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Now that the ski season has begun, we are testing more ski and snowboard socks and will report back with our findings. short sport sock
A good pair of ski socks can make or break your day on the slopes.
That’s why we spent more than 50 hours researching and testing lightweight and midweight ski socks.
In the end, we decided that the men’s and women’s Smartwool Ski Over the Calf Socks (in the “targeted cushion” version) are the best for most people because they offer the ideal mix of comfort, cushioning, breathability, and support.
These socks offer the best mix of versatility, support, and comfort in a narrower profile than the men’s sock.
These are the same versatile socks as the women’s model, but in different sizes and widths.
The snug fit will keep your foot secure and offer padding where needed. The sock can feel bulky, though.
This sock provides the same snug performance as the women’s model, but in different sizes and colors.
May be out of stock
This plush sock offers cushion and comfort on a budget. The trade-offs are breathability and a great fit.
These socks offer the best mix of versatility, support, and comfort in a narrower profile than the men’s sock.
These are the same versatile socks as the women’s model, but in different sizes and widths.
The Smartwool Ski Over the Calf sock, which comes in both men’s and women’s models, is the most versatile sock for people who want to ski in everything but extremely cold conditions.
It offers the best mix of fit and comfort compared with the other socks we tested because of its superior foot support and key mesh ventilation zones, which improve breathability. On top of that, the sock is made with merino wool, which wicks moisture away from your feet and helps to regulate your body heat in a variety of conditions.
The sock comes in two levels of cushioning: a “zero cushion” version and a “targeted cushion”; we recommend the second one.
The snug fit will keep your foot secure and offer padding where needed. The sock can feel bulky, though.
This sock provides the same snug performance as the women’s model, but in different sizes and colors.
May be out of stock
Darn Tough’s Over-the-Calf Midweight Ski and Snowboard Sock (men’s and women’s) ski sock just lost out to our top choice because it offers a less articulated support system and has bulkier padding. That said, it’s a good second option if our top pick is out of stock. The merino wool construction and seamless snug fit provide a soft feel against your foot, and you’re unlikely to experience any bunching.
Darn Tough’s unparalleled lifetime warranty is also hard to beat: You can send back any item at any time, and the company will replace it for free. However, that warranty wasn’t enough for us to make these socks our top pick because you’ll rarely need to replace ski socks—you’re more likely to lose a pair of ski socks in the wash than to wear through them.
This plush sock offers cushion and comfort on a budget. The trade-offs are breathability and a great fit.
Wigwam’s Midweight Sirocco OTC Sock with Wool (unisex) offers a comfortable fit but lacks the merino wool and mesh ventilation that make our top pick so breathable. This Wigwam model’s reduced price means you lose a snugger fit, high-quality breathability, and the sensitivity that’s usually associated with a performance fitted sock. That said, we think this sock is a friendly budget pick for people seeking a medium-cushion, warm, comfortable ski sock that they’ll wear only occasionally.
I’ve been skiing since I could walk. My dad used to hold me up between his legs and guide me down the slopes of the Eastern Sierra. Whether I’m skiing in the deepest snow or skiing in the rain, skiing in frigid winter storms or skiing in a T-shirt at the height of summertime, riding lifts, or climbing and skiing volcanoes, I appreciate the value of taking care of my feet on the mountain.
If you’re preparing to spend four to eight hours in the snow and you need to keep your feet warm, this guide is for you. We looked for light and midweight ski socks for people who plan to spend a long day outside skiing the slopes.
These socks will also work if you’re snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snow hiking, snowboarding, or just playing outside in frozen weather. I’ve worn ski socks for hiking trips in cold weather because they extend over the calf, offering more coverage than a traditional hiking sock.
The base layers that rest against your skin are crucial to regulating your body’s temperature: I’ve met many people on the slopes who decided to wear a big puffy jacket but keep their cotton street socks on. However, one of the most common complaints on the slopes is cold feet—often caused by non-performance socks. That’s why wool or synthetic socks are essential for anyone who plans to spend a day skiing. High-performance socks will wick sweat and moisture to keep your feet as dry and comfortable as possible.
This guide offers sock options for both male and female feet. While anatomical foot and calf differences between males and females can result in different ski boot designs, a good ski sock is designed to fit snugly around a variety of foot sizes.
As we report in our guide to the best hiking socks, the women’s hiking socks we tested were simply smaller versions of the men’s socks, offered in different colors. The same holds true for ski socks.
We focused on light and midweight over-the-calf ski socks because they’re the best socks for people who plan to ski in moderately cold temperatures. Midweight socks are best for those days when you can clearly see your breath and the air feels crisp against your face, or when the wind is whipping and you're skiing in a snowstorm.
