Stupid question - Do you wear socks with your skates?

[Arsenette]

Do you wear socks (like the kind you wear with sneakers) even the thin ones with your skates? How about stockings? Nothing?

[Mrs Redboots]

I wear very thin socks - the pop-sox type - or else tights. I have skated barefoot, one RIDL match when I had my over-boot tights with me and had forgotten that they need pop sox underneath, but didn't enjoy the experience. Nothing actively wrong with it, but my feet didn't seem to get the same feedback from my boots as usual. However, we won our match that day, so I must have done something right - maybe I should try skating barefoot more often?

[garyc254]

I do it bare. :lol:

Barefoot with 5" bunga sleeves to keep the tops of my boots from cutting my ankles off.

[sk8clean]

My old skates I was able to wear socks. My new ones there is no way. I wear skating tights to skate. I know some guys at the rink that skate bare foot. It feels too wierd to me.

[quarkiki2]

I wear tights. Hopefully without holes, hee hee!

Don't know how it happened, but I've never had a blister and the top of the boot only rubbed my right leg the very first time I wore my skates. Gold Stars, nonetheless! Anyway, no bunga pads or band-aids or moleskin for me!

Of course, I was always kind of a masochist -- I danced in pointe shoes with no padding, too, because I felt like I couldn't grip the floor when my shoes were padded. Many blisters and bloody, bloody tights, though. Then lots of cornstarch and limping. Now that I think about it, I'll gladly take the skates!

[Elsy2]

I wear skating tights - I like Danskin's. My old skates stretched out a bit too much and so I did wear runner's socks over my tights to take up some room. The runners socks were pretty thin and tight fitting. When it comes to socks, they say they allow too much movement of your foot in the boot which can cause blisters. Some people may think socks will keep your feet warmer. I don't have a problem with cold feet unless I stop moving for long periods. I would say anyone who can fit thick socks into their boots has the wrong size boots. I didn't know any better with my first skates and was fitted with socks on.

I forgot my tights and skated barefoot once. I actually liked it. As your feet sweat a bit they really stick in the skates and don't move around giving you better control in a way.

[Ellyn]

I either wear tights or leggings with thin socks (usually "trouser socks"). Since I can't vote for two different choices, I won't vote.

Maybe you should separate out thin socks from thick and pantyhose from tights, and allow multiple responses to get a more accurate response.

[sk8er1964]

I use trouser socks made for skating, with either over the boot leggings or footless leggings, depending on my mood that day. For competitions/tests I use tights. Nylons are way too thin.

I chose stockings on the poll because I figured that was closer to what I wear than socks.

[Figureskates]

I like to skate bare foot as well but when I skate for long periods of time and my feet sweat, my skates get a little randy and attract dogs....phew.

Side question. What do you people do when your skates begin to become a little authorative?

[StarshineXavier]

I wear Mondor footed microfibre tights. They're great, comfortable, and fit nicely inside my skate. I get a discount on them too, since my mom is friends with the guy that owns the pro shop!:D

[luna_skater]

I wear the same as Starshine. I wore socks when I was younger, but have been wearing tights since I started synchro way back when.

[flo]

I'm a tights skater, but also there are great skating socks available at Walmart. They are the "George" opaque brand and usually under $2.

[flippet]

Except for when I skated in my old pond skates with socks, I've always worn nylons. I just use the cheap knee-hi's that come in multi-packs. I do this for a number of reasons:
1) When I began, I didn't like the idea of not being able to get to my feet quickly in case of a blister or slipping band-aid.
2) I often skated between college classes, and wasn't about to either wear tights all day, or waste time changing into and out of tights.
3) I like the look of footless tights, so when I do wear tights, it's those.
4) Knee-hi's are cheap, and last me for quite a while, as long as I keep my toenails short!
5) I like the super-thin feeling of nylons. It really helps the skate fit as tightly as possible. It's almost like skating barefoot, but with just the thinnest layer of fabric to avoid blisters. (I skated barefoot once---ouch! It works great for some people, though.)

In summary, cheap, quick, easy, and comfortable.

Edited to add that Capezio now makes microfiber skating socks--so if you like the tights fabric, but don't want to skate in full tights, that's a nice option.

