, especially given the supreme dexterity of these gloves.

Resort users might want more features to make their day more convenient on the ski hill, but in the backcountry, these gloves have everything you need. Our testers appreciated the keeper clip since we often take our gloves off while skinning on hot days and hang our gloves from the waist belt of our pack. Additionally, these gloves have a carabiner clip on each middle finger, which allows the user to hang them from a harness.

Should You Buy the Black Diamond Tour?

If you spend a lot of time on the skintrack, and find yourself constantly taking your gloves off when you're hot and putting them on again when you get cold, this pair is a must-have. They provide the perfect amount of warmth for uphill skiing, and offer great dexterity and enough weather protection to make life in the backcountry easy. These are our go-to glove for 90% of backcountry ski days. They're also a great value, and Black Diamond has a reliable warranty policy.

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