 Poster: A snowHead
|
I've always thought of socks as more of a warmth issue than a comfort issue. But last season I found I had to wear compression socks rather than the usual thick 'ski tube' type (swollen legs issue). I thought I'd suffer from cold feet (snigger) but luckily there was only one really cold day and the glühwein soon warmed me up. As for comfort, they were fine...
So this season I'm looking for socks that do both. Do they exist? Are these 'technical' type socks better than the thick socks in terms of comfort and support? This season I also have the issue of new boots to break in, so I suspect comfy socks will be a must. Any advice?
I assume there is probably already a thread about this, but I typed 'socks' in the search thing and it went crazy! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
people like smartwool, do 'technical' socks and offer different levels of padding and thickness..I've originally had a thick padded option as I thought of the warming element, but have found that light low padded or non padded ones are more comfortable and offer better fit with my boots.
if you haven't laready bought your new boots, see if the shop has decent socks and se if you can try the different ones when fitting your boots, then get them to throw in the socks as part of the the deal
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
queen bodecia, For the ladies. What brand do you think the red hot chillip peppers are using?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Practically anything is better than those ridiculous tube things. Far too much bulk for the warmth they provide and inevitable rubbing bits round the ankles where they fold because there's no proper heel. Rubbish!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
queen bodecia, I've looked at socks, you can spend huges amounts £20-£30 a pair  However, last year I bought Lidls ski socks and Tchibo's walking socks and was really pleased with both for each sport - they might be worth a look. They both seemed to do the thick and thin where you needed it thing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Comfort is the main thing, IMV and a fitted sock is better than a tube...I think a small degree of padding helps as well on the soles and shins.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
queen bodecia, you thick spongy boot liner will keep your feet warm.
If they still get cold then you're not working hard enought - or you've forgotten to put your hat on.
(Old adage: if you want warm feet, put a hat on)
You want thin ("technical") socks. All ski tube type socks should be consigned to the dust bin.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Those Smartwool socks look great, but a bit pricey. I daresay I could get away with 3 pairs for a week's skiing...
P.S. Anthony Kiedis, yummy!
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
queen bodecia, I use three pairs for a weeks skiing, no sweat 
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
plus side being smart wool they don't smell, sop you could in theory use them for longer as I found out when half my luggague didn't turn up for 4 days one trip last season
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Falke SK2s are basically reasonably thin but with padding where you need it. Again not cheap but the only ones I've found that don't shrink in the wash (nothing worse than sock elastic stuck half way down your calf). I have 4 pairs in total but could get away with 3 and that's with skiing most weekends and some full weeks in the winter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
the bad news for the smartwool lovers out there is they will not be as available as they once were.... timberland own the company and are slowly de-teching the socks to fit in with their lifestyle range the good ones which remain are still stocked but a lot of shops jumped ship when the distribution changed last january...look at www.tekosocks.com for an alternative....as good a sock same prce or less
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
icebreaker also got some ski socks..but not easy to track down in UK...
whats it with timberland buying everyone up..they bought Howies recentlyish aswell.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
CEM, You can buy tekosocks online here
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 14-11-08 17:38; edited 2 times in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
X-socks and Falke are my faves....
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
So technical socks are the way forward. Great. Do they offer any form of 'compression' or may I need to take compression socks too just in case my legs are too swollen to fit in my boots?
Also, has anyone any experience of the technical socks they sell in Decathlon? They're a bit cheaper than the Smartwool or Falke ones, but that might be because they're slightly inferior...
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
We like Smartwool and Falke with Falke taking the edge because they produce L and R sided socks. I can usually manage with 3 pairs for a week, or 5 pairs for a fortnight (so I don't have to wash them every night).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
they're better compression then tubes..probably some out there that do...best to take your compression socks and use them for afterwards
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Falke-SK2 are fantastic and also, like eng_ch says, they don't shrink in the wash. I've got some Smartwools and they definitely felt a bit smaller when I put them on again after washing them (as in the length of them-the top was further down my leg after washing them). Anyway so Falke, yes brilliant, and the L and R socks are good too.
Just bought some SK1 (thicker ones with silk) because they had an offer on at the ski show. Lovely and soft and the usual padding in the right places, could be I will probably prefer the thinner SK2 ones though because you can feel your boots better.
