Can you advise a fitter in France ?

[Mauve]

Hello everyone,

Nice to meet you ! I discovered these forums while searching for advice on a new pair of skates, and already learnt so much ! I'm sorry for asking something that was probably discussed many times but I couldn't find the answer by myself, so please bear with me while I bother you.

So I currently have Risport RF4 + MK21 blades I bought 12 years ago (blindly chose them on a website as I honestly knew nothing about the way to pick a fitting pair of skates back then, and can't say I can now either)... I used them for a few months at the beginning then did not use them for many years, as I was living far away from rinks. I learnt ice dance for 3 years as a child/teen, then learnt some jumps for a few months in my 20s and now, at 36, I found a weekly class where I'm relearning the basics and trying to progress. So far, I'm still learning toeloop and one-foot spins. I don't plan on learning quadruples but I would like to jump all the singles at some point.
My boots are now too old as they are cracked at the ankles, I don't have enough support anymore and even feel a bit wobbly in my right ankle. So time for new boots !
My coach and classmates all recommended Edea Overture, but as I learnt while browsing here, it's apparently not the best choice to follow blind recommandations, however well-intended. I would like to see a professionnal fitter, but I don't know of any in France so do you have any recommandations ? If they could be in the North-West part of France, that would be most wonderful but I'll take any advice ! How is it too presumptuous of me to seek a fitter ?

In case a professionnal fitter is not doable, do you have any pointers for someone like me : age 36, size 160cm, weight 64kg, roman foot, neutral arch but, since I had scoliosis younger which moved my gravity center a bit, my navicular bones (in both feet) protrude a bit like a second lower malleolus. Also I currently have recurring pain on the soles of my feet while skating. My feet are 23-23,5cm long (self-measured), and my current skates are a size 260 (my afternoon researches have started to ring a bell on how the difference between those 2 numbers is problematic, so I don't know ?). I wear size 38 (Europe) for my shoes, if it helps.

Thank you for reading me and any recommandation or advice is much appreciated !
(English is not my first language so I hope I made sense and apologise for the mistakes)

 

[Elenea]

Hi, depending on your choice of travel, a good fitter close to the North West of France is probably Everglides in UK . I had looked for a good fitter in Germany and ended up with Bladerunners in Austria and now Everglides in UK for my Jackson custom boots. Both did a very good fitting and both offer not only Risport and Edea, but Jackson, Riedell and Graf too.

I cannot tell you what boot will fit you, but I can say for sure that 260 is way to long. My foot is 24,0cm and I was fitted in Risport size 250 (I chose Jackson afterall but just for comparison). Width is key. Sometimes its really hard to tell if a boot is too short or too narrow. (And some shops only sell you longer skates instead of wider ones, because they dont stock different widths).
I had burning soles with both to narrow skates and not supportive enough insoles but there a many other things that can lead to this burning feeling.

For the stiffness, Edea Chorus, Risport RF3 Pro or Royal Pro, Jackson Debut or Premiere should support you all through your singles and axel. You will need new blades too as they will be too long for your new boots. MK Professionals or John Wilson Coronation Ace will most likely be a good blade for you. You could also look for the Ultima Legacy 7 or 8, but most skaters hate them so you likely will be happier with MK Pros or Coronation Aces.

 

[Elenea]

And yes you definitly need to go to a good fitter. A fitting is not something related to level, everyone who seriously wants to skate from the complete newbie to the pro needs a good fitting. As tempting as self measuring and buying online looks, dont do it.

 

[Mauve]

Hi, depending on your choice of travel, a good fitter close to the North West of France is probably Everglides in UK . I had looked for a good fitter in Germany and ended up with Bladerunners in Austria and now Everglides in UK for my Jackson custom boots. Both did a very good fitting and both offer not only Risport and Edea, but Jackson, Riedell and Graf too.

I cannot tell you what boot will fit you, but I can say for sure that 260 is way to long. My foot is 24,0cm and I was fitted in Risport size 250 (I chose Jackson afterall but just for comparison). Width is key. Sometimes its really hard to tell if a boot is too short or too narrow. (And some shops only sell you longer skates instead of wider ones, because they dont stock different widths).
I had burning soles with both to narrow skates and not supportive enough insoles but there a many other things that can lead to this burning feeling.

For the stiffness, Edea Chorus, Risport RF3 Pro or Royal Pro, Jackson Debut or Premiere should support you all through your singles and axel. You will need new blades too as they will be too long for your new boots. MK Professionals or John Wilson Coronation Ace will most likely be a good blade for you. You could also look for the Ultima Legacy 7 or 8, but most skaters hate them so you likely will be happier with MK Pros or Coronation Aces.

