My friend gave me a pair of these socks a few years ago telling me that they were the best for alpine skiing. I tried them a few times and agreed. This year I got lazy. My feet don't get cold so I decided to forgo these socks and wear light socks. Big mistake! My feet were loose in the boots and I had no connection between the foot and the ski. Clumpy powder snow and no control ended in disaster. These socks help fill the ski boot, are very comfortable and really a great sock. The padding comes where the boot pressure points are. The top of the sock can be rolled over once to pad the top of the boot where it hits my shins.
I'm ordering a few more pair of these just for comfort.