Where the Merino Meets the River
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Layering for cold water: Keen sandals,
NRS Hydroskin neoprene socks,
Farm to Feet Blacksburg water socks |
Whitewater SUP is all about the feet. The place where you and the board meet. If your feet are injured, sore, or otherwise malfunctioning - and mountain streams are full of foot hazards - your ability to SUP effectively is severely degraded. While sturdy river shoes are essential in most river environments I learned long ago the value of wearing socks to prevent bloody chaffing from the grit that gets into almost any river shoe or sandal. Guiding, fishing, and SUPing on rivers involves a surprising amount of walking in the riverbed stirring up sand and tiny rocks. A properly fitted no-show sock not only shields your foot from abrasive sand inside your shoe, it also reduces foot slippage, and fill gaps preventing most grit from entering the shoe at all.
