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5 months until my first ski trip



 
 
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  #11  
Old November 3rd 03, 04:55 PM
pigo
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"lal truckee" wrote in message
...


Commercial ski socks are a crock: ski socks should be wicking

(polyprop
or similar, relatively thin, high rising (so there's no edge or

wrinkles
inside the boot cuff) and snug. Commercial ski socks are too thick and
often have wool in them. Wrong. Don't expect to pad out a sloppy boot
with thick or multiple socks - it won't work; insist on a good fitting

boot.

Are you confusing "outdoor" socks with ski socks?

The "commercial ski socks" I've always gotten have been *very* thin. I
don't mean to contradict the general information, it's good, just to say
that if he gets the right c.s.s. they are thin and wicking.

To add; the thinner and tighter the sock and the more care taken when
putting your foot in the boot and smoothing of the sock before buckling,
the better. IT'S HUGE! Especially if you get some stamina and are out
there all day. Have someone show you how to take the liner out of the
boot shell overnight too. It will dry overnight in your room.

pigo



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  #12  
Old November 3rd 03, 05:37 PM
lal_truckee
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pigo wrote:

"lal truckee" wrote in message
...



Commercial ski socks are a crock: ski socks should be wicking


(polyprop

or similar, relatively thin, high rising (so there's no edge or


wrinkles

inside the boot cuff) and snug. Commercial ski socks are too thick and
often have wool in them. Wrong. Don't expect to pad out a sloppy boot
with thick or multiple socks - it won't work; insist on a good fitting


boot.

Are you confusing "outdoor" socks with ski socks?


Nope. I consider ALL the socks I've looked at that were labeled "Ski
Socks" to be too thick (and I do look at them occasionally.) I use
polypro "liner" socks. I can't get into my boot wearing a thicker sock -
the fit is too tweeked. I only use the liner sock at all to allow my
foot to slip into the boot; otherwise, barefoot would be the way to go.
IMO you don't want any cloth in the boot with you - cloth compresses,
and makes for a sloppy fit. Padded socks make the already sloppy boot
fit (otherwise you couldn't get the sock in there at all) even sloppier.
Not good. Avoid.

And, as someone pointed out - padded socks make the foot colder[1],
contrairy to the expectations of beginners, so it's important to mention
socks when advising inexperienced skiers.

IMO ski socks are a whole industry based on a false premises. Sort of
like rear entry boots were.

[1] because the sock will shift and compress the blood vessels,
particularly on top of the foot, reducing circulation and causing pain,
strain, and coldness. Once that thick sock is inside a boot, there's no
way to constrain where it goes, so compressions are inevitable.


  #13  
Old November 3rd 03, 08:01 PM
AstroPax
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On Mon, 3 Nov 2003 11:37:45 CST, lal_truckee
wrote:

barefoot would be the way to go.


Yea, until the liner starts to pack-out.

My boots (Texnica's) are about 5 years old. Started wearing really
thin socks at first, nice and snug fit. Now I have to wear a slightly
thicker sock to make up for the difference. I'm not talking about
really thick socks, just *slightly* thicker than what I originally
started wearing when the boots were new.

I don't know, maybe my feet are shrinking.

-Astro

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  #14  
Old November 3rd 03, 09:03 PM
Monique Y. Herman
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[Many snips throughout]

On Mon, 03 Nov 2003 at 10:10 GMT, lal truckee penned:
Monique Y. Herman wrote:
On Sat, 01 Nov 2003 at 00:01 GMT, Christopher Mooney penned:

2. When you took your first ski trip, what did you wish you had
done/taken with you that you didn't?



Boot/glove dryer! You'll be amazed at how long it can take for wet
gloves to dry without proper ventilation. This is one of the many
reasons that I love my gloves, which have zip-out liners.


This is an easy one; I bet your wife won't leave home without a hair
dryer - just make sure it has a low temp or cool setting and you can
use it to dry gloves/boots. Your hotel room may have a dryer also, or
you may want to pack two. Or you can look in the magazines and waste
$100 on a special "boot/glove dryer."


Well, I'm female, and I don't use a hair dryer -- frequent use can
damage your hair. Split ends are a pain.

The key part to the above is the "cool" setting. Heat is bad when
drying your stuff -- at worst, you could actually melt plastic stuff,
but you could also bend your gear out of shape (unintentional
heat-molding). I know it's tempting, but don't lay your stuff out on a
heater -- I've seen a plastic piece on a glove completely melted down
this way. The smell was awful, too.

Anyway, back to boot dryers. Mine rules because it has long, flexible
pipes that allow me to actually get air flow into the toes of my boots
(find that on a hair dryer!). It was $50 at a resort, so I'm sure you
could find it much cheaper elsewhere. It has been a godsend for wet
boots and gloves (from sweat, even if you don't get snow into them).
I'll admit it's a bit noisy, though.

If someone in your group does have a hair dryer with a "cool" setting
and doesn't mind letting it contact stinky boots, that's an acceptably
effective and much more economical solution.

Extra ski socks.


Commercial ski socks are a crock: ski socks should be wicking
(polyprop or similar, relatively thin, high rising (so there's no edge
or wrinkles inside the boot cuff) and snug. Commercial ski socks are
too thick and often have wool in them. Wrong. Don't expect to pad out
a sloppy boot with thick or multiple socks - it won't work; insist on
a good fitting boot.


