More boot questions!

**antmanb** · 07-05-2006, 06:16 AM

Ok so i have booked in with a boot fitter who is going to show me lots of different boots. From our brief conversation yesterday which was basically me explaining that i was currently in Risport Laser (i think they might now be the RF4) boot and an adult recreational skater with my single jumps (on and off!) up through to Flip and having been working on lutz and axel (though the axel has been on the back burner for a while) what would be a good direction to go.

Up for discussion was (for price reasons) the Risport RF3 or RF2, he said they both provide strong support but the RF2 has much mroe padding in it and he says they are popular over here in the UK.

He then also said that he has a very good relationship with Reidell, and if i 'm honest i'm thinking i'd quite like to try reidells for many reasons, one is the heat molding fit. He also said that you can get them in varying width and heel sizes to get a better fit. He suggested that Risport get their support from being stiff, but that Reidells give support by making sure the fit it perfect rather than just having stiff boots. He also said they are better padded than the Risport.

I think i'm leaning more to teh Reidells but my question is shoudl i go for bronze star or silver star? Would the silver star be too much boot for me? Anyone have any thoughts to share?

Thanks in advance

Ant

**megsk8z** · 07-05-2006, 08:37 PM

If the heat moldability is what really sells you, think about it. Just about every figure skate, from Jackson Freestyles to SP-Teri are all heat moldable these days.

Have you asked your coach what he or she thinks you'd do better in at this point? Not necessarily because coach knows everything, but it's nice to have an opinion from someone that's seen you skate.

Riedell has a pretty informative website. I haven't visited in a while, but they have a list of recommended boots for recommended levels. However, you must also take into consideration what feels most comfortable to you.

Don't let anyone talk you into a stiffer boot that you are comfortable in. There is some sort of saying that says, "pay attention to your feet now or you'll be paying attention to an orthopedic surgeon sooner than you'd like."

Hope this helps. Good luck.

**mskater93** · 07-05-2006, 09:28 PM

Don't forget to account for your weight and whether you are hard on your skates or not when deciding which model to get.

**antmanb** · 07-06-2006, 06:40 AM

Originally Posted by megsk8z

If the heat moldability is what really sells you, think about it. Just about every figure skate, from Jackson Freestyles to SP-Teri are all heat moldable these days.

Have you asked your coach what he or she thinks you'd do better in at this point? Not necessarily because coach knows everything, but it's nice to have an opinion from someone that's seen you skate.

Riedell has a pretty informative website. I haven't visited in a while, but they have a list of recommended boots for recommended levels. However, you must also take into consideration what feels most comfortable to you.

Don't let anyone talk you into a stiffer boot that you are comfortable in. There is some sort of saying that says, "pay attention to your feet now or you'll be paying attention to an orthopedic surgeon sooner than you'd like."

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Thanks for the advice, i'll bear it all in mind when chosing the boot, the problem is that over here we struggle to get (and fit) US or canadian boots which is why most people over here seem to skate in Risports, this is the first time i've heard of someone having a good relationship with Reidell and i've heard lots of good things about them.

My coach, while being an excellent coach, has never really been great on boot advice, the only thing he told me was that i needed something with more support and not plastic soles like the ones i currently skate in. Since i skate in the entry level Risports, any skate will be better and give more support. I think another aspect is being terribly british about the whoel thing and not talking about money and since boots can be expensive i get the impression he doesn't want to recommend something that is really expensive, only to have me blindly go out and buy it because he recommended it.

I think he's given me this boot fitters number because he knows he does a good job with the kids and is likely to give me good advice.

Ant

**antmanb** · 07-06-2006, 06:43 AM

Originally Posted by mskater93

Don't forget to account for your weight and whether you are hard on your skates or not when deciding which model to get.

Well i'm about 5 feet 11 inches tall and weigh around 13 stones (or a bit more at the moment!!) which i think is around 182-184 pounds.

I don't think i'm particularly hard on my skates because i only get to skate around once a week, two if i'm lucky.

Ant

**jak0203** · 07-06-2006, 11:26 AM

Also don't forget that different boots are made to fit differently. I have really flat feet, so in my experience, the Riedells have too much arch for me, but the Jacksons are nice. Also, the Riedells tend to run more narrow than the Jacksons. These are the only two brands I've worn (except I think Harlicks when I was a kid, but I don't remember anything about them), so it's all I have an opinion on. Just make sure to try on as many different boots as possible and find the brand that works the best with your foot type. Then you can worry about which style and what size.

