Gear of the Week | Hestra Philippe Raoux Classic

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The Philippe Raoux Classic finger glove was first launched by the Swedish glove manufacturer Hestra in 1992. Its features include pre-shaped fingers, Ecocuir leather on the palm and fingers, easily replaceable liners and long cuffs that close generously over the sleeves of the jacket. With this glove, Hestra has created a classic among ski gloves. The Philippe Raoux Classic finger glove is the predecessor of the successful Army Leather Heli Ski series.

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On spring tours with high objectives, warm gloves with a good grip should be worn with your harness, rope and ice axe. — Warm, non-slip gloves should be worn with your harness, rope and ice axe on spring tours with high objectives.

Anselm Köhler

Hestra Philippe Raoux

The pre-moulded leather fingers ensure a perfect fit. The special ecologically tanned Ecocuir leather (cowhide) is treated without chrome or synthetic dyes, it is soft and very pleasant to the touch. To ensure that the leather lasts a long time, it needs to be cared for from time to time. Either with the leather care recommended by Hestra or, for example, with a shoe wax that is not too greasy. To do this, simply put on your gloves, take a good grip of the wax and spread it evenly over the leather surfaces.

The interchangeable liners make it possible to adapt the glove to different conditions, for example there is a polyester insulation liner for normal use, a wool liner for colder days and an electrically heated liner for really cold days or chronically cold frog fins.

I've used the gloves on a handful of ski tours and when working on the glacier. Of course, spring is not the time to test thick winter gloves, but you should always have a warm backup in your backpack. Initially, the fit of the fingers seems too big, as you can't reach the tips, but it's due to the seams in the leather and the liners that a natural half centimetre remains unfilled. Nevertheless, I personally like the good grip and the sensitivity that the soft leather allows. Tying knots in the glacier rope, putting on crampons, scrambling along the summit ridge - everything is possible.

The leather has withstood probing and hours of shovelling on the glacier without wearing out. On the contrary, it has become even more comfortable through use. I sometimes used the gloves without liners and thus had leather work gloves for high alpine use. However, the damp spring snow quickly soaked the leather surfaces. Maybe 2-3 layers of wax will help, but in general the glove is better for keeping dry powder snow and cold away from the fingers.

Conclusion

If there were high alpine vineyards, Philippe Raoux from Bordeaux would use just such a glove to care for the vines. And if the osteopath of the same name had to offer treatments at icy heights, every patient would be delighted with the soft eco-leather.