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Key Specs:
Brand: Hestra
Model: Freeride CZone
Price: $160
Availability: US-Only, fall 2019
Unique Features: Waterproof CZone membrane, shortened cuff, articulated wrist, Wolf Paw construction, optional trigger mitten or standard mitten design
Upshot: Hestra has been making some of the best ski gloves and mittens for decades (and decades). Its gear has long been worn and endorsed by professionals and serious enthusiasts in snowboarding, nordic skiing, alpine skiing and mountaineering. And with the introduction of the Freeride CZone, it’s bringing all that heritage, quality and comfort into a decidedly modern mitten.
Who It’s For: The Freeride CZone, an adaptation of the much-loved Fall Line gloves and mittens, is first and foremost for snowboarders. While the standard Fall Line gloves and mittens were geared toward skiers first — warm, water-resistant, articulated to grip ski poles — Hestra reshaped these new mittens specifically to fit a snowboarder’s needs. Extra dexterity was a big consideration, and some of the external seams evident on the Fall Line were moved away from contact points on the new design to keep from snagging on snowboard bindings.
Insight: Hestra makes a premium product, and while the brand might not be as ubiquitous as The North Face, Columbia and Mountain Hardwear when you’re out on the slopes, Hestra is consistently named among the very best by serious skiers and snowboarders who’ve tried and used a wide range of gear. It would make sense for the brand to begin utilizing more of the design elements seen in the Freeride CZone — extra dexterity, CZone membrane construction and those Wolf Paw reinforcements.
On a personal note: I’ve worn the Fall Line mittens both snowboarding and skiing for several years, and I love them to death. To see Hestra improving on what’s already a terrific design is exciting, and I agree they could be optimized for a snowboarder’s use; the extra water resistance will be appreciated, and a shortened cuff along with better articulation and flex zones will help everything from adjusting bindings to just checking my watch without having to pull a glove halfway off.