**julietvalcouer** · 07-07-2006, 10:36 PM

I have wide feet--I was told not to even waste my time on Riedell as even their stock "D" would be too narrow. Whereas Jacksons are great (except I have a high, rigid arch and need orthodics to correct for it. Really, the best boot for me would be a full custom but alas, that's money.)

Try stuff on! And get your feet really, really carefully measured. Finding out that I may have a D ball, but have a B heel, was a BIG step towards figuring out my fit problem. (And why I've never found dress shoes that fit, but that's another story.)

**mskater93** · 07-09-2006, 11:29 AM

Even in a custom boot, you'd still probably need to wear your orthotics. The footbed is still made the same way with a standard insole put in them....

**antmanb** · 07-10-2006, 06:06 AM

Thank you so much for all your advice.

I went to see the boot fitter on Saturday and tried on the Risport RF2 boots which had much more padding than the current RF4 i'm in but stiff doesn't even begin to describe it. The horrors of breaking in the original boot came flooding back and even just wearing them for a minute or two trying them on (not even tightly laced) hurt my feet. They are just too narrow, and the RF2 i tried on was actually wider than my current boot - no wonder it took so long to break in! I resigned myself to the fact that the break in again would be long and painful, but the boot really did feel like a ski boot not a skating boot.

Onto the Reidells...sold! I couldn't believe the difference. Its not a proper comparison because the boot he had for me to try on was a little too big (and too wide), but immediately the bronze star i tried was not uncomfortably stiff - it gave plenty of support without hurting, the padding was nearly twice that in the Risport including all the way down the tongue. The arch support felt like heaven and i felt that they really were a good choice. The next decision was bronze stars or silver stars. Having spent a great deal of time explaining to the fitter the type of skating i do and what i hope for the future during the term of these skates he said that he didn't think the silver stars would be too much boot, given my height and weight and what i want from them (i want to start picking up my axel attempts again and maybe in a year or more start attempting a double or two!) the silver stars should be fine, he showed me a much too small for me silver star just so that i could (without trying it on!) compare the stiffness of the boot etc and to be honest, while the boot did feel slightly stiffer to the touch the padding inside was even greater than in the bronze star so i deicded to go for the silver star.

The great thing is that he's ordering the boot in for me to try and if i'm not happy we can go with something else. I'm so impressed with the job he's done, how friendly and professional he was. The shocker is that my current skates are between a half and whole size too big for me which he says might explain the inside edge landings on my jumps and difficulty to get onto an outside edge. He said that he will help me mount the blade as best he can and then i need to ask my coach to fine tune it with me. Looks like (given the size differential) i'll need to new blades to...ouch for the wallet, but a big smile on my face for new equipment!

Ant

**megsk8z** · 07-11-2006, 10:19 PM

Isn't it great to find a good boot fitter?

Recently, I sold a pair of Riedell's to someone at the rink. She tried on the 375, the 355, and then, just for laugh$, the 1500. I was going to bake the 375 for her to see what she thought, but she no sooner put the 1500's on that she told me not to bother cooking any boot; she Simply Must have these. I was thrilled for her.

**antmanb** · 07-12-2006, 05:33 AM

Originally Posted by megsk8z

Isn't it great to find a good boot fitter?

Recently, I sold a pair of Riedell's to someone at the rink. She tried on the 375, the 355, and then, just for laugh$, the 1500. I was going to bake the 375 for her to see what she thought, but she no sooner put the 1500's on that she told me not to bother cooking any boot; she Simply Must have these. I was thrilled for her.

It really is and seemingly a somewhat thankless task. The fitter i tried said that once he selss the boots he doesn't tend to hear back from the people so he never knows how well the skates have gone down, how quick the break in period has been etc. I have resolved to keep in touch with him and let him know how i get on with the boots!

Ant

**Mrs Redboots** · 07-12-2006, 01:25 PM

Is that John Turner? I thought he was away right now. Les Westaway tends to recommend Gams, which work very well for both the Husband and me, but I know they don't suit everybody. I wouldn't want to go for another brand, though.

**antmanb** · 07-13-2006, 05:40 AM

Originally Posted by Mrs Redboots

Is that John Turner? I thought he was away right now. Les Westaway tends to recommend Gams, which work very well for both the Husband and me, but I know they don't suit everybody. I wouldn't want to go for another brand, though.

No its Ian...i want to say Wilson but i'm drawing a blank on his name. He was involved in the fittings for the dancing on ice program and is doing the second series of it. Before the program got him involved i think they got the skaters skating in far too advanced boots.

I think i've met a skater from the Milton Keynes area who swears by Gams that Les Westaway fitted for him. Ian didn't have a ny Gams to show me but from memory the padding the Gams i've seen looked very similar to the padding on the Riedells.

Ant