UKC

Hi all, i am looking for good quality ski socks as my previous ones are out of fashion now.  Can i get good socks for less than 50 pounds?

You should get 4 or 5 pairs for that money. Fairly high standard thick socks is all you need. If you need more I'd argue your boots don't fit properly. 

Decathlon! Good socks, Ive got a few pairs.

Exactly what the mad Scot said, they are only walking socks sold with an inflated price as skiing socks ! 

It depends how snug / custom fitted your boots are. My custom fitted boots are very snug for the first day or two when I use Sidas ultra thin socks, after which I use slightly thicker dedicated ski socks (shaped for R and L) after the boot liners have packed out a bit. If your ski boots have a more relaxed fit then I guess regular hiking socks would be fine

Sainsberries black mens socks 7 pairs for 8 quid. Add more pairs if required.

Your boots and liners should be doing all the hard work, like the Scot said. You could try running socks also.

They're not, though. You can certainly wear standard walking socks but ski-specific socks are distinctly different. Thinner than most walking socks overall but with a little extra padding on the shin.

I'm not saying it's silly to save money by going for cheap walking socks. I did for a long time and was fairly happy. Can't really comment on whether the supposed upgrade was worth it because I bought 'proper' ski socks at the same I first bought my own boots rather than hiring, so not even remotely a fair comparison. It's probably worth debating whether ski socks are worth paying extra for, but not accurate to say they're the same thing.

Boots shouldn't have space for the shin to travel and need extra padding. Even these special socks will see you have 3 or 4 pairs for 50 quid.

https://www.norfolksocks.com/norfolk-outdoor-socks/skiing-socks.html?gclid=...

Sure. I'm not saying he should spend 50 quid. I'm not even saying he should get something advertised as ski-specific. I'm just pointing out that it's inaccurate to say there's nothing different about the socks sold as such.

And if you're saying my boots don't fit correctly if my socks have an extra half millimetre of padding on the shin, why was your first post recommending thick walking socks? They're way thicker all over than the very minimal padding on the shin of most ski socks I've seen.

😁

Both my pairs of ski socks are Bridgedale snow sports socks. Bought years ago and you'd have to study the current range, but they are anatomically shaped for right and left, fairly thin, lightly padded on the shin and a bit at the top of the calf for if you're heel edging on a snowboard. Their ski-specific ones (at the time) were essentially the same, but without the calf padding.

I've not had any complaints with them, anyway: https://www.bridgedale.com/collections/mens-ski-socks/

I never said standard thick welly, walking, or ski socks were exactly the same, i said 'special' ski socks weren't or shouldn't be necessary.

Because special skis socks are just as over priced marketing con and any decent quality thick sock is fine (imho). Plus, I said you aren't wearing your boots properly if you can feel travel and want extra padding, that's what the micro adjusters are for. You can gel pads for bruised shins too, but that's just closing the stable door. 

I don't care, wear what you like, buy what you like, your money. 

No, you didn't. Clwyd Chris did, which is who I replied to.

Look, I basically agree with you that it's worth considering non-ski-specific socks, and that it's certainly not worth spending anywhere near 50 quid. But I don't understand why you're quibbling over the tiny layer of shin padding in most ski socks whilst recommending 'thick walking socks' that are going to be way bulkier in every direction. That's definitely going to cause more of a compromise on boot fit. The slim padding surely isn't about reducing the travel in an over-spacious boot. It's just there because you're going to be putting pressure on your shins all day.

I suspect the real answer might be that thicker socks are probably sensible if you're going to hire boots and can't be sure of a really good fit and thin ski socks are the way with well-fitted boots of your own (but still not spending anywhere near 50 quid).

I imagine you are the kind of person who goes running in cotton socks from Tesco and complains that you get blisters all the time. A thick sock will work, but the extra cost* of a proper ski sock (notably a lot thinner than a thick sock, as said above if you can get a thick sock in your ski boot then it doesn't fit you properly) for the luxury you get is absolutely worth it.

*quick google suggest that you can buy full price top end ski socks for like £25/pair. On sale (aka the only way you should buy stuff like this) they're £10-15. Decent quality (i.e. not trash from decathlon) walking socks are basically the same price.

