• Socks for winter sports activities in the mountains

    In this post we focus on a particular accessory that deserves a special mention due to its interaction with the body and its importance in the comfort and safety that it can provide during sports practice. The feet are one of the parts of the body where the heat loses the fastest and the one that sweats the most, and once they cool down, the thermal sensation will decrease rapidly. For this reason, we need special care when choosing the socks and the materials they are made. Most of them are a mix of different compounds that allows manufacturers to get the best possible performance from each fabric. It will also be very important to define what type of activity it will be used for.

    Materials: Main properties of each one?

    • · Cotton: it’s the material more used in the manufacture of socks. Natural fiber with magnificent thermal regulation properties, although its long drying time affects moisture retention, which can cause wrinkles to appear in the sock, favoring the appearance of chafing.
    • · Merino wool: provides excellent features and performance. Its advantages: excellent thermal properties, water repellent, good moisture absorption and does not accumulate bad odor as easily as synthetic materials do, but it has less elastic memory than synthetic fibers, so it tends to give itself more easily.
    • · Acrylic: it has great durability and insulation power even when wet. While they work well when temperatures are low, over full days of skiing they generally retain more moisture.
    • · Nylon: This is a material with great durability and wicking power that promotes better moisture management. Many models with wool as the main component spin merino fibers around a nylon core.
    • · Polyamide: synthetic fiber, recommended when temperatures are somewhat high, due to its excellent heat dispersion management and its elastic properties that provide a very good adaptation to each person's foot. Both features produce an anti-blister effect.
    • · Elastane: its main property is elasticity, offering a perfect fit. Good foot moisture management.
    • · Thermalite: it is also a breathable synthetic fiber, capable of absorbing sweat and keeping the foot at an ideal temperature even in cold conditions. It is hollow and very light, despite which it has magnificent coat

    Main features

    • · Construction: most of them have a special seamless mesh that includes specific areas with greater or lesser thickness to provide a better fit and avoid chafing and friction with footwear. It may seem counterintuitive, but thick socks aren’t necessarily the warmest socks.
    • · Heat capacity: it is not the same to practice sports at the beginning or end of the season as the temperature can vary enormously. Thus, depending on the outside temperature, we must choose one type of material or another.
    • · Fitting: the more the sock adapts to our foot, the more comfortable it will be when skiing. That is why it is important that we get the size right and that we buy socks that distinguish between the right and left foot, not like tube socks, which we have already seen above.
    • Height: depending on the type of boots you are going to wear, you will have to buy a higher or lower sock to avoid possible chafing. The best thing, as we have said above, is that they reach, at least, up to the knee.

    Mitjons Merca Center Ski 1

    Types

    • · Tube socks: they are the most basic you can find. As the name suggests, they are long, stretchy tubes with an elastic band at the top to keep them from sliding down your leg. The negative part of this type of socks is that there are no differences between left and right feet, nor are they specially designed for men or women, so they do not adapt to the different needs of one and the other. They are ideal for people who ski or snowboard on a very occasional basis as they provide comfort in a simple and affordable way.
    • · Ergonomic socks: Ergonomic socks do differentiate between the left foot and the right foot. Main features of this type: angled front to accommodate different toe lengths and a specific shape around the arch, instep and ankle to fit perfectly to the foot, and anatomical fit in the calf area. Ergonomic socks are aimed at skiers or snowboarders who practice the sport more regularly and who want both comfort and performance.
    • · Snowboard specials: they adapt to the various specificities of snowboarding such as: ankle protection against lateral forces, special padding in pressure and friction areas produced by foot-straps and high backs of the bindings, ventilation holes above the ankle that They compensate for the increased heat capacity of a snowboard boot compared to a ski boot.

    Mitjons Merca Center Ski 2

    How can we help you?
  • x
    SKI & MOUNTAIN CENTER