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What are the warmest socks?

post #1 of 41
12/10/08 at 1:01pm
Thread Starter 
This is ridiculous, it's 64 degrees and raining here in NY, on Dec 10th.... but.

It WILL get cold again. Anybody have opinions on which socks are the warmest?
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post #2 of 41
12/10/08 at 1:16pm
It's my understanding that insulation in the socks is almost irrelevant, compared with the liner of the boot.

Socks' effect on temperature generally relates to whether they cut off circulation to your feet (bad and cold) or permit it (good and warm).

Thus, counterintuitively, your feet are usually warmer with thin socks than thick.
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post #3 of 41
12/10/08 at 1:20pm
I usually just wear sock liners or throlo extreme ski thin socks.
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post #4 of 41
12/10/08 at 1:25pm
The warmest socks are dry ones. Buy extra pairs and switch at lunch if your feet are wet/clammy. Thickness really doesn't help much, and in some cases makes it worse.

I'm a fan of Merino wool socks - they do pretty well for warmth and dryness without getting too bulky.
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post #5 of 41
12/10/08 at 1:27pm
Thread Starter 
As my liners have packed out, I've had more and more room inside the boot. Before I moved the buckles, I actually wore 2 pairs, to take up space.
I moved the buckles and got back to one pair, and was fine during the coldest days of last winter.
Now my feet are freezing. Odd.
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post #6 of 41
12/10/08 at 1:35pm
Wool is warmest, for the most part. It stays dry, which is most important. I used to use dress socks before I was ultramega gnar, but now I have a few pairs of fox and thorlo, the latter of which I like better. Go to at least mid weight if you want really warm socks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phlogiston View Post
As my liners have packed out, I've had more and more room inside the boot. Before I moved the buckles, I actually wore 2 pairs, to take up space.
I moved the buckles and got back to one pair, and was fine during the coldest days of last winter.
Now my feet are freezing. Odd.
It's probably because the air spaces in the liner material itself are solid now that they're packed out. This creates very little airspace if any to provide the proper insulation, fwiw.
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post #7 of 41
12/10/08 at 1:38pm
Get a pair on intuition power wraps and never have cold feet again. And be comfortable as well.
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post #8 of 41
12/10/08 at 1:45pm
I bought a pair of Lorpen 'poly colon tcp' socks a few years ago and have always been impressed with their warmth and comfort when wet and dry. I've wet hiked in them and canoed for days with continually soaked feet and was never cold. Worked better than seal skin socks. Ski toured, alpine skied, etc as well.

I tried a search to find this particular model so I'm not sure if these are Coolmax or wool, a blend or what. I got them at a BC/hiking store. If anyone can provide the current Lorpen 'model #' I'd like to know.
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post #9 of 41
12/10/08 at 1:58pm
Thread Starter 
I forgot to mention, I'm skiing in Thorlos. Not sure which weight, but they do have padded soles and heels.
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post #10 of 41
12/10/08 at 2:09pm
I've been really happy with my Smartwool light skiing socks. I also have a few pair of medium weight as well, but they're too thick to provide an adequate air barrier against the MN cold.
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post #11 of 41
12/10/08 at 2:16pm

Warm feet tip

Just a tip, do not put on your ski socks until you get to the area and put your ski boots on. If you wear your ski socks in the car your feet will be nice and toasty when you put them in your boots, but also sweaty, so your socks will stay wet and cold all day. Even if your feet are cold when changing socks in the parking lot, putting on dry ski socks and your feet directly into your boots will result in the best possible warmth for the day.
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post #12 of 41
12/10/08 at 2:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phlogiston View Post
This is ridiculous, it's 64 degrees and raining here in NY, on Dec 10th.... but.

It WILL get cold again. Anybody have opinions on which socks are the warmest?
A properly fit boot.
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post #13 of 41
12/10/08 at 2:34pm
Another fan of Smartwool.
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post #14 of 41
12/10/08 at 2:34pm
I have found that the socks right out of the clothe's dryer are the warmest.
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post #15 of 41
12/10/08 at 2:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnysdg View Post
Get a pair on intuition power wraps and never have cold feet again. And be comfortable as well.
Another vote for Intuitions, particularly since your stock liner has packed out.
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post #16 of 41
12/10/08 at 2:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kano View Post
I have found that the socks right out of the clothe's dryer are the warmest.
Mmmm, we call it the sock warmer at our house.
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post #17 of 41
12/10/08 at 2:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mudfoot View Post
Just a tip, do not put on your ski socks until you get to the area and put your ski boots on. If you wear your ski socks in the car your feet will be nice and toasty when you put them in your boots, but also sweaty, so your socks will stay wet and cold all day. Even if your feet are cold when changing socks in the parking lot, putting on dry ski socks and your feet directly into your boots will result in the best possible warmth for the day.
I wear street socks and shoes into the lodge; then change into my ski socks and boots there.
I make sure my feet are dry before putting on the ski socks.
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post #18 of 41
12/10/08 at 2:53pm
What are the warmest socks?

Socks that are on fire.

This has been another in a series of simple answers to simple questions.
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post #19 of 41
12/10/08 at 2:53pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by alpinedad View Post
Another vote for Intuitions, particularly since your stock liner has packed out.
Any other suggestions besides Intuitions?
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post #20 of 41
12/10/08 at 3:02pm
I like Smartwool socks. But since I wear thin socks they don't do a great deal to keep my feet warm.

