My gloves are, I think, one my best loved bits of kit. They are one of the few items that I have taken with me whenever and wherever I have skied since I bought them in 2017, perfect just to throw in my bag to take to Hemel, up to Scotland, or halfway around the world to Whistler or Japan.
The best bit about the Profi SL is that Reusch have been making them unchanged for a number of years now. That means this review will, hopefully, stand up as well now as it will when I first bought them some years ago.
Reusch are an Italian brand based in Bolzano, Italy, and founded by Karl Reusch in 1934. Entrenched deep into the South Tyrolean mindset since its origins, the distinctly Teutonic origins of the brand reflect South Tyrol’s long history first as part of Austria, then as an German-speaking autonomous region of Italy. The second half of the twentieth century saw the brand come to dominate the two sports Italy loves best, with Resuch goalkeeping gloves worn by six Men’s World Cup winning goalkeepers, and six World Cup winning alpine skiers. It’s quite a history!
Here is Skiing Unlocked's review of Reusch Profi SL gloves.
The Profi SL follow in the best traditions of the brand. Designed for bringing a racing-inspired look and feel to the average skier, there are three stand out features that make the Profi SL the perfect glove for whatever you get up to on skis.
First of all, the look. Reusch have stuck to a sleek, svelte look to the gloves, with pre-curved fingers, a close fit palm, and a narrow wrist cuff. Furthermore, the monochrome colourway with just the flashes of colour – unfortunately not on the 2024/25 model – are as simple and timeless as the cut, but giving that same streamlined style. You could almost see yourself keeping goal for Napoli or the Azzuri with them ...
This is perhaps the only place where the Profi SL falls down. Unlike other topline gloves on the market – the Hestra Heliguide springing to mind – the cuff is designed to fit close to the wrist. You have to manoeuvre the cuff of your jacket over the top of the glove cuff every time you take the glove on and put it back on again off (which is a lot, in my case) to avoid getting a cold breeze or snow onto your hands. This has become more of a problem for me the more I ski off piste, and where the Heliguide with its oversized, over the jacket design, is clearly better.
The second stand out feature is the padding over the fingers; quite a thick layer, probably close to half an inch or so and certainly more than many other gloves. This is designed purely for racing, where you use the glove or the pole right below the handle to push slalom poles or marker gates out of your path. And whilst I have found use for this feature in my short and un-illustrious university racing career, it is during my misadventures away from the slalom course that has shown the benefits of this feature.
I fall over. Quite a lot for some who is quite good at skiing. I tend to do it in the stupidest situations, and half the time I’m not on skis at all. Therefore, when I hit the deck and have to lever myself up off snow, the padding helps keeps away sticks, stones, snow and ice, and absorb the blow from any of these on the way down.
Finally, the Profi SL is made of a mix of goat leather and synthetic materials – synthetic over the back of the hand, and leather across the palm. Leather is a wonderful material, soft at first but with time weathering into a lovely patina and firming up against the elements, helping grip on your poles and providing protection against anything the mountain throws at you. Leather is waterproof, and with a little bit of TLC – I top up the wax before every season – they remain in tip top shape, staying supple and weatherproof like day one. Around the cuff is a synthetic layer that helps manoeuvrability and breathability, a really nice thought to maintain the performance of the gloves.
Final Thoughts
The Reusch Profi SL is a fantastic bit of kit that brings athletic performance down to skiers like you and me. Supremely comfortable and weatherproof thanks to their padding and leather construction, the added padding helps keep fingers and knuckles in once piece wherever your adventures – or misadventures – take you.
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