Ski tubes are cr&p.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yeah those Falke socks are awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| CEM wrote: |
| the bad news for the smartwool lovers out there is they will not be as available as they once were.... timberland own the company and are slowly de-teching the socks to fit in with their lifestyle range the good ones which remain are still stocked but a lot of shops jumped ship when the distribution changed last january...look at www.tekosocks.com for an alternative....as good a sock same prce or less |
Don't like the sound of that. Might have to stock pile a few more pairs. I think they're great socks, much better than anything else I've ever tried.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
The SK2's are definitely better than the chunkier SK1's (imho). I save the SK1's for really cold days for an extra bit of warmth, but it means a bit of boot buckle tweakery.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| queen bodecia wrote: |
So technical socks are the way forward. Great. Do they offer any form of 'compression' or may I need to take compression socks too just in case my legs are too swollen to fit in my boots?
|
Most of the generic skiing Lycra-containing ones (that I'm familiar with) are about 10-18mm Hg, do you need more pressure than that, like 25mm Hg or higher?
http://www.cep-sports.com/CEP_skiing_O2___Comp.8060.0.html
Notice that calf size is an important variable in selecting those.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| andy wrote: |
| The SK2's are definitely better than the chunkier SK1's (imho). I save the SK1's for really cold days for an extra bit of warmth, but it means a bit of boot buckle tweakery. |
Yeah. I haven't tried the SK1's yet (only 2 weeks to go until I can do!  ) but they were on a Falke buy two pairs of socks and get one pair free at the NEC ski show. So I bought 2 pairs of SK2s and one pair of SK1's to try them as well. Like you say, they're quite a lot thicker than the SK2's so one for those very cold days for an extra bit of warmth I think.
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
Another vote for SK2s - both me and Mrs SB use them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
stoatsbrother, how much compression do they offer?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
My first pair of Falkes were SK1s but I got shot of them as soon as I tried the SK2s (had a needy friend so that was good). I wouldn't have thought I skied well enough to tell the difference but there's a definite squishiness about the SK1s
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| thefatcontroller wrote: |
| queen bodecia, For the ladies. |
Yeah, right! you just happened to have that image as your screen saver! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Merino merino merino
Slimmer the better
Glad to know there is a replacement for smartwool, thanks for the heads up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Kaiser, the OP needs compression socks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
comprex, other than pretty basic flight socks compression socks are a presrciption item over herequeen bodecia, go ask your GP
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
OMG SOCK NERDING! We call Hurtle a 'pedant'?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
comprex, pretty decent compression actually - certainly way better than a tube sock, and she could try using a marginally too small size. But I would have thought that the ski boots and the lower leg muscular activity used in skiing would be the most significant elements in promoting venous and lymphatic drainage, and that the important thing to do would be to get legs up when resting at lunch time and not stand around in bars at the end of the day and get straight into proper class 1 or class 2 compression hosiery then... I suspect those would be too sweaty and uncomfortable during exercise.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
| stoatsbrother wrote: |
| comprex, pretty decent compression actually - certainly way better than a tube sock, and she could try using a marginally too small size. But I would have thought that the ski boots and the lower leg muscular activity used in skiing would be the most significant elements in promoting venous and lymphatic drainage, and that the important thing to do would be to get legs up when resting at lunch time and not stand around in bars at the end of the day and get straight into proper class 1 or class 2 compression hosiery then... I suspect those would be too sweaty and uncomfortable during exercise. |
That sounds good enough for me. I don't have full on lymphoedema as such, but having had a lymphadenectomy, lymph drainage is not what it used to be. I amused everyone in every mountain restaurant in Kitz last season by removing my boots and having two chairs, one for my butt and one for my feet!
I don't have prescription compression socks as I haven't needed them so far, so technical ski socks that have some element of compression would probably do fine...
Haven't managed to find any Falke or Smartwool stockists round here though. Two Seasons seem to sell 'Horizon' and Mountain Warehouse and Decathlon only sell their own brands. Anyone any experience of these or should I just bite the bullet and order the real deal over t'internet...?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You can sometimes strike lucky and find some decent ones in TK Maxx amongst the tat.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
.... well boat really ... 
how about merino + gaffer tape?? 
