Need help with boots for an adult male

[yamesjames]

Hello everyone,

Another adult skater here. I've been skating recreationally since I was a child, but only picked up figure skating lessons in my 30s. I’m about 80 kg (175 lbs) and 175 cm (5'7"), and my feet are around 280 mm in length and about 11 cm at the widest point.

My club is an inline figure skating club. They have figure skates for me to borrow, but they were all too big for me, and they were all Edea. I mostly skate on inline, and I skate on ice during Christmas when the pop-up rinks are open (we don't have permanent full-size ice rinks here). Also, there are no skate shops in my country, so I had to buy something without getting a proper fitting from a skate tech.

My first pair of skates was the Edea Concerto 285C. I got this because I thought that since I was a bit heavier and taller, a stiffer boot would probably last me a decent while. It was okay. I got a slightly bigger boot to help compensate for the width issue, but when I wore thin nylon socks, my feet would slide around inside.

My second pair of skates was the Risport Antares 280. I know what you’re thinking—wasn’t that too soft for me? Yes, it was indeed too soft. I bought this because I needed a pair for the ice, and since the ice wouldn’t be around for long, I didn’t want to get a high-end boot. They lasted me about 1.5 months. I probably skated around 8–10 hours per week in them during that time period, but keep in mind that I wasn’t really doing much jumping back then; I was still learning waltz jump, salchow, and upright spin.

However, these skates were so comfortable—I didn’t feel any pain or discomfort at all. The only discomfort I felt was when the boot creased so badly that, when I tried to skate, the crease would dig into my foot. But it’s not really the skate’s fault because it was dead. I wasn’t sure if this was because the skates were too soft and basically made me feel comfortable, or if they actually fit my feet.

When I skate in Edea, I experience a sharp pain from the sides of my feet being compressed by the boot, pain on the bottom of my foot arch, and my toes are squished together. I currently have a bruised toenail from the boots. I also feel like my heel is trying to lift up when I jump, but the skate is stopping it—which is good, but also painful. I've highlighted the pain area in the image below.

My third pair was the Jackson Freestyle size 9.5; they were very comfortable, but they were too big for me. I got them for free since the skate shop broke the brand-new skates that I got for Christmas when I brought them in to be punched out. I also find that I struggle to bend my knees in them when I lace them fully. Which was weird because they're supposed to be less stiff than the Concerto.

Fast forward to now. I have all my singles apart from Axel, and I also upgraded to the Edea Piano 280D. It feels much more comfortable than my Concerto, but I still feel a bit of pain on the side of my feet if I have them too tight and also in my arch. I was thinking of maybe switching to Risport with the proper stiffness for me after this, but I’m also curious about the Aura, because I do like the one-piece carbon fibre construction. I have a pair of roller blades with a carbon shell and cuff, and I just love how responsive they are. Also, because inline frames add a lot more weight than ice blades, a lighter boot would definitely be a plus.

Any advice at all would be more than welcome. Thank you!

 

[VasilinaGosteva]

Hello everyone,

Another adult skater here. I've been skating recreationally since I was a child, but only picked up figure skating lessons in my 30s. I’m about 80 kg (175 lbs) and 175 cm (5'7"), and my feet are around 280 mm in length and about 11 cm at the widest point.

My club is an inline figure skating club. They have figure skates for me to borrow, but they were all too big for me, and they were all Edea. I mostly skate on inline, and I skate on ice during Christmas when the pop-up rinks are open (we don't have permanent full-size ice rinks here). Also, there are no skate shops in my country, so I had to buy something without getting a proper fitting from a skate tech.

My first pair of skates was the Edea Concerto 285C. I got this because I thought that since I was a bit heavier and taller, a stiffer boot would probably last me a decent while. It was okay. I got a slightly bigger boot to help compensate for the width issue, but when I wore thin nylon socks, my feet would slide around inside.

My second pair of skates was the Risport Antares 280. I know what you’re thinking—wasn’t that too soft for me? Yes, it was indeed too soft. I bought this because I needed a pair for the ice, and since the ice wouldn’t be around for long, I didn’t want to get a high-end boot. They lasted me about 1.5 months. I probably skated around 8–10 hours per week in them during that time period, but keep in mind that I wasn’t really doing much jumping back then; I was still learning waltz jump, salchow, and upright spin.

However, these skates were so comfortable—I didn’t feel any pain or discomfort at all. The only discomfort I felt was when the boot creased so badly that, when I tried to skate, the crease would dig into my foot. But it’s not really the skate’s fault because it was dead. I wasn’t sure if this was because the skates were too soft and basically made me feel comfortable, or if they actually fit my feet.

When I skate in Edea, I experience a sharp pain from the sides of my feet being compressed by the boot, pain on the bottom of my foot arch, and my toes are squished together. I currently have a bruised toenail from the boots. I also feel like my heel is trying to lift up when I jump, but the skate is stopping it—which is good, but also painful. I've highlighted the pain area in the image below.

My third pair was the Jackson Freestyle size 9.5; they were very comfortable, but they were too big for me. I got them for free since the skate shop broke the brand-new skates that I got for Christmas when I brought them in to be punched out. I also find that I struggle to bend my knees in them when I lace them fully. Which was weird because they're supposed to be less stiff than the Concerto.