Thank you very much Elenea !
Everglides would be perfect as it is the easiest to travel to from where I live, but I don't have a passport yet Austria would be too far (I can't afford 500€ travel + the skates) and difficult since I can't speak german.
I was discussing all this with a French seller (website) earlier and he explained to me that in France, skates are imported in one width only so if width is the key to my problem, then I definitely need to find a way to go abroad... Apparently, no seller in France offers different width.

Once I see a fitter, is there a delay to order or could I hope to go back home with the new skates ?
I'm also worried my current skates can't support me until summer, which would be the earliest I could travel to the UK with a new passport.

 

[Mauve]

btw I see Everglides offers virtual fitting appointments, can it be an acceptable solution ?

 

[Minz]

@WednesdayMarch any suggestions?

 

[Friday]

Hello everyone,

Nice to meet you ! I discovered these forums while searching for advice on a new pair of skates, and already learnt so much ! I'm sorry for asking something that was probably discussed many times but I couldn't find the answer by myself, so please bear with me while I bother you.

So I currently have Risport RF4 + MK21 blades I bought 12 years ago (blindly chose them on a website as I honestly knew nothing about the way to pick a fitting pair of skates back then, and can't say I can now either)... I used them for a few months at the beginning then did not use them for many years, as I was living far away from rinks. I learnt ice dance for 3 years as a child/teen, then learnt some jumps for a few months in my 20s and now, at 36, I found a weekly class where I'm relearning the basics and trying to progress. So far, I'm still learning toeloop and one-foot spins. I don't plan on learning quadruples but I would like to jump all the singles at some point.
My boots are now too old as they are cracked at the ankles, I don't have enough support anymore and even feel a bit wobbly in my right ankle. So time for new boots !
My coach and classmates all recommended Edea Overture, but as I learnt while browsing here, it's apparently not the best choice to follow blind recommandations, however well-intended. I would like to see a professionnal fitter, but I don't know of any in France so do you have any recommandations ? If they could be in the North-West part of France, that would be most wonderful but I'll take any advice ! How is it too presumptuous of me to seek a fitter ?

In case a professionnal fitter is not doable, do you have any pointers for someone like me : age 36, size 160cm, weight 64kg, roman foot, neutral arch but, since I had scoliosis younger which moved my gravity center a bit, my navicular bones (in both feet) protrude a bit like a second lower malleolus. Also I currently have recurring pain on the soles of my feet while skating. My feet are 23-23,5cm long (self-measured), and my current skates are a size 260 (my afternoon researches have started to ring a bell on how the difference between those 2 numbers is problematic, so I don't know ?). I wear size 38 (Europe) for my shoes, if it helps.

Thank you for reading me and any recommandation or advice is much appreciated !
(English is not my first language so I hope I made sense and apologise for the mistakes)

If you are able to afford the trip, I suggest Skatersworld in Frankfurt am Main in Germany.
I visited them for my fitting and they are very experienced + speak English.

I visited them with the suggestions of Ic3Rabbit in mind and got exactly what I was told would be best for my feet.

I only had to make one trip, because they had the appropriate size for me in stock, punched out and heatmolded my skates, mounted the right blades and sharpened them all during my appointment ^^

Be aware that they only sell Risport and Edea though, and you have to make an appointment in advance. They do take a lot of time for appointments though, I spent more than 3 hours in their shop

If I were in your shoes, I would first get suggestions for possible boots from the very experienced people here on Goldenskate, and then search for a fitter who stocks those boots.

Another option (in Germany) is Ice Expressions, but the are located in Dresden, that's probably too far for you....

Alternatively, there is a shop in Hamburg that does fittings and heatmolding/punching out, but the don't sell boots in store, only from their website. Therefore, you would have to visit them for the initial fitting, then wait until your boots arrive and then visit them again.

 

[Mauve]

If you are able to afford the trip, I suggest Skatersworld in Frankfurt am Main in Germany.
I visited them for my fitting and they are very experienced + speak English.

I visited them with the suggestions of Ic3Rabbit in mind and got exactly what I was told would be best for my feet.

I only had to made one trip, because they had the appropriate size for me in stock, punched out and heatmolded my skates, mounted the right blades and sharpened them all during my appointment ^^

Be aware that they only sell Risport and Edea though, and you habe to make an appointment in advance. They do take a lot of time for appointments though, I spent more than 3 hours in their shop

If I was in your shoes, I would first get suggestions for possible boots from the very experienced people here on Goldenskate, and then search for a fitter who stocks those boots.

