Arc'teryx Alpha SV Glove – Superb Fit and Scrutinized at the Seams

Over the past months, we’ve had the Arc’teryx Alpha SV Glove on test – a glove that during the review period visited both ski slopes and frozen lakes.

Many of us know that Arc’teryx consistently works to maintain a very high quality across their products and that they strive to stay at the forefront of product development when it comes to outdoor clothing and equipment. But quality comes at a price, and their products are often slightly higher priced than the competition. The Alpha SV Glove is no exception on either of these points.

On sunny, windy, snowy, and wonderful winter days, the Alpha SV Glove accompanied editorial members to Åre, Sälen, Romme, into the forest, and out on the ice of Lake Mälaren.

The first impression is the incredibly high sense of quality and comfort. The glove is genuinely warm and comfortable for most people. The inner glove, made from Polartec® Wind Pro® High Loft, keeps you both dry and warm thanks to excellent breathability and wind resistance. This means you can use just the inner glove when needed – something that was done on several occasions during high-tempo long-distance skating on the thick ice of Lake Mälaren, when ventilation was of the utmost importance.

The inner glove’s fit to the outer shell – made from GORE-TEX® Pro Shell and supple yet sturdy Lezanova leather – is virtually perfect. This means that despite being a relatively thick finger glove, you still have reasonably good fine motor control. When you turn the inner and outer glove inside out to examine the seams and taping, nothing is found that irritates or chafes, and it’s clear that considerable time has been invested in achieving such precision. When the glove is on, the experience is the same. If you’re curious about the craftsmanship, we invite you to watch Arc’teryx’s film about The Alpha Project next to the text.

The strap over the back of the hand initially feels a bit flimsy, and your first thought is whether it will stay in place – but once adjusted, it does. A simple solution that works. The second strap keeps snow and wind out and is easy to adjust with one hand, which is important on cold days when you’d rather not remove the other glove for a simple adjustment.

This is a premium glove where considerable time has been invested in product development, and it shows – both in price and quality.

The glove is available in black and copper, and the recommended retail price is SEK 2,399.

• Superb fit

• The sense of quality

• Warm and quick-drying

• Both inner glove and shell can be used separately

• The price may seem daunting

• The straps at the arm and over the back of the hand take some getting used to at first. After that, they work fine.

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