Fox River Telluride Medium Review

The Fox River Telluride features lightweight construction, providing a comfortable and warm experience when dry. Although it's not the warmest when wet, for such a low price, it performs well for most outdoor adventures.

Performance Comparison

Comfort & Construction

A comfortable ride on the mountain, whether you're skiing at the resort or exploring in the backcountry. Constructed primarily of a synthetic acrylic material (53% acrylic, 27% nylon, 18% merino/wool blend, 2% spandex) it will keep you comfortable on the slopes. If you're simply looking for an option that'll perform for a day at the resort, this is a great option, and this is attributed to its construction.

While the Telluride doesn't feature the best engineering on the market, it certainly has a nice construction that will perform for most winter activities. The sock has a well-padded shin that all of our testers agreed was a nice addition for comfort.

Underfoot, there is a super-thin layer of insulation that extends to the top of the toes. The heel and ankle are a little thicker around the bones where there might be unwanted pressure points, especially if you're renting a pair of boots. The arch features an area of compression, like most ski socks, to keep it in place while carving out sweet new powder lines.

Warmth

While it provides a great level of warmth when dry, this sock loses a lot of its loft and warmth when wet. Being made of primarily synthetic materials that don't insulate as well as Merino wool, it's not the warmest option out there. If you own a pair of boots that provide great ventilation and don't leak, this sock would work for you. However, many of our testers reported that on the coldest days of winter, when socks got a little sweaty, they did not insulate very well.

When skiing at the Telluride ski resort, where we didn't get too sweaty (as we only worked while skiing downhill), our feet were completely happy all day. Our testers that tried these out for days on end didn't have any trouble at the resort. However, aerobic activities like skinning uphill is a different story. When wearing this sock on a day while backcountry skiing in Aspen, CO, we were met with a flash winter storm.

Wearing it while skinning uphill meant for sweaty feet that couldn't ventilate well with our snowboard boots. As a result, the sock took in some water. While hiking uphill, our feet still stayed warm as the synthetic materials in addition to the minimal merino wool do insulate when wet.

However, when it was time to switch from tour mode to ride mode, we stopped in a cutting wind that was very cold…with temperatures well below freezing. Immediately, our feet began to cool and we felt cold. On our other foot, we wore another high-quality sock and that foot felt just fine. While this sock is quite warm overall, if you're going to have sweaty or wet feet in super cold conditions, we'd recommend a different sock that integrates a larger percentage of Merino wool in its construction instead.

Breathability

With its thinner design, this sock does a decent job wicking and drying when the right kind of ventilation is present. This means that if your boot provides nice ventilation, you won't have to deal with wet or damp socks. However, like all options, we noticed our feet staying a little damp if boots did not vent properly. Since it is made up mainly of synthetic acrylic, with some integrated merino wool, it does wick moisture away from the skin, promoting dry feet, but the moisture can get stuck in the material. It also doesn't dry as quickly as other merino wool competitors. Though, it performs well enough for simple use at the resort or a simple day out in the backcountry.

The areas of ventilation are concentrated to the underside of the foot, specifically the arch, and around the ankle. The body of the sock is thin enough to articulate well with the leg. The areas that we observed moisture build-up are at the heel (where there is additional padding) and some of the material underfoot.

Overall, this sock does wick and dry well enough to be used at the resort or for a moderate day in the backcountry. However, if you're planning on getting sweatier than normal…to hike uphill, or cross-country ski, we'd recommend ensuring that either your boots provide sufficient ventilation, or to get a sock that provides better wicking power.

Fit

Offering a nice fit with thoughtfully placed areas of compression and cushioning, our testers are happy to say that it's thin enough to fit underneath a tight boot, with enough tenacity and elasticity to retain its shape.

With a lower sock height, it doesn't provide the same coverage as taller socks but it provides sufficient coverage for any ski or snowboard boot. Our testers appreciate its well-engineered fit, especially for such a low price.

Durability

While this isn't the most durable sock, it'll surely last you for a season or two. The primarily synthetic construction does bounce back from wear and tear and will be harder to put holes in than socks made primarily of merino wool. In our testing period, we observed some compaction at the foot of the sock, decreasing the warmth of the product to a degree in just a few short months. While this occurred after just one or two cycles of wear and wash, we didn't notice the performance decreasing after that. Overall, it shows regular wear and tears that you'd expect from any ski or snowboard sock.

Fox River offers a one-year guarantee that ensures you are happy with this product. This doesn't compete with an unconditional lifetime guarantee that you'll get with a Darn Tough product or even a lifetime guarantee that you'll get with an Icebreaker product. Overall, we'd expect an average level of durability with this product, retaining performance for a season or two.

Value

High value with decent performance! If you're seeking a great value, this Best Buy Award winner is our top recommendation. While it doesn't have a lifetime guarantee it still upholds its value in its performance.

Conclusion