While not much thought goes into snowboard socks…they are a very important role in keeping your feet dry and warm on the slopes. Not many people will spend countless hours deciding which socks will perform best or the best deal. Regardless…snowboard socks can make your day great on the snow or make your day horrible by sitting in the lodge.
First, cotton socks are not snowboard socks and never should be worn on the mountain. Cotton socks do not keep your feet dry and the worst part about them…is you can get blisters from cotton socks.
Second, never double up on socks. This is a mistake a lot of people make in the beginning…this creates blisters and actually doesn’t help when keeping your feet warm despite the fact you have two pairs of socks on. It also means your boots don’t fit you properly if you have to double up on socks or can double up on socks.
My ideal sock is the thinnest sock in my collection. The fit is perfect, it’s breathable and allows my foot the maximum comfort. It also fits in my snowboard boots perfectly without any extra space. When I wear thicker socks on the coldest days, because of the thickness of the sock it actually feels cramped in my snowboard boots. So I tend to stick to the thinner socks that still allow my feet to stay warm.
A bad fitting sock does this:
- Bunches up in the snowboard boot
- Cuts off circulation
- If a sock doesn’t wick properly…your foot will get cold and wet (most typical with cotton socks)
A good fitting sock does this:
- Stays on your foot without bunching
- Keeps your foot warm
- Offers comfort in the right places
- Allows excellent wicking to keep your feet dry
Basically when looking for snowboard socks, they offer a variety of materials such as nylon, acrylic, wool, and polyester. Snowboard socks will offer cushioning in specific locations such as the shin, heel, back leg, botton of the toes to give you more comfort. Elastic is used to give you support so your socks stay on your foot with no bunching or sagging in the boot.
A important note when trying on snowboard boots…always take your snowboard socks. It’s the best way to get a good fit of a boot when you are wearing the sock you’ll wear on the mountain in those boots. Never wear cotton socks with snowboard boots…not even trying on in the store.
Here’s a showcase of the snowboard sock in my current collection. I’ll put them in order of most popular to least popular.
Thorlos Extreme Ski Socks
This is my thin sock that is my favorite to wear snowboarding. There isn’t a lot of padding compared to my other snowboard socks but I like that.
Thorlos Extreme Snowboard Sock
This offers more padding than my ski sock above. But same quality and warmth.
Burton Ultra Wool Socks
One of my thicker socks I have in my collection, but they are around for the colder days even though I think I wore them maybe 3 times last year.
Burton Socks
These are an older set of snowboard socks I have. I believe they are men’s socks so the fit isn’t there and the length goes practically to my knee. I keep them around as backup in case I lose all the socks above.
While going through my socks I noticed this…
That means it’s time to throw them out or stitch them up. I’ll end up throwing them out. Socks with holes are not good.