I have used Teko socks for many years now, available on their own website but also good deal on Sport pursuit just now
 

https://www.sportpursuit.com/catalog/product/view/id/2084387?st=Shopping&am...

No.

So you agree you don't need £50 socks and can get many pairs as per my original statement. 

I wear normal Tesco socks for running, never had a blister in my life. I've done a few ski seasons now, and find Decathlon ski socks very good. I had the same pair on for a 2 day ski ascent/descent of Mont Blanc, no problems. My friend had '£50" ski socks on and had terrible blisters, and couldn't ski for a few days afterwards. I reminded him about the emperors clothes story.

I was being a little facetious here, and making the point that there are benefits to using something designed for a job rather than something similar, admittedly with an extreme example.

Of course, spending £50 on socks is insane. That I agree with. I however disagree that thick walking socks are adequate to ski in, and are a false economy when ski socks are essentially the exact same price.

Good for you, I suspect you are in a minority. 

Here I suspect that ski boot fit is more important than sock choice (as is basically always the case with blister-stuff skiing), more that proper ski socks (vs generic thick socks which were being advocated) are nicer to ski in. My issue with decathlon stuff isn't actually the function - as you say, it works very well - its the longevity and concern about payments down the supply chain. Where are the costs cut to make these things at the price point they are sold at?

How does a sock go out of fashion ???

https://www.redbubble.com/shop/boris+johnson+uk+socks

Hi all, thanks, must admit the post was a bit of a dig at the 2 recent posts on ski equipment and helmets. But for my daughter a good pair of ski socks made all the difference to her comfort and so to our enjoyment of the holiday. We called them magic socks! For me definitely thin ski socks are the way to go.

Thin socks, not thick. Decent pairs normally available form £10-15 (on sale, last seasons colours etc)

Not sure what this means.

Plenty of brands do good ski socks. You are looking for a thin shaped (L&R) sock with a small amount of shin padding (not essential but nice when you are really driving your skis day in day out). If you are buying your own boots, get them molded in the thinnest sock you can. As the liners pack out, you can move up to slightly thicker socks (still thin though, none of these thick walking sock type socks)

I've got good ski socks (Spyder, I think).I fully understand that I may have been conned but the combination of those with my own boots is so comfortable that I'm not prepared to test any other permutations.

Of course there's always marketing hype about designer stuff but there's also a reality there as well.

Not if they mean you can ski every day of your holiday and enjoy it. If you lose the last day and don't enjoy the previous one due to blisters because you cheaped-out on socks then you're gonna kick yourself.

I've used smartwool ski socks for years (don't get pongy on multi-day ski tours). Great.

I treated myself to a pair of posh Franke socks - disaster! They bunched up and gave me blisters straight away. 

One of the main pointers for comfortable ski boots is having an experienced boot fitter fit your boots and I don’t mean a salesperson at your local outdoor shop. I use Sangalard in Cham. and Jules who worked there used to fit boots for the French ski team and on one occasion years ago was flown to Moscow to solely (pardon the pun) fit boots for Putin! I always have moulded foam inners for my boots and very thin good quality socks. Perfect. 

You really need special kicking socks for that. There are so many people who can’t kick themselves properly because of their socks.  I personally wouldn’t consider spending less than fifty quid on kicking socks etc

Like climbing shoes, it depends on how you fit your boots and what you're using them for.

I have very wide and high instep feet so my alpine boot shells are stretched to a good fit with a thin sock (no or minimal padding). Socks in this category have a lot of lycra and should fit smooth. The liner should provide the right fit and enough padding so the socks are little more than washable rub protection.

I fit my touring boots a bit looser to allow a slightly thicker sock with localised light padding (ankle bones, heel) as there's much more movement of the foot relative to the boot when walking and skinning. My preferred sock is still thinner than I use in mountaineering boots as the touring boots have a nice well fitted liner.

Using thick socks to pad out poorly fitting (usually hire) boots is what it is.

​​​​​I've been able to find touring specific Falke socks for £20 -25 / pair out of season and you can easily find e.g. Wigwam ski socks for £12. I've used their liner socks for years without any issues but I've not tried their thicker socks. 

I have some socks I use for touring, I got them off sports pursuits so discounted. I have a Mund ones, but they have other brands as well.

We have smartwool socks- they are excellent. Merino and 2 pairs are fine for a week (really).