My toes almost always get cold when I ski and snowshoe, and a lot of women have the same problem. that in cold temperatures, female bodies limit blood flow to the extremities more than men鈥攑ossibly because of our estrogen levels. Women are also five times more likely than men to develop Raynaud鈥檚 syndrome (when hands and feet overreact to mildly cold temperatures by emptying the capillaries of warm blood).
I鈥檝e put up with toes (and fingers) that routinely turn to ice almost every time I ski or hike in winter conditions. There have been days when I鈥檝e ended backcountry ski tours in a panic, wondering if I鈥檇 irreparably damaged my feet. And on really cold powder days, I鈥檝e had to warm my toes in the lodge while my friends keep on shredding. I hate that.
I鈥檝e tried lots of remedies听over the years, but none has been a magic bullet. The chile-pepper lotion felt greasy and didn鈥檛 provide long-lasting warmth. Stick-on toe warmers are bulky (and rarely stay in place when I slide my foot into my boot). Heated insoles worked for a while, but the wires frayed before long and left me cold once more.
Are Heated Socks Worth It?
So I got curious about heated socks,听which have been around for years and seem to offer some major advantages: they鈥檙e compatible with custom insoles, and you can wear them in any shoe or boot, which means that one pair of socks can provide heat across multiple activities.
They鈥檙e heated by battery-pack technology, so听they鈥檙e going to cost you more than your average pair of socks.听I ruled out the less expensive options, like the 听($43),听which I worried would听fit poorly (it only comes in one size) and seemed too bulky for anything athletic. Instead听I tested Gobi Heat鈥檚听 ($179)听and the top-end ($270).
The Best Heated Socks for Function
I first tried the Gobi Tread on a ten-degree ski day at Steamboat, in Colorado. I鈥檇听charged the battery packs overnight听and slipped them into the dedicated pocket at the top of the cuff. The battery packs are thin and unobtrusive. I never noticed them while skiing or boot-packing. Meanwhile, I immediately noticed a blast of heat on the hottest of the three settings. An elegant little key fob lets you toggle between settings without reaching down and wrestling with your snow pants鈥攂ut if you forget that remote control, it鈥檚 easy to change settings manually by pressing a button on the batteries.
After multiple days at the resort and in the backcountry, I can report that the socks fit fairly well. They come in two sizes鈥攕mall/medium and large/extra large鈥攕o there鈥檚 some sagging on my foot, but not much.听(I wear a women鈥檚 6.5 shoe.) I wish the material鈥攖hey鈥檙e made of 100 percent cotton鈥攚as thinner, because I prefer the thinnest possible socks for skiing. People who like cushioned models will likely find these just right. The company says that the batteries will last up to 12 hours.听On the lowest heat setting, my toes stayed comfortable down to zero degrees听for up to seven hours.听Off the slopes, I wore the socks in my winter boots to keep my feet warm while standing around on the snow, like when I was volunteering for my daughter鈥檚 ski race or watching our Winter Carnival parade.
My only real criticism with the Tread is that I can feel the heating wires听under my toes. It鈥檚 less noticeable when I鈥檓 actually skiing听and my weight is distributed across my whole foot. But when I鈥檓 boot-packing, stepping primarily on the ball of my foot,听the underfoot wiring starts to feel lumpy and uncomfortable.
The Best Heated Socks for Fit
I didn鈥檛 have that problem with the Therm-ic Powersocks. Their underfoot wiring is thinner and less obtrusive, and I didn鈥檛 notice it, no matter the activity. These socks come in four sizes鈥攔anging from 35 through 47鈥攕o they hug my foot better. And the fabric鈥檚 blend of polyamide, acrylic,听polypropylene, polyester, and elastane does a slightly better job of wicking sweat: I can wear the Therm-ic socks in my ski-touring boots without my feet feeling swampy. The battery pack is thicker and bulkier than Gobi鈥檚, but once I nestled it in its pocket, it sits above my boots and doesn鈥檛 present a problem. Therm-ic says says the charge lasts for eight hours, and I found they did, indeed, stay toasty for听a day of skiing.
The Powersocks also pair with your smartphone for Bluetooth control over the heat settings.听The app even lets you adjust each sock individually, in case your right foot happens to be chillier than your left.
So are the Therm-ics worth the extra money? I鈥檇 say it depends on your activity. For on-piste skiing and snowboarding, the Gobi Tread works great. But for hiking or anyone who prefers the thinnest possible socks, the Therm-ic seems like the better investment.
Either way, both models keep your toes warm during winter sports.