I have some extremely thin ski socks with no padding. They work great.
Thinner is definitely better.

Regardless of the type of sock you choose, bring extras. You'll want
more than you think. If you take off your boots during lunch, as I tend
to do, you'll find that your socks are cold, wet, and downright icky.
Having an extra pair available can be a nice pick-me-up =)

"Wicking" long johns rather than the old-style honeycomb kind. Silk
long johns are great; so are many of the synthetics out there.


The synthetics are better than silk; just not as expensive.


I have some of both, and now that I think about it, I do tend to prefer
the synthetics. They also are less likely to "run" than the silks,
which can be a real pain that way. And it's much less ... awkward ...
to change out of your snow pants in front of someone else when you're
wearing opaque synthetics rather than translucent silks. (Unless of
course you're changing in front of your spouse, in which case it can be
great fun.)

--
monique
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  #15  
Old November 3rd 03, 09:08 PM
Monique Y. Herman
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On Mon, 03 Nov 2003 at 14:22 GMT, Christopher Mooney penned:

We have already decided against buying any of the actual equipment the
first time out though.


Good idea -- wait till you're addicted =P

--
monique
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  #16  
Old November 3rd 03, 09:08 PM
Monique Y. Herman
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On Mon, 03 Nov 2003 at 16:29 GMT, mark penned:

2. When you took your first ski trip, what did you wish you had
done/taken with you that you didn't?


Ski lessons are a must. A lot of couples find that they are better off
in separate classes. If your 4 year old is at all shy or timid,
consider watching a ski lesson with him in the morning (or the
previous day) and starting with a half day lesson.


I don't know anything about kids, but I definitely agree about ski
lessons. Not just for beginners! The more lessons you take, the faster
you will progress. Lessons are expensive, but worth every penny. Also,
depending on the resort and the instructor, lessons can give you a
guided tour of the best terrain for your ability level.

If you can manage it, a several-hour lesson is much better than a single
hour.


--
monique
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  #17  
Old November 4th 03, 04:13 AM
Eric Holeman
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In article ,
Christopher Mooney wrote:

On the money question, I am not too keen on spending too much of my
disposable income on items I may not ever use again. I understand the
bibs thing, but gloves, goggles, long johns, etc that can be used
again with or without skiing is more palatable.


You can rent much of that stuff. Most rental places will rent you a bib
for anywhere from 70% to 99% of what it would cost you to buy one.
Alternatively, start keeping your eye open for ski swaps in your area,
sniff the thrift shops. Or ask your skiing friends if they have any extra
gear they might loan you. Most of us have surplus ski clothes that, um,
seem a bit snugger than when we bought 'em.

I don't know what other use there is for goggles--bike commuting, maybe--
but they're probably not essential for day 1, unless the weather's really
crappy, or you're skiing in the pacific northwest USA. If it's not
snowing and it's sunny, sunglasses may be sufficient.
--
---
Eric Holeman Chicago Illinois USA

  #18  
Old November 4th 03, 04:19 AM
Eric Holeman
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In article ,
lal truckee wrote:

Commercial ski socks are a crock: ski socks should be wicking (polyprop
or similar, relatively thin, high rising (so there's no edge or wrinkles
inside the boot cuff) and snug. Commercial ski socks are too thick and
often have wool in them. Wrong. Don't expect to pad out a sloppy boot
with thick or multiple socks - it won't work; insist on a good fitting boot.


What's wrong with wool? I love my wool ski socks--heck, I wear 'em all
year long. They don't stink like polypro does. Well, not as bad,
anyways.

"Wicking" long johns rather than the old-style honeycomb kind. Silk
long johns are great; so are many of the synthetics out there.


I tried the woolies for that last year, and they were fine, too. But
silk's hard to beat.

--
---
Eric Holeman Chicago Illinois USA

  #19  
Old November 4th 03, 04:25 AM
Eric Holeman
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In article ,
lal_truckee wrote:

IMO ski socks are a whole industry based on a false premises. Sort of
like rear entry boots were.


I'm not giving up my Salomon SX-81s. Not yet, anyways. You'll have to pry
them off my cold, dead 11EEEE feet. I've heard rumors that overlap boots
aren't the medieval torture devices that they used to be, but I've heard
them from the same people who seem to like trudging up mountains in ski
boots when there are perfectly fine lift-served runs nearby, which made me
suspect that that they're the sort of people who enjoyed the vise-like fit
of older overlap boots.



--
---
Eric Holeman Chicago Illinois USA

  #20  
Old November 4th 03, 02:18 PM
mark
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"Eric Holeman" wrote

You can rent much of that stuff. Most rental places will rent you a bib
for anywhere from 70% to 99% of what it would cost you to buy one.
Alternatively, start keeping your eye open for ski swaps in your area,
sniff the thrift shops. Or ask your skiing friends if they have any extra
gear they might loan you. Most of us have surplus ski clothes that, um,
seem a bit snugger than when we bought 'em.

I don't know what other use there is for goggles--bike commuting, maybe--
but they're probably not essential for day 1, unless the weather's really
crappy, or you're skiing in the pacific northwest USA. If it's not
snowing and it's sunny, sunglasses may be sufficient.
--
---
Eric Holeman Chicago Illinois USA


Breckenridge gets a fair percentage of it's annual snowfall in March, so
plan on needing goggles.
--
mark



 




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