Another option (in Germany) is Ice Expressions, but the are located in Dresden, that's probably too far for you....

Alternatively, there is a shop in Hamburg that does fittings and heatmolding/punching out, but the don't sell boots in store, only from their website. Therefore, you would have to visit them for the initial fitting, then wait until your boots arrive and then visit them again.

Thanks a lot for the advice !
Skatersworld could be doable, even if it's still a long way given my circumstances.

You mentioned getting suggestions first to narrow my search, would you be able to give some ? Or someone else reading this ?

 

[Elenea]

Thank you very much Elenea !
Everglides would be perfect as it is the easiest to travel to from where I live, but I don't have a passport yet Austria would be too far (I can't afford 500€ travel + the skates) and difficult since I can't speak german.
I was discussing all this with a French seller (website) earlier and he explained to me that in France, skates are imported in one width only so if width is the key to my problem, then I definitely need to find a way to go abroad... Apparently, no seller in France offers different width.

Once I see a fitter, is there a delay to order or could I hope to go back home with the new skates ?
I'm also worried my current skates can't support me until summer, which would be the earliest I could travel to the UK with a new passport.

How long would you have to wait for a passport?
I would always contact the shops via mail or phone before visiting. You can send them your own measurements and possibly a tracing, so that they know what they are dealing with. Worked perfectly with Bladerunners, they made sure they had stocked up the boots they tought could fit me.

I cannot recommend Skatersworld in Germany, its a hit and miss with them. They are the closest shop to where I live (25 km). I only go to them for sharpening but most people at our rink and my friends got fitted there. Sometimes they don't even measure your feet and just ask for your shoe size. They also really like to sell Risport Antares no matter the size and weight of the skater, which resulted in skate breakdowns in less then three months.

If you go there please know what you want (Risport RF3 Pro or Royal Pro or Edea Chorus) and your size (their website suggest 1-1,5cm "comfort room" for adults, which is way to much). They sell at least B and C widths, not sure if they can order an Edea D width.

 

[Elenea]

And I am not sure if both of them in Skaterswold in Frankfurt are fluent in English (one is).
If the waiting time for a passport is not multiple months, I would wait. You will spend a lot of money on the skates (boots + blades 500€ and up) and they will most likely last you for 2 years or more depending on how fast you relearn / learn and how often you skate.

 

[Mauve]

And I am not sure if both of them in Skaterswold in Frankfurt are fluent in English (one is).
If the waiting time for a passport is not multiple months, I would wait. You will spend a lot of money on the skates (boots + blades 500€ and up) and they will most likely last you for 2 years or more depending on how fast you relearn / learn and how often you skate.

Thank you Eleana, I'll take your arguments into consideration. Sadly, waiting times for passports here are super long, between 3 to 6 months...
Since I am absolutely confused about the size and type of skate I want, I prefer to visit a fitter who can be patient and dedicated !

 

[Friday]

How long would you have to wait for a passport?
I would always contact the shops via mail or phone before visiting. You can send them your own measurements and possibly a tracing, so that they know what they are dealing with. Worked perfectly with Bladerunners, they made sure they had stocked up the boots they tought could fit me.

I cannot recommend Skatersworld in Germany, its a hit and miss with them. They are the closest shop to where I live (25 km). I only go to them for sharpening but most people at our rink and my friends got fitted there. Sometimes they don't even measure your feet and just ask for your shoe size. They also really like to sell Risport Antares no matter the size and weight of the skater, which resulted in skate breakdowns in less then three months.

If you go there please know what you want (Risport RF3 Pro or Royal Pro or Edea Chorus) and your size (their website suggest 1-1,5cm "comfort room" for adults, which is way to much). They sell at least B and C widths, not sure if they can order an Edea D width.

Really?
Then I had a lot of luck with my appointment.
They immediately told me that I should be in nothing lower than a RF3 Pro (although I am a fairly light beginner adult) and the person who fitted me told me straight up that while I could go with a 245, I really should be in 240 (my feet are 236 mm).
Maybe I was lucky and got the more experienced fitter?

Really good to know that though, I have never heard of Bladerunners. Is that the shop in St. Pölten?

 

[Elenea]

Really?
Then I had a lot of luck with my appointment.
They immediately told me that I should be in nothing lower than a RF3 Pro (although I am a fairly light beginner adult) and the person who fitted me told me straight up that while I could go with a 245, I really should be in 240 (my feet are 236 mm).
Maybe I was lucky and got the more experienced fitter?

