Socks instead of chains?

[MrsGuyOfGisbourne]

Just looking to get vnew chains as the old ones don't fit new car, and see that they are advertising 'snow socks' which sound less nailbreaking to put on that chains but wonder if they are as effective and if any mumsnettes have experience of both?

They're OK to get you out of a sticky spot (or non sticky spot) but I'm not sure I'd want to be dependent on them for a full on drive up the mountain if conditions were really bad.

It is possible to rent snowchains. The comany I have used is called Polar Snowchains.

Never tried snowchains or socks.

But "adopted" grandparents of our children live up a mountainside and are constantly in and out of the Chamonix valley and up their own mountain. They do as the locals and change tyres in the winter, 2 sets of tyres a year, only a few hundred euro and no taking socks or chains on and off.

I have used socks in the UK lots, they have been really useful, I could not have been without them last winter. I'm not sure I would rely on them on a ski-drive holiday. It would depend on the conditions and the type of roads you had to drive on whilst in the resort.

It might be worth having a look at roofbox.co.uk, I got my socks from this company but they also seem to sell a big range of chains too.

Coming a bit late to the party but having used both, I would say socks are fine to 'help' in bad conditions, whereas chains are more of a guarantee (as far as is possible) of getting where you need to go. The socks are just a more grippy surface, whereas the chains actually dig in in manner of a tank.

Agree with natation though, you can get away with a lot with some good winter tyres, but of course they are much more expensive.

I feel your pain though, I hate putting chains on, and of course it always happens not just when there's lots of snow on the ground, but also when there's a blizzard, it's dark, and you're in the middle of nowhere, natch. They've saved our skin on a number of occasions though.

D

Another consideration is that socks may not be recognised by the local police as suitable footwear for cars, and may not let you proceed until you put chains on instead.

Many thanks (this is me again, with my Hallowe'en name) - it was the police thing that made me think I shall probably take both