Many years ago a wise person told me, “You should never teach someone you love how to ski.” The advice was great. The problem was, though, that I myself wasn’t so wise. I cast those words aside for years and watched more than one promising day vanish while leading novice buddies through their first miserable days on the slopes. Once I even attempted to teach a girl I had a crush on to snowboard, and the yelling and frustration that had ensued by the end of the day meant that the aspiring relationship went absolutely nowhere. Fast-forward to middle age and I now have a four-year-old in the process of learning to ski. Only this time, I’m leaving the instruction to the pros in our local ski school. Ensuring she has a good time, however, remains up to me, and the deciding factor is warmth. Over nearly 30 years of snowboarding I stand firm in the belief that the key to staying warm on the slopes isn’t the jacket, the pants, or the beanie, but the socks – and I have Stance Kids Over The Calf Ski Socks as my ultimate hack.
We hope you love the Stance Kids OTC Ski Socks! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page.
Dressing for ski lessons is the most important part
Photo: Alisha Wenger
The first time I took my daughter skiing, she was two and while we had a winter coat and snow pants for her, the rest of the gear we had to rent. It was a mish-mash that I figured would be fine since this first time on the hill I just wanted to expose her to skiing – even if that meant one quick “run” down the bunny hill. I brought a hula-hoop (here’s a demo) to put around her so I could keep her right in front of me.
We did two quick trips up the magic carpet and down the bunny slope, me on a spliboard in ski mode and her in her rental skis. Her balance wasn’t yet quite there, but she made it to the bottom with me holding her around the waist and her clinging to the hula hoop. After the two runs, which took a total of about 20 minutes from start to finish, we headed back to the lodge to decompress and debrief. I asked her if she had been cold out there, expecting her to reply that her fingers or her face had felt the pinch, but instead she said, “My toes are cold.”
I hadn’t expected this. We’d dressed her in thick wool socks and she had long underwear on. It wasn’t snowing out nor was it a particularly cold day by Colorado standards. Still, we were at 10,000 feet in elevation and it was winter. I thought back to my earliest memories of skiing as a kid and it hit me that one of those memories is the stinging of your lower extremities when stuffed into a tight ski boot, unable to wiggle with much veracity. I made a mental note to research ski socks for kids once we returned home.
Why I chose Stance Snow OTC Kids Socks
Photo: Stance
Perusing online retailers and my local ski shop, I found plenty of options for kids’; ski socks. But I wanted to make sure that my little girl had the best, and that those socks would keep her little toes toasty during even the most grueling three-hour lesson. I was excited to learn that Stance had indeed launched a kid’s ski sock line, and were updating it for the coming winter. That line would include both poly and merino-blend wool socks, and in a variety of color schemes, too. I’ve trusted Stance socks for years myself, knowing that they fit great and come with the brand’s iconic “FRESHTEK Moisture & Odor Control” that allows for varied and continuous movement without altering the sock’s shape or fit. These, I decided, would be the socks I’d get for my daughter.
The Stance kids’ snow socks feature a deep heel pocket that doesn’t crowd the heel or ankles when in the ski boot. Part of the problem with the wool socks my daughter had worn on her first day, I realized, was that they bunched up a bit inside the boot and this meant they didn’t stay fully sealed around her legs, allowing some cold air to get in. That doesn’t happen with Stance socks.
The toe fit, also, is key – and Stance uses what it dubs a “seamless toe closure” to keep comfortable and able to benefit from the body heat within the sock. The over-the-calf height of the socks means they don’t fall down into the boot, and I can pull them up tight over her lower legs so the tops remain sealed and taught. The socks are well-cushioned, as well. The first time she used them in a lesson, I asked her if her feet had been cold and she replied, “No daddy, they’re fine.” That’s about as good of an answer as you can hope for after your kiddo has been out in the elements.
How to dress a young child for a ski lesson
Photo: Tim Wenger
If you’re putting your kiddo in ski lessons for the first time this winter, keep in mind that although their lesson may not start until 9 AM, prepping for a successful day starts at least 90 minutes prior. I (attempt) to follow the following routine when prepping my daughter for a lesson, with the caveat that we live 30 minutes from our local ski hill and have to drive there.
- Finish breakfast by 7 AM and, with the assistance of at least one stuffy, begin getting dressed for skiing
- We start with the base layer – a long-sleeve wool shirt and long underwear
- The next step is to put the ski socks on. Depending on temperature, I opt either for the Stance Kids Medium Poly OTC Socks (for days above 40 degrees) or the Stance Curren Kids Medium RWS Wool Snow OTC Socks (for days below 40 degrees)
- Then we throw on some shoes, a beanie, and a jacket and double check that the rest of her stuff is in her ski gear bag – we use a standard large duffel to keep outerwear, gloves, goggles, helmet, and snacks together, and store it right next to her skis and boots)
- We save the ski bibs and outer layers for the resort parking lot as she won’t fit into the car seat with all that stuff on
Because my daughter is four, these ski socks are a bit large for her – but I’ve found they work better than even thick toddler socks because they’re designed for performance and fit over the calf. The last thing we want is the socks falling down into her boots while she’s out there. Once or twice I’ve put a pair of thin day socks on underneath the ski socks so she doesn’t even notice the ski socks as much, though as she’s grown (she’s tall for her age, and started skiing at age two) this is less necessary.
She’s done a handful of lessons to this point and I just signed her up for a month-long weekly class for this winter that should help her master the basics of young-kiddo skiing. She’s confident, excited, and, now that we have her toes nice and warm, ready to blossom into a full-on little grommer.
