You say winter and you don’t immediately think of socks that keep your feet warm. For snowshoeing, trekking, skiing, fat-biking on the snow but also for cycling you think about many things first, from the jacket to the trousers, from the gloves to the hat, and the choice of a good pair of winter socks. And instead the cold rises from the feet, which are in contact with the ground, where the temperature is always a little lower, and above all they have little muscle tissue supplied with blood. In short, little hot fluid circulates, and as a survival mechanism our body concentrates heat around vital organs, leaving extremities such as hands, head and feet with less blood circulation.
Socks that keep your feet warm
So yes, if you don’t want to be cold it is essential to have socks that keep your feet warm. Which are not necessarily the thickest or largest, but are those which, in the choice of yarns and in their processing, keep the feet dry and retain the little heat produced. So let’s see what socks should be like that keep your feet warm even after hours and hours spent outdoors or in the snow.
The 4 features to look for in socks that keep your feet warm
Let’s see the 4 characteristics to look for in socks that keep your feet warm
1. Synthetic fibers + merino wool
Technical yarns or wool are better^ Better is the combination of the two, i.e. synthetic fibers + merino wool, which have the great advantage of creating a nice air gap that retains heat and also transports moisture away from the skin, avoiding the risk of blisters and feeling cold. The trick for those who know best is to choose technical socks with silk inserts in the toe area, which is usually the first to cool.
2. Tight yes, tight no
Of course, technical winter socks must be well-fitting, precisely to create an air cushion and transfer moisture. But they must not be too tight, because they would accentuate vasoconstriction, that is, they would make blood circulation more difficult, and without blood circulating, or circulating with difficulty, very little heat is generated in the feet.
The same goes for shoes obviously, which must be well laced but not so tight as to impede blood circulation.
3. Well-hugging heels and toes
Beyond the fact that they must thermoregulate, these two areas of winter technical socks are essential to prevent the socks from curling, moving or in any way becoming wrinkled inside the shoe. This would cause inevitable blisters, but above all it would reduce the thermoregulation capacity of the sock, creating areas of humidity or cold air. These seem like small details, but they can really make a difference.
4. Long, mid or short?
The answer seems obvious but the motivation perhaps isn’t: if I need to keep my feet warm it’s obvious that long socks are better. Yes, true, but not so much and not only because they also keep the calves warm, but above all for 2 other reasons: the first is that long socks stop the sweat from the legs and make it evaporate before it reaches the foot area and inside the shoes; the second is that with the massaging effect on the calves they increase the effect of the circulatory pump, promoting blood circulation, tissue circulation and therefore, ultimately, the thermogenic capacity of our organism.
Conclusions
In short, choosing the right socks for winter sports activities is essential to best enjoy the experience in the mountains or outdoors. Investing a few dozen euros in a pair of quality technical socks can really make the difference in keeping your feet warm, dry and safe during your adventures in the snow.
So, next time you prepare for a day on the snow, don’t overlook the importance of technical socks and fully enjoy everything that winter in the mountains has to offer.
READ ALSO: What to do for cold feet after sport
Photo by Åsmund Arup Seip / Clay Banks / Thought Catalog
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2023-12-30 09:32:20
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