Stretchy and close-fitting, these are comfortable lightweight gloves that allow good dexterity. The fabric is very breathable, just about windproof and reasonably water-resistant. The seams aren’t taped so the gloves aren’t waterproof. When wet they dry quickly though and are still fairly warm. The lining is soft and slides easily over damp skin. The reinforcement on the palm is fine, with both tougher material and textured patches for grip, but on the fi ngers it only covers the ends and doesn’t fold over the tips. There are seams across the tips too. For most usage this is probably fi ne but I’d rather have more protection. The Alpine Guides are quite warm but in blizzards and sub-zero weather overmitts would be needed as well. The sizing is quite generous – the test pair is labelled medium but the same size as other gloves labelled large.