The Ice Skating Boot and Blade: Where Do I Start?

It can be tricky for a beginning skater to balance in a skating boot on a very thin blade. The boot can feel more like a torture device of sorts than honed gear. Skating boots and blades are the main pieces of equipment used for skating and the most important. The old saying that “you are only good according to your equipment” is very true. It’s much better to skate to the capabilities of your team than to try to outrun your skates!

It won’t take you long to realize that investing in a good boot and blade is vital. Rental gear is often not the best for learning and doesn’t really hold your foot properly. It’s common for beginning skaters to get discouraged simply because a pair of rental skate boots doesn’t fit right. Skaters leave the ice thinking they can’t learn the sport, when in fact it may have just been faulty equipment.

When I started skating, I didn’t fully understand this concept. Buying my first pair of boots was quite a learning experience. After looking at all the options at the skate shop and trying on several, I settled on a pair of Harlicks with used blades. They were in good condition, cheaper than a new pair, and fit my foot very well. What a difference from rental skates!

I learned a few other things that day – I had no idea that boots and blades are actually separate pieces of equipment. While some manufacturers bundle them together, most don’t. Another thing, there are so many options! Although it was a bit overwhelming, the skate shop employees were very helpful and knowledgeable. There are maybe 10 manufacturers of boots that most skaters tend to wear, like Riedell, Jackson, Risport, GAM, Klingbeil, and Edea.

Some resources that I would recommend to help you research some of the brands are:

• kinziescloset where they have good information on skating boots

• usfigureskating where they have a skating boot comparison chart

The important thing to remember when selecting a boot is to focus on a few key areas of the boot: the toe box, heel, and ankle. The toe box is the area where all of your toes sit. Your toes should be able to move up and down. Your toes should not feel tight or feel like they are pressing against the edge of your boot. Your heel should fit snugly into the back of the boot and should not slip. And there’s the ankle, which should feel secure but be able to bend in the boot when necessary. In general, the boot should feel comfortable. If you feel like you are being squeezed in any way, try again.

The two most common brands that beginning skaters start with are Riedell and Jackson boots. The Riedell brand offers a cool feature where once the boots are fitted onto a skater, they are actually removed and placed in an oven that looks like a microwave. This warms the lining so it can mold to the foot. I always thought this was a cool concept! Jackson can do this now too, but they’re both great boot boots. And they both have a series of boots that come with blades.

Once you select a boot that feels good on your foot, there are four basic things to consider when it comes to the proper thickness or strength of the boot: 1) your height and weight, 2) how often you skate, 3) your skating level and 4) the width of your foot. Your height and weight: As an adult skater, depending on your height and weight, you can get more leverage on a boot and you’ll need something a little stronger. Also, since adults don’t lose their skates, you should select a strength level that lasts a bit longer than the average skate. So be sure to ask the person fitting your skates for the proper force based on these factors.

How often you skate: If, as a beginner, you only skate during the lesson and at other times during the week, then your boots will last longer and you won’t need to consider boot strength as much. If you skate more often they will wear out faster and you may need a boot with a little more strength. When I first came back to skating as an adult, I was skating 3-4 times a week! As you can imagine this broke down my skates quickly and I needed a new pair of skates within the year. So going up a strength level can help with this.

Your level of skating: If you’re just learning, it’s unlikely that you’re already jumping and spinning, which puts a lot of extra pressure on your boots. As you progress and perform more challenging moves, the stronger your boots will need to be to withstand the activity. As an example, toward the end of my racing years, I would buy boots with double binding, which is twice the amount of leather to support my jumping and turning. While I’ve only done double jumps and double combinations, there are skaters who do triple jumps who need an even stronger boot.

The width of your foot: This is a factor just like when you try on normal everyday shoes. Each pair fits your foot differently. As an example, I started with a pair of used Harlick skates that fit the width of my foot perfectly. Then, when I bought my first new pair of skates, I was talked into buying a pair of SP Terris, which tend to fit wider feet. Those boots almost ruined my feet. SP Terris are not bad boots, they were just bad for my feet. I immediately went back to Harlicks and my feet were much happier. (As a side note, you might want to consider asking about used skates at the skate shop. While they may not present them to you as an option, they all do!)

Once you progress in your skating, you can (and probably should) move on to a custom boot. The nice thing about custom boots is that the skate shop tracks your foot, takes your foot measurements, and sends your personal specifications to the boot maker. You can order different types of lining, padding, and channeling that make the boots more comfortable. When they come back, they fit almost perfectly, like a glove. The reason I say almost is that sometimes boots need a bit of adjusting, but most fit on the first try. Custom boots reduce break-in period and feel amazing! While the cost of a custom boot is higher, if you spend many hours in your boots, the cost is well worth it!

For all you creative souls out there, another advantage of buying custom boots is that you can order them in all different colors and patterns. I took full advantage of this option. Throughout my skating career I had boots in tan, aqua blue, purple and blue veined, gold, silver and now I have a beautiful bronze pair with a rose pattern printed on the leather. I had so much fun selecting the colors!

Now let’s talk about the other important piece of skating equipment: the blades. There are fewer manufacturers of blades than of boots. Some of the major manufacturers of rackets are Wilson, Paramount, MK, Ultima, and Eclipse.

Skate blades are usually made of carbon steel and coated with high-quality chrome. Lightweight aluminum and stainless steel blades are also becoming more common. The blades are about 3/16 inch thick and may have a variance in how they taper. They come in a 7 or 8 foot radius. The radius refers to the curvature of the blade. A blade radius of 8 feet is less curved, or flatter, and will give you more speed. A smaller 7 foot radius will make it more agile and allow for quicker response and turning. A beginning skater often starts with a 7 foot radius and then moves up to the 8 foot radius. Although, personally, I always preferred the 7 foot radius and never made the switch. Every skater has their own preferences.

The radius also plays with the rocker. The rocker is the part of the blade just behind the toe. It is where the turns on the blade are made and also helps with takeoffs on jumps. I liked a taller rocker, so that was another reason I preferred the 7-foot radius blade.

Last but not least is the dreaded punch. Those are the teeth of the blade. Anyone who has seen the movie, “The Cutting Edge” remembers how punches can cause some horrible drops! As a beginning skater, you might be a little more hesitant at first to have a strong toe box, but whatever the toe size, you just get used to it. The purpose of toe picks is for jump takeoffs and landings and they are also used in a variety of ways in spins and flying spins. I skated the first 20 years of my career soft toe, but then I discovered the MK “Phantom” blade. If you’ve ever seen the toe on that leaf, it’s scary, at first. However, after I got used to it, I have to say that the blade made a huge difference in my skating career. My jumps really started to fly and the rocker is also wonderful on these blades so my spins got better too. Great sword!

For beginners, the MK blade called the Cornation Ace blade is good. It can take you through the intermediate level. There are less expensive non-MK equivalent blades that are good too. But once you can afford it, check out some of the nicer leaves, you’ll be glad you did! Pattern 99s are a favorite of older skaters that have been around for a while and there are also many newer blades that are just wonderful. And don’t overlook the Phantom blades as an intermediate to advanced blade, too.

There’s a lot more I could tell you about boots and swords, but I’ve intentionally kept it simple. Basically, it all comes down to selecting a boot that is comfortable for your foot, a quality upper that is above your current level of skating, and all within a price range that you can afford.

Happy skating!