Pimp My Hands

Anyone that lives in a ski town for a couple of years soon learns where to spend their money on gear. After a couple of winters where you clock 80-100 days of skiing, everything inevitably succumbs to the wear and tear of the cold, salt, sweat, and spilled beer.

Then there are those reprehensible companies (and I won’t name names) that clearly use their larger reputation to appeal to the casual skiers, who might rack up a week of skiing every season. Yeah, those gloves will last years under that scenario, in the same way a used car that only got used once a week to buy groceries is such a steal. But if my hands get cold after using new gloves for a month because the stitching busted, frankly, that company has some explaining to do. I don’t have time to wait for your “6-8 weeks warranty” bull-hooey. There’s pow in them thar hills.

Pimp Hands is not that company. They’re a perfect storm of guys that saw the need for strong, warm handsocks. Developed by a team of Australians in (where else) Whistler a few years ago, they quickly got noticed by some of the big names in the game. Their work is made in the same factories as the likes of Oakley’s, with premium cowhide for sick hand drags and hardy grabs.

Spec-wise, you’ve got finger compartments in select mitts, wrist straps that are snug without bing uncomfortable, and dammit if they aren’t the warmest mitts I’ve worn on the mountain.  Even the look is gangster as hell – check the Benjamins and the Shooter McGavins (below), and my personal favourite, the Shred Its (above, middle), which aren’t actually ripped denim; they just look as punk as they are. And their embroidered logo on every palm is just the icing on the cake. (Also useful if you can’t work out which hand gets which glove, you special little shredder you.)

A relatively new company, these guys are Ones to Watch for sure. They’ve just scored their first major movie, Doorstep Project, a flick that gets back to the roots of ski-bummery with the help of an old motorhome. Pick ’em up while you still can.