Fast forward to now. I have all my singles apart from Axel, and I also upgraded to the Edea Piano 280D. It feels much more comfortable than my Concerto, but I still feel a bit of pain on the side of my feet if I have them too tight and also in my arch. I was thinking of maybe switching to Risport with the proper stiffness for me after this, but I’m also curious about the Aura, because I do like the one-piece carbon fibre construction. I have a pair of roller blades with a carbon shell and cuff, and I just love how responsive they are. Also, because inline frames add a lot more weight than ice blades, a lighter boot would definitely be a plus.

Any advice at all would be more than welcome. Thank you!

Hi, Figure skater here, it can be very hard when theres no skate shop around i can relate! I Personally haven't tried Aura but the people I met who do have them rave about them, but they are quite pricey. Another good brand for you I think would be Risport. I personally love them, they are a more traditional feel, and they have 2 lines the Royal (allows for more bend and comfort) and the RF line, (more stiff and traditional, but break in is hard sometimes.) They last a good amount of time if you get the right skates. If you were to go with risport for your skill level , you would probably want to go to Royal Pro, although some people especially male do feel like they are a bit soft, or the Rf3, which are stiffer. You could go to the RF1 if you want them to last you super long, but they are very stiff so you could overboot which can be painful, so it depends how you feel eith you skill level. As you mentioned with Edea you used to have a bit of pain so perhaps a more traditional skate will be better. You could also consider Jackson, as a lot of people in my rink wear those and are quite fond of them. You could try the premiere, or the supreme. If you are unsure on what size you are please listen to this and do a virtual fitting at SKATER'S EDGE!!! They do a superb job, fitted me very successfully even though its an online fitting! They got my size spot on and can recommend a skate based on your preferences. Sorry for how long this is, but I hope this helped!

 

[IceM]

You have very wide forefoot for your size, so any boot you get, you need to get them streched quite a bit (from C to like D or even E). The comfort in very soft boots like Antares is the soft upper naturally stretching to your feet, which some of the ultra stiff boots you've been on won't do.

I would say get either Risport RF3 Pro or Royal Pro, your size being probably 280. 280D will fit you better out of the box, but you might need to stretch even that, so it doesn't really matter what width you get (Risport width only affects the forefoot and they are all the same upper stretched at the factory, same as Edea).

When you get your axel and want to get into doubles and some flying entrances, you can look into the stiffer versions of those boots (RF1/Royal Prime).

Good luck!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hello everyone,

Another adult skater here. I've been skating recreationally since I was a child, but only picked up figure skating lessons in my 30s. I’m about 80 kg (175 lbs) and 175 cm (5'7"), and my feet are around 280 mm in length and about 11 cm at the widest point.

My club is an inline figure skating club. They have figure skates for me to borrow, but they were all too big for me, and they were all Edea. I mostly skate on inline, and I skate on ice during Christmas when the pop-up rinks are open (we don't have permanent full-size ice rinks here). Also, there are no skate shops in my country, so I had to buy something without getting a proper fitting from a skate tech.

My first pair of skates was the Edea Concerto 285C. I got this because I thought that since I was a bit heavier and taller, a stiffer boot would probably last me a decent while. It was okay. I got a slightly bigger boot to help compensate for the width issue, but when I wore thin nylon socks, my feet would slide around inside.

My second pair of skates was the Risport Antares 280. I know what you’re thinking—wasn’t that too soft for me? Yes, it was indeed too soft. I bought this because I needed a pair for the ice, and since the ice wouldn’t be around for long, I didn’t want to get a high-end boot. They lasted me about 1.5 months. I probably skated around 8–10 hours per week in them during that time period, but keep in mind that I wasn’t really doing much jumping back then; I was still learning waltz jump, salchow, and upright spin.

However, these skates were so comfortable—I didn’t feel any pain or discomfort at all. The only discomfort I felt was when the boot creased so badly that, when I tried to skate, the crease would dig into my foot. But it’s not really the skate’s fault because it was dead. I wasn’t sure if this was because the skates were too soft and basically made me feel comfortable, or if they actually fit my feet.

When I skate in Edea, I experience a sharp pain from the sides of my feet being compressed by the boot, pain on the bottom of my foot arch, and my toes are squished together. I currently have a bruised toenail from the boots. I also feel like my heel is trying to lift up when I jump, but the skate is stopping it—which is good, but also painful. I've highlighted the pain area in the image below.

My third pair was the Jackson Freestyle size 9.5; they were very comfortable, but they were too big for me. I got them for free since the skate shop broke the brand-new skates that I got for Christmas when I brought them in to be punched out. I also find that I struggle to bend my knees in them when I lace them fully. Which was weird because they're supposed to be less stiff than the Concerto.

Fast forward to now. I have all my singles apart from Axel, and I also upgraded to the Edea Piano 280D. It feels much more comfortable than my Concerto, but I still feel a bit of pain on the side of my feet if I have them too tight and also in my arch. I was thinking of maybe switching to Risport with the proper stiffness for me after this, but I’m also curious about the Aura, because I do like the one-piece carbon fibre construction. I have a pair of roller blades with a carbon shell and cuff, and I just love how responsive they are. Also, because inline frames add a lot more weight than ice blades, a lighter boot would definitely be a plus.

Any advice at all would be more than welcome. Thank you!

It helps to know what your foot shape type is? From what I know it sounds like you need to go with Risport RF line. Edea and Aura are going to be too narrow for your foot type, that's why you have the pain and rubbing. Risport RF1 would be my suggestion for you. You could also try Graf Edmonton Special.