Lightweight socks are the most versatile option for average-to-warm days on the mountain. However, each of our picks comes in other padding and thickness configurations as well. Choosing the best sock for you depends on many factors, including foot shape, boot fit, exertion level, and weather. Here are some things you should consider:
Sock height: Most ski-specific socks are designed to extend over the calf and below the knee joint. A few models we tested extended all the way over the knee, but that design is uncommon. As a rule, your ski sock should extend past the cuff of your ski boot so as to reduce any cuff chafing. The sock should stop below the knee joint so as not to interfere with the leg’s mobility.
Sock thickness: When I was a kid, I made one of the most memorable mistakes when dressing myself for a cold day skiing. My logic went, “It’s cold—wear more socks.” So I put on two pairs of socks and went out skiing. By midday my feet were colder than they had ever been. Only after I took off my boots and the second sock did I feel all of the blood rush back into my feet. I realized then that I had been cutting off circulation to my feet.
The lesson: Rule number one is to wear just one pair of socks, preferably of mid- or lightweight thickness. Avoid heavy socks, which take up extra room in boots and tend to bunch.
As we note in our guide to hiking socks, the extra fabric of a midweight sock might help your boots fit a little better if you have extra space in them. Lightweight socks, on the other hand, are the best option for breathability, and we found that they fit best in a performance-fitted boot, something that a more expert skier might seek out.
The heavier the sock, the more cushioning you get—but the less feel you have against the front of the boot. (Most people drive their skis through the front of the boot.) In fact, most of the expert skiers I spoke with said they fit their boots so specifically and technically to their feet that they wanted a super-thin sock with no extra padding. But most people don’t need ultralight socks, which tend to wear out much faster than thicker models.
This guide does not cover sock liners. As Bob Gleason of BootDoctors noted, “Old timers still use liners and socks. [However], multiple layers trap moisture and can bunch, causing discomfort. One smooth layer is optimal.”
Sock fit: Your feet will talk. Feet are sensitive, and you’ll notice if a sock feels constricting or if the seams are bulky and uncomfortable. Luckily, the vast majority of ski socks do an excellent job of reducing unneeded bulk and not fitting too tight. That said, you should try on socks with your ski boots before you head out to the slopes.
Boot fit: Socks are only part of the equation when it comes to happy feet while skiing. As any experienced skier will tell you, your boots are where it really counts. That being said, you’d have no reason to invest so much time and effort into getting perfectly fitting boots without pairing them with equally suitable ski socks. Your ski socks can affect the fit and feel of your boots.
If you’re renting ski boots, they’ll have liners that have been packed out by excessive wear day in and day out. That might call for a slightly thicker sock. But a performance-fitting boot is usually meant to conform to your foot, ankle, and calf, calling for a thinner sock. The ski boot liner, not the sock, will be doing most of the work to keep your feet warm, which is why our top sock picks for most people land in the lightweight category.
After extensive research, we developed a list of 25 top-rated ski socks. From that list, we pulled 12 models to test in the field based on the following criteria:
Materials: Cotton holds on to moisture and sweat, so it can bring your body temperature down fast during cold days. On hot days, your feet might feel sweaty in cotton socks due to their awful wicking capabilities. That’s why we nixed cotton socks for this guide, relying instead on merino wool, the industry-standard material. Wool is naturally able to respond to your body temperature, cooling and warming your feet as needed. Wool is also odor resistant, so it’ll keep your feet stink-free if they sweat.
Bob Gleason of BootDoctors told us, “Socks are a key element in the fit and comfort of a ski boot. The best socks for skiing are high in merino wool content blended with elastic for a smooth, close fit. The merino wicks moisture and insulates even when damp. The good socks are thin and shaped for the heel, instep, and calf. Socks that are optimal for skiing have no ribs. They have smooth surfaces.”
The type of knit and the thread count play a part in determining the strength and durability of a merino wool ski sock. The highest-quality wool socks we tested had between 55 and 70 percent merino wool (in most of the socks we looked at, the second most prevalent material was nylon). However, our favorite socks were not necessarily those with higher wool content. Once a sock passed the threshold of 50 percent wool, the presence of more wool didn’t seem to matter. Rather, we found that we cared more about the support and the articulated feel the socks offered.
Breathability and wicking: Due to the nature of the sport, ski socks will get a bit wet, from snow and sweat. A sock’s wicking capabilities are determined by how well the sock pulls moisture away from the skin. Any sock that traps heat and moisture against your foot is setting you up to be miserable, so we looked for brands that used high-quality merino wool and had an associated reputation for breathability. We also scanned Amazon reviews for mentions of overly sweaty feet or poor ventilation.
Durability: A good ski sock should be worth its weight in gold, holding up to regular use season after season. I generally expect to get at least three to five seasons out of my ski socks—they’re more likely to get lost in the laundry than to wear through. We looked for socks with reviews that mentioned solid durability. Then, to test this aspect, we wore all of the ski socks in our test group around the house and the ski lodge before using them on the slopes. We also threw them in the wash several times to see if they would withstand a little abuse. Some of the socks started pilling, leading us to question their durability. Others looked almost brand-new after weeks of wear and tear.
