Former Elite Skaters: Boots Problems?

Hi former (or current) skaters of the board.

For those of us who do not skate can you please tell us more about the role that boots play in a skaters life? How difficult is it to find the right boots? How hard it is to skate if your boots break down? How long does it take to break in new boots? Are Edea's different than other skating boots?

Thanks from a person who can barely skate.

I'll just expand on what I said in the other thread.

Boot problems can be very costly

I was never an elite skater but I did train to hopefully become one when i was younger.
Boot issues derailed my training or caused me significant pain so I understand it a little.

My feet still show the signs of the punishment they took from skating in boots that were not good enough/too old/ill-fitting and trying to go full on in new boots when I did finally get some better ones.

I have never tried Edeas, I haven't skated at all for several years due to an unrelated condition and resulting disability happening. I have heard they are a little easier to break in.

I have an only twice used pair of Risports in my room that I stubbornly refuse to get rid of even though I know I'll never be able to use them. They're still stiff as a wooden board

Tim Geobel had serious boot problems that kept him out for an entire season.

Ashley Wagner's skaters once got lost en route to a competition in Europe (it was not a domestic one). Her mom had to overnight an old pair to her.

Let's not forget all of Karen Chen's boot problems. If I remember correctly, those started with a break (or maybe bad spain) and the foot/ankle never healed quite right. After that, she had a hard time getting boots that worked for her. Remember her boots saga at the Olympics.

i never skated in Edeas (they came out after i stopped skating), but good fitting, custom boots are of the essence to a skater and how they perform elements. everything has to fit your foot exactly and stay comfortable through everything you do on the ice.

i was fitted incorrectly (but unknowingly) in harlicks for a few years by about 2 sizes off and had terrible arch pain as i'm very flat footed. i then switched to another fitter/salesman who sold Klingbeils and it made all the difference. the insoles were custom molded to my feet and i had no more pain. boot make is also important to your foot type/shape.

but, there are sometimes adjustments to be made after you skate in them the first time. the sides may have to be punched out to create more room or the blade might have to be slightly re positioned. everything should feel normal and "right" when you skate in new boots, although it takes time to break them in.

i can't imagine what Zhenya was going through this weekend. she knew she was risking injury big time and i'm very sorry she couldn't skate, but she made a smart choice.

Edeas are know for no break-in period on the front end but they are also known for no break-down period on the back end.

USFS had always said that skaters at Nationals have the worst boots. If you think about it, it makes sense. What skater wants to voluntarily take down time going into one of their biggest competitions of the year. Most chance it and win.

ancientpeas said:

Hi former (or current) skaters of the board.

For those of us who do not skate can you please tell us more about the role that boots play in a skaters life? How difficult is it to find the right boots? How hard it is to skate if your boots break down? How long does it take to break in new boots? Are Edea's different than other skating boots?

Thanks from a person who can barely skate.

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I’m by no means an elite skater, and I’m sure @Ic3Rabbit will have much better explanations than I do. But basically:

- An elite skater’s boots and blades are highly specialized equipment.

- How difficult it is for skaters to find the “right” boots depends on their feet. Some skaters might be relatively easy to fit and may be able to wear several brands. Others may need custom boots and/or may only be able to wear one brand. Others may struggle for years to get boots that really work for them (e.g., Karen Chen, Kevin Reynolds, and - I think - Denis Ten). The key is that every pair of boots is a little different. So just because you’re replacing your current Edea Piano boots with another pair of Edea Piano boots in the same size doesn’t mean they will fit, feel, or function exactly the same. This is what I think most people don’t get. If you’re just walking in a new pair of shoes, differences with your old shoes might not matter so much. But if you’re relying on those boots to get you into the air and do 3-4 revolutions, spin, do step sequences, etc., those little differences matter a lot. Add to that the fact that your blades have to be mounted to the new boots and it’s an additional complication.

- When boots break down, they become unreliable just like when brakes start going in your car. At a certain point, you can no longer rely on them to do their job / support your feet and ankles, so it becomes dangerous to jump. What happened to Evgenia is a good example. In the SP her jumps were not as high, her landings were insecure, and her feet got sores and blisters. When it came to the FS practice she apparently couldn’t jump or spin at all.

- Break in time depends on the skater / boots / level. Usually anywhere from a few days to a week or so.

- All brands have differences but the most important difference between Edeas and other brands is the way they support the ankle. They also have higher heels.

Net, net, the reason most skaters don’t alternate a few pairs of skates and always have a spare is that the feel of each pair is slightly different and the minute adjustments you make for different skills (e.g., exactly where to balance on the blade) varies with each pair. Since you practice to develop muscle memory, practicing in different pairs kind of defeats the purpose. Breaking in new boots isn’t just about softening them up so they’re more comfortable and making sure the blades are aligned properly, but about knowing and routinizing those minute adjustments you need to be able to perform hugely difficult skills.

You hear that faint background noise? That is the sound of fans of Dabin Choi and Junhwan Cha crying.

Dabin had to sit out an entire season because they couldn't get her boots that fit right or something to that extent.

I'm nowhere near an elite, but I still have scars from having gotten to single jump level in used recreational skates.

Tavi... said:

Some skaters might be relatively easy to fit and may be able to wear several brands. Others may need custom boots and/or may only be able to wear one brand. Others may struggle for years to get boots that really work for them (e.g., Karen Chen, Kevin Reynolds, and - I think - Denis Ten). The key is that every pair of boots is a little different. So just because you’re replacing your current Edea Piano boots with another pair of Edea Piano boots in the same size doesn’t mean they will fit, feel, or function exactly the same.

