I've come to the conclusion that for me and skiing in Colorado, a leather mitt / glove without a waterproof insert works best for 99% of my skiing. My hands get way less sweaty than in a waterproof glove, and it's barely ever wet enough here to warrant a full waterproof glove. Especially since most waterproof mitts / gloves just have the waterproof insert loosely hanging inside the outer shell and so that outer layer still gets saturated with water anyway, and then your hand is usually sweaty on the inside, too.
So, for those who are in the same boat, what are your favorite non-waterproof leather mitts & gloves?
I absolutely love the Hestra Leather Fall Line, but my pair finally kicked the bucket after 4 seasons, and I'm looking for potential alternatives. The Fall Line was excellent in terms of dexterity for a mitten, it was super durable, and it offered the ideal level of warmth for me for almost any day on the mountain.
Bonus points for internal finger dividers for mittens, and just general dexterity (I shoot photos with my mitts on a lot, so I don't love mitts that have a ton of insulation on the palm or that have super boxy, sloppy fits). I've tried the Flylow Smitty and didn't love the dexterity and lack of finger dividers, and while I was pretty happy with the Wells Lamont Lifty, its fit still felt pretty sloppy compared to the Leather Fall Line and the Oyuki Sencho. The classic Kinco mitts also felt a bit too sloppy for me. The Oyuki Sencho was awesome overall (especially fit) but I really don't need the Gore-Tex lining and the leather ripped after about 100 days.