If you have boots that are old enough that they required two socks to fit right I would start looking at the boots as the root cause of your problem. Old, worn out boots often don't fit snuggly anymore. To compensate for that you end up having to tighten the buckle more resulting in pinch points which interfere with blood circulation. You can find the warmest sock on the market and it isn't going to help.
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post #21 of 41
12/10/08 at 3:03pm
Thread Starter 
As for the matter of properly fitting boots...
I buckled these boots at the loosest setting, just to get them closed, and walked out to the lift, expecting to stop at the summit and crank them down.
When I got up top I chose to ski down one run without tightening them any further, and they felt fine. I did 11 more runs like that, without touching the buckles. It was the best first day of skiing I've ever had, in 28 seasons.
I had absolutely no problems with control. Had only a twinge of neuroma on my first run, which went away; and a bit of friction from up/down movement of one heel, at the end of the day.
Aside from my the coldness problem, I've NEVER been more comfortable in a pair of ski boots, than I was on Monday. Not Dynafits; not Raichles; not Nordicas; not my previous Salomons, nor in these XWaves.
I also have a pair of Smartwools; maybe I'll wear them instead of the Thorlos next time out.
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post #22 of 41
12/10/08 at 3:37pm
Are you on any sort of treatment track for that neuroma?
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post #23 of 41
12/10/08 at 3:58pm
I've always questioned the concept of a warm sock when skiing, a sock keeps your foot dry, thats about it (I like smartwools for this). The 2 inches of plastic and foam surrounding your foot should do a more than adequate job of keeping your foot warm and insulated from snow/cold.

In other words, this sounds like a circulation issue. This could be boot or body induced.

Have you thought about Hotronics??
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post #24 of 41
12/10/08 at 4:17pm

medical condition?

Phlogiston:

It's possible that, like me, you have raynauds syndrome. It is a malfunction of the blood vessels in your hands and feet. I guess I developed it in my late 40s. I discovered I had it when a long day in the backcountry resulted in a blister on my foot that would not heal. When I went to the doctor I found out is was actually frostbite. I now have a prescription for some pills to improve circulation. I just take one in the morning before skiing and my hands and feet stay warm all day. Only take them for skiing and no other time.

http://www.medicinenet.com/raynauds_...on/article.htm
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post #25 of 41
12/10/08 at 4:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mudfoot View Post
Just a tip, do not put on your ski socks until you get to the area and put your ski boots on. If you wear your ski socks in the car your feet will be nice and toasty when you put them in your boots, but also sweaty, so your socks will stay wet and cold all day. Even if your feet are cold when changing socks in the parking lot, putting on dry ski socks and your feet directly into your boots will result in the best possible warmth for the day.

In addition to this ^^^^^^^^, I also spray my feet with aresol anti-perspirant before putting on my (very thin wool) socks.

I surprised nobody has mentioned the genius cayenne pepper remedy!
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post #26 of 41
12/10/08 at 4:43pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by comprex View Post
Are you on any sort of treatment track for that neuroma?
No. Like thousands of others, I don't like any of the treatment options that were presented.
It seems to be much reduced since I started on an anti-inflammatory diet; I'll see if this continues.
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post #27 of 41
12/10/08 at 4:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mudfoot View Post
Phlogiston:

It's possible that, like me, you have raynauds syndrome. It is a malfunction of the blood vessels in your hands and feet. I guess I developed it in my late 40s. I discovered I had it when a long day in the backcountry resulted in a blister on my foot that would not heal. When I went to the doctor I found out is was actually frostbite. I now have a prescription for some pills to improve circulation. I just take one in the morning before skiing and my hands and feet stay warm all day. Only take them for skiing and no other time.

http://www.medicinenet.com/raynauds_...on/article.htm
FYI:

I'd venture to say that what you have is not true Raynauds, but rather what is called pernio or chilblains

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1087946-overview
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post #28 of 41
12/10/08 at 4:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phlogiston View Post
Any other suggestions besides Intuitions?
zipfits
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post #29 of 41
12/10/08 at 4:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phlogiston View Post
As for the matter of properly fitting boots...
I buckled these boots at the loosest setting, just to get them closed, and walked out to the lift, expecting to stop at the summit and crank them down.
When I got up top I chose to ski down one run without tightening them any further, and they felt fine. I did 11 more runs like that, without touching the buckles. It was the best first day of skiing I've ever had, in 28 seasons.
I had absolutely no problems with control. Had only a twinge of neuroma on my first run, which went away; and a bit of friction from up/down movement of one heel, at the end of the day.
Aside from my the coldness problem, I've NEVER been more comfortable in a pair of ski boots, than I was on Monday. Not Dynafits; not Raichles; not Nordicas; not my previous Salomons, nor in these XWaves.
I also have a pair of Smartwools; maybe I'll wear them instead of the Thorlos next time out.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with Claude (the boot nazi) at Skinet Sports in LA:

Me: If I tighten the buckles one more notch I feel like I'm cutting off circulation.

Claude: So don't tighten the buckle.

It works--like you say, no control or movement issues, even without cranking them down. These days most of my adjustments involve turning the micro-adjust one or two revolutuions.
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post #30 of 41
12/10/08 at 5:28pm
I wear silk socks (or 80% silk 20% wool blend) or very thin polypro (anything that will wick sweat away from your foot is fine). I agree with the posters that have said good circulation is the key to keeping your feet comfortable.

STE
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