[NickiT]

I always wear skating tights when I train, and if I go on the ice with the kids and am not in my skating dress and tights, I wear ankle high tight-like type socks.

Nicki

[blondeangl]

i always wear tights so i put stockings because im pretty sure they are the same thing and if they arent then oh well ...

[TreSk8sAZ]

I always wear skating tights, or over-the-boot tights with hose underneath. My coach has basically forbidden me to wear socks instead of tights because they rub or move too much (especially when breaking in new skates). Personally, socks are usually too thick and make my boots slightly too small. I've never thought of doing it barefoot, that may work too.

[Terri C]

Once I went barefoot, there was no going back!

[Lili]

Ive tried them all. When I went barefoot, I got blisters on my feet, and when I went with socks, my skates were so tight I had to go barefoot. I like wearing the thin nylons the most.

[Sk8Bunny]

Skating tights is what I wear. And since our rink is so cold, I wear a pair of over-the-boot tights over my footed tights.

[Schmeck]

When I got my first pair of 'real' figure skates (about 4 yrs ago, and I'm still using them - I'm 39 yrs old, and I'm definitely not growing!) I was still recuperating from a broken toe, and got my skates a half size bigger than I should have. That broken toe would not get in a proper sized skate! I got fitted wearing a pair of specialty padded socks, from EMS.

Now that the toe is healed (and it took a few years for it to get all better) I want a more snug, close feeling in my skates. So I just wear very thin trouser socks, with my bunga achilles pads, and lace up my skates a bit tighter now. But I'm dying for a new pair of better-fitting skates!

Schmeck

[Maureen]

I wear pantyhose. I was wearing these when I was fitted for my skates and they are very comfortable. I like this as it enables me to recycle my hose and it really helps keep you warm when you skate.

Maureen

[jazzpants]

Trouser socks! Barefoot feels funny for me. But I still want to feel around the boot. I do sproadically skate with thick socks though. (Usually when the rink is REALLY COLD!)

[Michigansk8er]

Tights or trouser socks.

[icenut84]

I wear normal, quite thin socks. I used to wear socks with patterns/cartoons on, but sometimes they leave an imprint on my ankles after skating and can hurt a bit, so I just wear normal ones now. When I got my first pair of skates, I wore TWO pairs of socks, one of which had thick/towel-like material! 8O I'm glad I don't do THAT any more. My feet and heels slid about way too much.

[sonora]

Trouser socks, and footless Mondors when I'm cold

[mikawendy]

Originally posted by quarkiki2
Of course, I was always kind of a masochist -- I danced in pointe shoes with no padding, too, because I felt like I couldn't grip the floor when my shoes were padded. Many blisters and bloody, bloody tights, though. Then lots of cornstarch and limping. Now that I think about it, I'll gladly take the skates!

I agree, quarkiki2! I much prefer my skates to my pointe shoes, even the ones I used to use that were made of material similar to a Nike shoe (hence longer lasting and more shock absorbent than one made out of cardboard, fabric, and glue). I tried on an old pair the other day and wonderd how I ever managed to put myself through the misery....

I have to skate with tights or knee highs. I do wear a sock over one foot, doubled up, with the foot cut off, so that my ankle and heel won't slide around. I think that side needed a narrower heel but I didn't realize it for a long time, so I didn't bother gettting my skates adjusted. My current instructor suggested bunga pads, but I'm so used to the cut-off sock that I figure I'll stick with it until I need new boots.

[Skatingsarah]

I skate just with the normal thin tight and the BUNGA pads! I love those things I'm pretty sure what is actually left of my foot that is almost normal would be horrible if I didnt have those!

[montanarose]

I wear footed tights (Capezio or Danskin) which I can launder and wear until they finally fall apart because I wear over-the-boot tights on top of them. My current OTB fave is the Mondor Style 3396 with the velcro fasteners (I hate having to sew on those hook-and-eye fasteners) -- it's thicker than most but still looks nice and sleek. My second choice is the Danskin Style 704, which is more sheer. One reason I wear two pairs of tights is so that I can slip my Skating Safe knee and hip pads (thank you, Yazmeen, if you're still here!) between them.

Ellen

[96.23??]

I wear footed stockings (pretty think-ish) :) and then fleece-like leggings with stirrups both by mondor! AND ofcourse bunga pads.. And A LOT of bandaids :(