Our Story

In 2022 James and Hana moved from Canada to Yokohama, Japan. The first thing we noticed when we went to the climbing gym, is that most climbers in Japan wore socks!

So...we tried it. And we were really surprised at what happened next. After years of having stinky climbing shoes, our shoes started smelling...less. Plus our feet felt more comfortable. 

And strangest of all…it felt like our feet got better grip in our climbing shoes.

What we didn’t realize at the time, is that climbing socks in Japan were pretty unique. They had these grippy threads on them that stayed really secure in your climbing shoes.

But what we couldn’t figure out, is why had we never seen these socks outside of Japan?

We knew that plenty of obsessed climbers around the world had the same issues we had…like stinky shoes and sweaty, uncomfortable feet. And we wanted them to try these amazing socks as well!

So we went down a climbing sock rabbit hole. We tested every climbing sock we could get our hands on from around the world. Over 22.5 different pairs (we lost one in the wash...let us know if you find it). They're all a bit different and we learned a ton. 

We wanted to really understand what makes a great climbing sock. But we needed to learn more. So we started speaking to experts...Designers, fabric makers, and sock businesses in Japan. 

Eventually we partnered with a famous sock factory in Nara, Japan to help us make a climbing sock to share with the world. 

But we also needed input from users. So we started getting feedback from the global climbing community on what they wanted most with climbing socks.

Together, we created the Gamba Socks brand. 

Our mission is simple…create innovative climbing socks that help climbers around the world be more confident and comfortable on their feet.

If you have any ideas you want to share, or just want to say hi - reach out to us anytime at hello@gambasocks.com. We always love hearing from you.

#sockgang