Re: [Paddlewise] Cold Hands

At 03:18 PM 2/11/2003 -0800, Shawn Baker wrote:
>"Mike O'Byrne" <Heep_at_attbi.com> wrote:
> >Ahoy! I'm having serious problems paddling this winter with frozen
>fingers...Aside from pogies, does anyone have suggestions to alleviate
>wet, frozen fingers?

I paddle with Mike (who began this "cold hands" thread this time around). I 
bear witness to his dilemma (read... pain) on our last outing, Sunday, off 
NH's Newcastle coast. Temps were freezing, wind about 20 knots, water in 
the low 40s. Seems we've had our share of nasty conditions this winter so far.

I 'm also afflicted with cold hands, the kind that numb to 
no-feeling-at-all and ache horribly when they begin to "come back." Froze 
them playing in the winter mountains years ago. The things we do for 
excitement! I guess I've tried about everything, and I suspect that my dry 
suit wrist gaskets are part of the problem. That being said, my latest 
experiment is wearing a "Climb High" gortex mitten shell over a 
medium-weight polypro mitten. These were designed for ice climbers. My 
hands were the warmest I've ever felt them, for most of our last outing.

Still, today in the mail I got my pair of "Black Mambas," an NRS 5mm set of 
poggies. My wife sweats by poggies, but being somewhat stubborn, I've yet 
to try them. I guess I feel that they might be too hard to slide on the 
paddle; I often change the spread of my hands on both Euro and Greenland 
paddles. Wife says, "no problem," and because many of you testify, after a 
getting-used-to period, a paddler loves them, I will experiment again.

I never thought of myself as having "large" hands. According to NRS, a 
spread of 4 to 4 1/2 inches (widest part of palm) will demand L to XL size. 
But even when I tried Mike's NRS XXL gloves, my hands felt too snug. I have 
yet to find a pair of neoprene gloves roomy enough. If any of you paddler 
folks have more info on NRS Hydroskins... exact model name, please pass 
this on (back channel if desired). I will rethink the XXL, and try on 
Mike's again to make sure they are indeed XXL (not just XL). They are the 
black and red colored model; I forget the name. Not sure if they're 
hydroskin though.

What's life without a quest, eh?

TomL 


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