Really good to know that though, I have never heard of Bladerunners. Is that the shop in St. Pölten?

They have two fitters at Skatersworld. One is good and the other not. Thats why I called it a hit and miss. Since the time they fitted a nearly 2m tall, 90 kg man into Risport Antares (and many other heavy adults) I don't trust them on this regard anymore. I am glad you were with the good one
Yes, Bladerunners is in St. Pölten, the shop is run by Martin Jakubec. They aren't open everyday, only on appointment.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

And I am not sure if both of them in Skaterswold in Frankfurt are fluent in English (one is).
If the waiting time for a passport is not multiple months, I would wait. You will spend a lot of money on the skates (boots + blades 500€ and up) and they will most likely last you for 2 years or more depending on how fast you relearn / learn and how often you skate.

The OP is French/in France. So I'm not sure if English really matters.

@Mauve I'd go to Skatersworld in Frankfurt as @Friday suggested.

Good luck! If you want boot suggestions I could give you an idea. Sounds like you need to stay away from Edea though.

 

[Elenea]

and difficult since I can't speak german.

The OP is French/in France. So I'm not sure if English really matters.

Since we are writing in English and the OP does not speak German, I'm think English is going to be the language she needs to look for. Otherwise things will get really complicated. It is quite rare to find someone fluent in French here

 

[WednesdayMarch]

@WednesdayMarch any suggestions?

My suggestion would be the tried and trusted Everglides on the South Coast of England. If you contact them, you should be able to make an appointment. They ask a lot of questions before the appointment in order that they can have suitable boots for you to try at your fitting. Virtual fittings are also available but an in person fitting is always the best way to go. Their fittings usually last about 2 hours, sometimes longer. Custom insoles are made there and then if you need them. Heat moulding and punching out is also done at the appointment if required.

A proper fitting is the way to save money, time and pain. Everybody from complete beginners to professionals benefits from a proper fitting.

Be aware, though, that there seems to be a shortage of skating equipment at the moment. Even Everglides are strugging (see their Instagram) so it's best to contact them sooner rather than later in order that they can have the right things to try at your appointment.

Apply for that passport as soon as you can!

 

[tinna]

Hi, you can always try Interglace in Asnières, outside of Paris. Even if it is just to get an idea of what is out there. They would be able to heat mold boots for you, but I am really not sure about the quality of the fitting. I have been fitted there, but it is mostly a case of them measuring your foot with a brand specific measuring tool and suggesting different skates and asking you how do they feel on your feet. This is fine for some people, including myself as I have uncomplicated feet, but I've learned on this forum that certain fitters really are pro and have great attention to detail and really know their stuff.

I would be inclined to go for a virtual fitting with Everglides or going to one of the places in Germany or England that have been suggested in this thread, as you have special requirements for your skates / feet.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Since we are writing in English and the OP does not speak German, I'm think English is going to be the language she needs to look for. Otherwise things will get really complicated. It is quite rare to find someone fluent in French here

I'm aware of that, just saying that the person was French.

 

[Mauve]

Hi guys, thank you all for your input ! So major plot twist, I was able to find a last-minute passport appointment thanks to someone's cancellation : which means I'll be able to visit Everglides by the end of March. I'm excited ! Talk about a sign from the universe

If you want boot suggestions I could give you an idea. Sounds like you need to stay away from Edea though.

I'd love that if you don't mind, I'm basically clueless !

A proper fitting is the way to save money, time and pain. Everybody from complete beginners to professionals benefits from a proper fitting.

Be aware, though, that there seems to be a shortage of skating equipment at the moment. Even Everglides are strugging (see their Instagram) so it's best to contact them sooner rather than later in order that they can have the right things to try at your appointment.

Thank you for your advice, I will make sure to contact Everglides asap. I'm relieved it's not over the top to go for a fitting for someone like me !

I would be inclined to go for a virtual fitting with Everglides or going to one of the places in Germany or England that have been suggested in this thread, as you have special requirements for your skates / feet.

I agree, plus it's not a given that it would be cheaper for me to go to Paris than to Portsmouth
So I'd rather go where the quality of service is higher. Thanks for the recommandation anyhow !

 

[Elenea]

Hi guys, thank you all for your input ! So major plot twist, I was able to find a last-minute passport appointment thanks to someone's cancellation : which means I'll be able to visit Everglides by the end of March. I'm excited ! Talk about a sign from the universe

Sounds great