Cold Fingertips

[Michael aka Mac]

Raynaud's is a possibility  but smoking can have the same effect turning your fingers and toes white.

If she smokes then I strongly suggest not to smoke during hikes. Also if it is indeed from smoking, then it may not be her hands getting cold that triggers this effect but her whole body getting colder. The body will react and will reduce blood flow to the lower extremities.

Anyway, regardless of the cause, the only thing that will help your wife is wearing a glove that emits heat.  Any other glove will do little to nothing to help your wife since your  wife's fingers are getting cold from a loss of blood flow. Only glove that will keep her hands warm are ones that will generate heat (battery operated). Regardless of why her hands are cold this solution will counter the effects.  But let me reiterate once more if she smokes then make sure she tries to keep her entire body warm otherwise any part of her body that gets cold will cause her fingers to turn white.

On a different note...I am not a doctor, but I have read that the vitamin Niacin is a flush meaning it pushes blood to your face and lower extremities.  So if your wife experiences cold fingertips Niacin may counter that.  This is not a permanent solution, and should not be taken more then once a day ( not per episode only daily) and you should consult her doctor as well about taking Niacin.

[balzaccom]

36 minutes ago, Michael aka Mac said:

Raynaud's is a possibility  but smoking can have the same effect turning your fingers and toes white.

If she smokes then I strongly suggest not to smoke during hikes. Also if it is indeed from smoking, then it may not be her hands getting cold that triggers this effect but her whole body getting colder. The body will react and will reduce blood flow to the lower extremities.

You must not have read the previous posts.  She has never smoked, doesn't drink much either.  

[Michael aka Mac]

Yea sorry balzaccom, I was actually not commenting on your post but the original post by Raoul, that never indicated whether smoked or not.  But after reading yours  just now, the other part of my post would apply to your significant other using those battery powered gloves. Unless the gloves can generate heat any other type of glove would be ineffective, and heat reflective gloves probably wont work either.