Seemingly simple, socks are a surprisingly technical layer that’s critical for keeping feet warm and comfortable. Finding the right pair for your foot shape, circulation, sweat output, activity, and boots in addition to the ambient conditions like temperature, lets you enjoy the slopes even longer.
Whether you’re skiing or snowboarding, this around-the-toes layer performs a key role in the health of your feet and overall. While these socks are designed for lift laps at the hill, ski socks are also suitable for a range of other snowy adventures or outdoor work from sledding and snowmobiling to shoveling or snowshoeing.
No single sock design is going to serve every skier, but the ones on our list are our top choices across a range of styles and applications. Scroll through our picks for the best ski socks for 2023 or jump to a category below.
To learn more about how socks differ from one to the next, read the buyer’s guide and FAQ. Also, check out our comparison chart to see how our choices stack up against one another.
The Best Ski Socks of 2023
Best of the Rest
Ski Socks Comparison Chart
| Ski Sock | Price | Fabrics | Thickness | Length |
| Smartwool Ski Full Cushion Men’s & Women’s |
$29 | 63% merino wool, 25% recycled nylon, 10% nylon, 2% elastane | Light/medium | Over the calf |
| Darn Tough OTC Women’s Yeti & Men’s Captain Cushioned Socks |
$29 | 64-68% merino wool, 32% nylon, 4% Lycra spandex | Medium | Over the calf |
| Wigwam Sirocco | $17 | 60% wool, 30% stretch nylon, 9% stretch polyester, 1% spandex | Medium | Mid-calf |
| CEP Ski Touring Compression Socks | $55 | 76% polyamide, 13% merino wool, 11% spandex | Light | Calf |
| Dissent GFX Compression Hybrid | $60 | 8% Nanoglide, 28% Lycra, 64% polyamide | Light | Calf |
| STOX Energy Recovery Compression Socks |
$50 | 53% polyamide, 33% Dryarn, 14% elastane | Ultralight | Over the calf/knee |
| Le Bent Core Light Snow Sock | $29 | 46% rayon from bamboo, 32% nylon, 20% Merino wool, 2% elastane | Light | Over the calf |
| Bridgedale Ski Light Merino Endurance Sock |
$28 | 51% nylon, 20% merino wool, 20% polypropylene, 7% Tactel, 2% Lycra spandex | Light | Over the calf |
| Farm to Feet Park City Midweight Sock |
$24-26 | 61% merino wool, 36% nylon, 3% elastane | Medium | Over the calf |
| Norrøna Lofoten Mid Weight Merino Sock Long |
$45 | Merino wool, nylon, and elastane blend | Medium | Calf |
Why You Should Trust Us
It’s safe to say, our team of GearJunkie testers always pulls on socks before each ski and ride outing, so we’ve chipped away through testing a variety of the best snow socks over the seasons.
Leading the team, GearJunkie Senior Editor of SnowSports Morgan Tilton has been skiing and snowboarding for 28 years, backcountry tours and laps the resort, drives a backcountry snowmobile, hits the nordic trails, and does skimo races. She’s faced a foot cold injury (superficial frostbite) and searched for all types of socks for a range of purposes from her snowboard to ski boots. She has also written about the technicality of outdoor socks for her entire career as a journalist, as it was her debut beat for the Outdoor Retailer trade show’s Outdoor Retailer Daily.
Our crew wore ski socks to work in negative to balmy winter temps, while uphill skinning, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, splitboarding, walking around on cold floors, and more.
We focused on narrowing down ski socks with a range of breathability, cushion, stretch, elasticity, warmth, durability, and softness. We also considered the most popular, novel, and legacy designs. Throughout testing, our team ranked each sock on the quality and support in the field.
We’re confident this list is composed of the best ski socks of the season.
Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Ski Socks
Materials
Wondering if you should invest in wool or synthetic? When it comes to ski socks, a blend of both is best. But there are still dozens of types of fabrics out there. Our favorite socks in testing all had a blend of merino wool, nylon (or polyamide nylon), and elastane or Lycra spandex for stretch.
The other important thing to look for in ski socks is not just the fabric itself, but how it’s woven. Are there flatlock seams, seamless toes, reinforced zones, or extra padding or cushioning in the shins?
Our editors (a mix of intermediate to expert skiers and snowboarders) all leaned toward preferring lighter-weight socks. For durability, the Darn Tough over-the-calf socks won the most votes in a staff poll.
Fit and Thickness
If you are mainly touring, you’ll probably want a lighter sock that won’t rub or slide around, and that wicks sweat super well. If you ski in very cold climates, you may want a midweight for warmth. In general, performance-oriented skiers often reach for a leaner sock that allows a more precise feel.
You’ll also want to consider how a sock fits within your boot — and make sure that the sock-boot combo is not too tight — this can play a role in circulation and heat management, too. If you run cold, you’ll also want to consider a midweight (or even heavily cushioned) sock.
In our reviews above, we listed each sock’s type of thickness: this refers to ultralight, lightweight, midweight, or heavyweight fabrics. We’ve also called out whether the socks have added cushioning.
Durability, Price, and More
The most important thing when it comes to buying socks is arguably buying ones that will last you the longest. And that largely depends on how much you ski or ride. Even if you are an aggressive skier, if you are riding 80-100 days per season, it’d be foolish to pick an ultralight sock.
Ensure that if you plan on putting your socks through the wringer, you opt for ones with stronger (synthetic fibers), reinforced seams, or ones that hold up to lots of washes.
Ski socks can be expensive, we know — 20 or 30 bucks for one pair. But if you buy based on the tips and picks we’ve laid out here, know that you will get a great sock when it comes to keeping your feet comfortable, warm, and secure in your boots.
FAQ
There are hundreds of ski socks on the market, curated into dozens of types and styles. We’ve found the best ones for beginners have a balance of support and cushion, a warm yet breathable blend, and come at a lower price.
Some of our expert skiers’ favorites include the Smartwool Full Cushion and Le Bent — socks with lighter or ultralight cushioning, merino wool fibers, and tailored zones that help balance breathability and warmth.
The warmest ski socks will depend largely on the blend of fabrics and thickness of the sock. Some of the warmest ski socks we tested and best for temps below zero were the Darn Tough Over-the-Calf Socks.
Sock thickness is usually very dependent on what type of skier you are, as well as personal preference. And depending on how your ski or snowboard boot fits, as well as the shape of your feet, you may want a thinner or thicker sock for comfort.
We’ve found most of our expert skiers on staff prefer a lighter-weight sock, while snowboarders on staff are split between light and midweight varieties.
Merino wool is a natural fiber with a lot of great properties: breathability, odor-wicking, and moisture-wicking, to name a few. And each of those factors really come into play when your foot is stuffed inside an insulated, rigid boot all day. But, merino’s not the most durable over time.
So, if you prefer merino over synthetic blends, we’d recommend looking for a sock that has at least 50-60% merino wool — like the Smartwool Full Cushion Sock series.
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