Drying time: A good ski sock should dry out quickly, whether it’s full of sweat or snow. I often put my socks near (but not too near) the fire to dry. We looked for socks that promised quick drying times.
Odor control: It isn’t uncommon for skiers to wear wool socks for several days without washing them. That might not be ideal, but you should be able to get several days of wear out of a pair of wool socks without their smelling horrid. Therefore, we looked for socks that promised some sort of odor control. Wool naturally reduces odors because of its sweat-wicking properties. Many synthetic socks we tested boasted specific odor-controlling technologies to make up for their lack of wool.
Price: We found that $30 or under is the current sweet spot—you don’t need to pay more than that for a good pair of ski socks. Apart from our budget pick, we found that a sock less than $15 isn’t worth buying because it probably isn’t high performance, which means you lose specially designed padding, the proper height, and wool construction.
Warranty: Some of these socks come from brands, like Darn Tough, that offer a lifetime warranty. While that kind of coverage isn’t necessary for a ski sock, it is a nice perk. We did test a few socks without great warranties, but most of the socks on our list come with solid warranty programs; depending on the brand, you can have most socks easily replaced at little to no cost to you when they get worn out or damaged.
I noted the fit of the sock through initial impressions and skiing with them. I tested moisture management by soaking them with a spray bottle and recorded how many sprays were required to soak the socks. I tested drying times by washing them together, drying them in the sun together, and checking on them at scheduled intervals.
My partner and I skied for four days straight, racking up over 25 hours on the slopes. To test all 12 models, we created a bracket system to pit similar models against one another to see which ones would advance to the next round. This process allowed us to see how each sock differed from the next in real time. We tested four sock models each day, and on the final day we put our two favorite models up against one another to determine our top pick.
After a few runs, we rated each pair of socks on a number of criteria, including:
We took notes at the bottom of the mountain to document each sock’s performance. After wearing each pair at least a few times (each set of socks got a full day of everyday, non-skiing activity and a full day of use on the mountain), we did the sniff test to check for odor, then we washed them all together to test durability.
We mostly tested the socks while skiing Mammoth Mountain in California in December 2017. We then finished up our testing in January 2018 in the Pacific Northwest at Mount Hood and Mount Bachelor. In 2022–23, our testers also took updated versions of our picks to the slopes in Tahoe during a truly-frosty winter season, with several mountains recording more than 700 inches of snow.
These socks offer the best mix of versatility, support, and comfort in a narrower profile than the men’s sock.
These are the same versatile socks as the women’s model, but in different sizes and widths.
After we tested a dozen ski socks, the Smartwool Ski Over the Calf, which comes in both men’s and women’s models, rose to the top of our list as the best ski sock for most people. This lightweight sock offers the best mix of fit, warmth, support, and breathability of any sock in our test group.
It’s supportive but not restrictive. The Smartwool Ski Over the Calf sock is made up of 57 percent merino wool, 40 percent nylon (roughly 30 of which is recycled, according to Smartwool), and 3 percent elastane. It fits comfortably, snugging up to both the instep and the forefoot better than any other model we tested. And while these socks were snug around our feet, they weren’t too tight; instead they offered added arch support across the foot compared with the other models we tried. This extra support is likely to keep your instep and forefoot happy whether you’re a beginning or advanced skier.
It has balanced cushioning. Compared with our runner-up sock, the Darn Tough Over-the-Calf Midweight Ski and Snowboard Sock sock, we preferred the Smartwool model’s lightly cushioned padding on the shin. In the “targeted cushion version,” the Ski Over the Calf Sock offers cushion around the shin, heel, and bottom of the foot, but it doesn’t feel too thick once your boot is on. The ribbing around the ankle and shin gives you a very subtle yet noticeable buffer between your ski boot and your skin, too. (The sock also comes in a “zero cushion” version, which some people may prefer.)
It’s breathable. Even with that cushion, this Smartwool sock remains breathable, likely due to specific mesh ventilation zones that promote good moisture management.
It doesn’t stink up the car ride home. The Smartwool socks passed our odor-control test, smelling reasonably good after one day of around-town use and two days on the slopes.
The fabric dries quickly. For drying times, these socks were among the best: We hung them to dry in a warm place after a day of skiing and found that they were dry enough to wear the very next morning.
It’s durable. After we tested the Smartwool socks in a variety of settings and threw them in the wash a few times, they still looked as good as new, which is more than we could say for some other models we tried.
The Smartwool socks are available in multiple different colors and patterns, which change each season.
The snug fit will keep your foot secure and offer padding where needed. The sock can feel bulky, though.
