Socks may be one of the last things people think about when going skiing, but they can have a tremendous effect on your day. Pick an inappropriate sock and you will be uncomfortable, sweaty, or freezing, and your skiing will suffer. We decided to take a look at a few brands of ski socks to see how they stacked up.

Bridgedale Midweight Ski Socks:

Technically these socks are a wool blend, but the blend doesn’t have a ton of wool in it. They’re a bit thinner than other brands of socks, so I’d consider them more lightweight than midweight socks. Bridgedale added more insulation around the toes for those that get cold feet, but the socks could use a bit more padding under the heels. There is ample padding on the shins though, which is incredibly nice for ski socks. They were a bit scratchy, but not overly so. However, considering we only paid $8 a pair for these socks I really can’t complain.

Lorpen Trilayer Light:

As expected with lightweight socks, the Lorpen Trilayer Light have much less padding than a midweight sock. They’re not quite as soft as standard merino wool socks, but the durability is definitely improved by the mix of yarns Lorpen used. While normal merino socks will have visible threads sticking out of them after a single use, the Lorpen socks looked brand new after being washed several times.

The socks also wicked moisture away from the sking very well as my feet were never sweaty during a hard day of skiing. This is primarily due to the ‘trilayer’ design Lorpen uses in the socks. Directly next to your skin is a layer of wicking fabric that is designed specifically to ensure your feet stay nice and dry. Consequently, the mid layer is an insulation layer. The final layer on the outside of the sock is nylon that provides stretch.

Overall I’m pretty happy with the Lorpen socks. If you’re not looking for a lot of padding and you tend to have moisture problems, you should give the trilayer light a look. The company also makes lighter and thinner ski socks should you want those, but we haven’t tried them ourselves. At around $20 per pair of socks retail, the Lorpen trilayer light is priced well within the average range for ski socks.

Point6 Ski Medium OTC (for women):

Point6 as a brand is fairly new to the sock market, but the people behind the name have been in the merino/sock industry since the 80s. Taking the wealth of knowledge collected over the years developing some awesome merino socks, they started their own company (or as they refer to it, the “nomadic point6 tribe”). They use super high-quality, compact-spun merino wool (more durable than traditional ring-spun merino) in all their models which results in a very durable and long-lasting sock.

On first glance the Point6 Ski Medium OTC looks like a standard medium-weight ski sock, but on closer inspection there are a few really nice features. Like most socks, there is ample padding in the shin, heel/sole, and toe areas, but they take that one step further and brought the padding up around your Achille’s tendon (a proprietary design feature). This provides extra heel support and gives you a more precise fit in your ski boot.

When it came to performance, our female tester had no complaints. Even after a long day of skiing hard, they continued to wick away moisture and kept her feet warm and dry. Though they have quite a bit of padding, this didn’t compromise boot fit. The 100% merino wool was super plush and naturally non-itchy. These are definitely an over-the-calf style though, and for shorter women they may seem a little high (our tester is 5’3″ and had to fold the tops down because they came over the knee). However, you shouldn’t let that deter you, as she loved these socks.

So far, these socks seemed to be pretty tough, handling multiple washings and still looking brand new. At $22.95 per pair, they are priced well (especially for 100% merino wool).

Smartwool PhD Skiing (medium cushion):

Smartwool pretty much started the merino revolution here in the US. As long as I can remember, this company has been making the standard for premium wool clothing out there. While they’ve expanded their range quite a bit over the past few years, socks remain a good part of their lineup. While the company makes a wide range of socks for nearly any occasion, we tried out the medium cushion.

There is no mistake that these socks contain 75% wool. They are extremely warm for their thickness, but still wick sweat well. I tested these socks on a 20 degree day and while my feet were warm, they weren’t uncomfortable. As expected from Smartwool, these socks do not itch and are made from a very soft wool.

I really like the small details the company has included in these socks. There is a good amount of padding for your shins, but the company has cut away unneeded areas. This significantly reduces bulk and results in a more comfortable sock. Additionally, there are ventilation panels on the tops of the foot of the sock that allow moisture to easily escape. A flat-knit toe seam completely removed that annoying feeling of having your toes rub against a seam.

Overall, I really liked these socks. When it comes down to it, Smartwool has invested a lot of time and effort in the little details on a seemingly simple product and it shows. At $23 per pair, they’re not cheap, but not overly expensive either.

Swiftwick Twelve Merino:

If you haven’t heard of Swiftwick, they’re one of the companies that’s very big into compression socks. Compression socks are supposed to provide added support and improve blood circulation for hard days on the trail. The company has a huge following in the cycling world as they’re made by cyclists. While the Twelve Merino isn’t strictly a ski sock, we found it worked pretty well as one.

Since this isn’t a ski sock, there isn’t the usual padding on the shins of the socks. My ski boots have a decent amount of padding in the liners, so this wasn’t a huge issue. These were my first compression socks, so it was an interesting experience. They’re definitely tighter than regular ski socks, but they weren’t uncomfortable. I’m not quite sure if I could tell a huge difference in performance as compared to a regular ski sock, but they did their job well.

As with the Lorpen socks, moisture management generally wasn’t an issue. They (obviously) provided a good amount of support and I really couldn’t find any obvious faults to them. The socks used a very dense weave, so they insulated pretty well for the thickness of the sock.

Really though, where these socks shine is in the durability category. The company guarantees their socks and I can see why. I’ve skied 4 or 5 days so far on these socks and they look exactly the same as the day I’ve gotten them. I even tried throwing them in the laundry a few extra times and they don’t appear to have aged at all. I’m not quite sure how they do it, but these appear to be indestructible socks. The Twelve Merino retails for $22.95, roughly the same as every other merino wool sock on the market.