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As someone with a family history of problem feet, and difficulty finding a comfortable pair of shoes, snickers and boots, why don't they buy several pairs of the same exact thing, whenever they find the brand and model that works well? That's what I do. (Expensive, but so worth it.)

A couple notes.

As most have mentioned boots and blades are highly specialized.

The only “back up” one tends to have is a previous pair that was on their way out, but still functioning in disaster situations.

I once had a boot issue that caused me to develop a heel spur. It was so bad that I actually had to travel to the manufacture to have them look at the boot before they figured out what the defect was. It caused me issues for about 6 months.

Training on different boots and blades isn’t really feasible, it takes at least two weeks to feel comfortable and more like 4-6 to feel like you’ve broken them in well.

Casual said:

As someone with a family history of problem feet, and difficulty finding a comfortable pair of shoes, snickers and boots, why don't they buy several pairs of the same exact thing, whenever they find the brand and model that works well? That's what I do. (Expensive, but so worth it.)

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Tavi just said that wouldn’t work due to minute differences even in the exact same brand/model/size.

Ziotic said:

A couple notes.

As most have mentioned boots and blades are highly specialized.

The only “back up” one tends to have is a previous pair that was on their way out, but still functioning in disaster situations.

I once had a boot issue that caused me to develop a heel spur. It was so bad that I actually had to travel to the manufacture to have them look at the boot before they figured out what the defect was. It caused me issues for about 6 months.

Training on different boots and blades isn’t really feasible, it takes at least two weeks to feel comfortable and more like 4-6 to feel like you’ve broken them in well.

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Oh, gosh, I get a heel spur sometimes. It's excruciating! And I don't ever jump.

moonvine said:

Tavi just said that wouldn’t work due to minute differences even in the exact same brand/model/size.

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Actually, that's true, even in regular shoes not one pair of the same brand/model/size/ (bought at the same time/in the same store ) fits exactly the same. Still, it's better than nothing.

Casual said:

As someone with a family history of problem feet, and difficulty finding a comfortable pair of shoes, snickers and boots, why don't they buy several pairs of the same exact thing, whenever they find the brand and model that works well? That's what I do. (Expensive, but so worth it.)

Click to expand...

It sounds like you’ve never skated? All I can say is that skates are professional equipment integral to your success. Elite skaters do usually buy the same boots but they’re very often custom made. It’s not at all the same as buying street shoes, even street shoes for problem feet. Sorry but I can’t really explain better.

Kurt Browning had boot problems, tried to skate through them, and ended up wrecking his back... back in the day. I'm not a skater or athlete of any kind, but equipment like footwear is essential no matter the sport. If it's off your body will try to compensate and forget performance, you could have serious physical issues arise.

Tavi... said:

It sounds like you’ve never skated? All I can say is that skates are professional equipment integral to your success. Elite skaters do usually buy the same boots but they’re very often custom made. It’s not at all the same as buying street shoes, even street shoes for problem feet. Sorry but I can’t really explain better.

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Yep. I skated once or twice, when I was a young child. I fell, and didn't like it at all. That's the extent of my familiarity with skating. I hated the boots.

A lot of people have been asking why skaters don't have multiple sites on the go at the same time;
A) Boots are expensive
B) Breaking in skates can take a long time, is very painful and affects your ability on the ice.

For reference, I am a skater doing triples.
I had to get new boots at the start of the summer because id worn down the very front part of my boot over the toe so much that there was almost a hole there so they weren't really safe to use anymore (they lasted 2 years I was very lucky). I got the exact same boot in the exact same size, however edea seems to have changed how they make their boots slightly so I had issues adjusting to my new boot lasting almost the entire summer (normally breaking in boots takes a week- a few weeks usually depending on how much you skate). The boots would push in on my ankles which was extremely painful and ripped my skin and made my ankles bleed every session. They also started to damage a bone on the side of my foot but that didn't last as long. You can push through these things, but it makes everything much harder because of things like pain and uncertainty. My boots were this problematic and weren't even broken. That said, I've generally been fairly lucky not to have too many major boot problems. I know some skaters who were fitted with skates that were too big for them and were developing issues/permanent damage in their feet/legs (on top of a higher risk for injury etc). Adjusting to different boots or blades can make everything you do on the ice feel entirely different, especially if they are a different type of boot or blade.

Step Sequence4 said:

The boots would push in on my ankles which was extremely painful and ripped my skin and made my ankles bleed every session. They also started to damage a bone on the side of my foot but that didn't last as long. You can push through these things, but it makes everything much harder because of things like pain and uncertainty. My boots were this problematic and weren't even broken. That said, I've generally been fairly lucky not to have too many major boot problems. I know some skaters who were fitted with skates that were too big for them and were developing issues/permanent damage in their feet/legs (on top of a higher risk for injury etc).

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Sounds like torture. Horrible, crippling stuff. Yikes. I don't know how you guys do it... (and why!).

If I couldn't find a comfortable pair of running shoes, I wouldn't run.

Karen Chen has used her boots as the reason for her poor showings over the last couple of years. Obviously if your feet are compromised in any way you're not going to be able to execute your jumps properly. Seems like technology being what it is today that boot makers would be able to address these issues with particular skaters. When your feet hurt you honestly hurt all over.

Step Sequence4 said:

The boots would push in on my ankles which was extremely painful and ripped my skin and made my ankles bleed every session. They also started to damage a bone on the side of my foot but that didn't last as long. You can push through these things, but it makes everything much harder because of things like pain and uncertainty.

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Ugh, that happened to me, too. I still have scars.

Casual said:

I don't know how you guys do it... (and why!).

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Because it's worth it. Not skating would be more painful.