This sock provides the same snug performance as the women’s model, but in different sizes and colors.
May be out of stock
If you can’t find our top pick, the Darn Tough Over-the-Calf Midweight Ski and Snowboard Sock (in women’s and men’s models and available in a variety of styles) is a great backup option. This model is another great merino wool sock that is formfitting and soft to the touch. Because of the anatomical fit, these socks aren’t likely to bunch up in your boots. They kept their shape after several washes in our tests, and they have a reputation of lasting for years.
They’re as durable as our top pick. Like our top-pick socks from Smartwool, these Darn Tough socks appeared pretty much new after we took them on multiple wears throughout the ski lodge. After we washed them, dried them, and wore them again, they maintained their shape and had no visible snags or signs of fabric damage.
They’re gentle on feet. On the hill, these socks performed well, with no bunching or hot spots forming throughout the day.
They smell as good as socks can. They passed our odor-control test, too, and were on a par with the Smartwool pair as some of the faster-drying socks of the group.
Darn Tough has the best warranty. The company is so confident, it promises: “Our socks are guaranteed to be the most comfortable, durable, and best fitting socks you can buy. In a nutshell, if you wear a hole in them, we will replace them free of charge, for life.” (The exact wording has changed occasionally over the years, but the guarantee has stayed the same.) However, we found that this policy wasn’t enough to make the Over-the-Calf Midweight Ski and Snowboard Sock our top pick—you’re more likely to lose a sock in the wash than you are to wear it out on the ski hill.
Darn Tough’s ski socks also come in ultra-lightweight, non-padded light, and padded shin versions. Like the Smartwool, they are also available in multiple colors and patterns, which change seasonally.
This plush sock offers cushion and comfort on a budget. The trade-offs are breathability and a great fit.
Wigwam’s Sirocco Midweight OTC Sock with Wool (unisex) is a fully cushioned wool sock that offers a warm and comfortable feel on the ski hill.
It’s a cozy sock. These socks would definitely top our list if we were ranking the best socks to hang out around the house in on a cold winter’s day, or the best socks to wear if you ski only a few times per season.
It cuts corners with materials, but not skiing performance. Unlike our top picks—which are made primarily from finer merino wool—the Sirocco is made of 40 percent non-merino material, which keeps the price down. But despite the “less technical” wool makeup, we found these Wigwam socks kept our feet warm.
It’s great for skiing in rental boots. If you’re renting ski boots, which might be a little large from repeated use, a medium-cushioned sock like the Sirocco can come in handy to take up that bit of extra wiggle room. However, if you’re planning to spend frequent, long days on the ski slopes, we recommend our top pick or runner-up, which offer a more supportive, anatomical fit.
Unlike our top pick and runner-up, which are both lightweight, the Sirocco is a medium-cushioned sock, so it has a bit of extra bulk all the way around.
How long should ski socks last? It depends on how much you use them, really. Due to the nature of such socks’ seasonal wear, I have had most of mine for nearly a decade. This fact makes dishing out $30 for a pair of socks a lot more palatable.
Quoting again from Wirecutter’s hiking sock guide, we can list a few things you can do to care for your socks and extend their life:
Eurosock Ski Supreme: Eurosock’s Micro-Supreme synthetic sock line is our go-to option for non-wool synthetic ski socks. Of the three models we tested, we liked Eurosock’s best seller, the Ski Supreme, best. This lightweight synthetic model is very comfortable without many frills.
Eurosock Ski Zone: This sock, a medium-thickness synthetic model, was really comfortable on its own. We didn’t love the Ski Zone once we put on our ski boots, however, and we wouldn’t recommend it for most people.
Pure Compression Ski Socks: This model from SharpeZone is a very snug medical-grade ski sock with compression-style technology designed to improve circulation for people who get particularly cold feet. It’s more expensive and specialized than our top picks, though, so we think you consider it only if you’re trying to address overly cold feet. Most people won’t need something this advanced.
Icebreaker Ski+ Light (men’s and women’s): This high-quality merino wool sock had one of the highest concentrations of wool in our test group. But we found that the Ski+ Light showed more wear and tear after use and washing than any of the other models we tested, causing us to question its long-term durability.
We also tested and dismissed socks from Eurosock and Fox River that have since been discontinued.
This article was edited by Ria Misra and Christine Ryan.
Dan Ham, expert bootfitter at Mountain Shop, Portland, Oregon, in-person interview, October 1, 2017
Jeremy Rooper, ski buyer at Mountain Shop, Portland, Oregon, in-person interview, October 15, 2017
Bob Gleason, owner/bootfitter at BootDoctors, Telluride, Colorado, and Taos, New Mexico, email interview, October 2, 2017
Zach Pollock, pro ski patrol at Mt. Hood Meadows ski resort, Mount Hood, Oregon, phone interview, September 28, 2017
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