Adult beginner boots and blades

[Ivyx]

Hello!

I would love to get boots and blades that would be appropriate for me. If you have a minute to offer some advice I would really appreciate it
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 187 lbs
Normal width feet, Egyptian foot shape, medium/normal arch.

I've skated since my teen years, and I'm 31 now, with a 5-year pause. I can do all the basic skills, including an okay waltz jump, one-foot and two-foot spins. I've also been rollerblading my whole life, if that’s important.

We have an ice rink 2-3 months per year.
There is no local or even country pro shop where I live, so only recreational skates are available in sports stores.

I will be in Innsbruck, Austria in October, but I would love to see what to look out for in advance.
The available boot brands are Edea and Risport, and the available blade brands are JW, MK, and Jackson Ultima.

I’ve never had proper skates before; I always skated on these recreational skates. I think I measured an 8 rocker on them.
I have to get new ones every winter.

From previous posts I’ve read, the most recommended blades are the Coronation Ace and MK Pro (I seem to like the MK Pros the most of everything described, but I’m mostly overthinking the 7 rocker).
Out of the 8 rockers, I see the Legacy blade and the Gold Seal, but they're way too advanced from what I've read.

As for the boots, I guess I will decide while trying them on, but I would love to know the lowest and highest stiffness I should go for. Also, I forgot to mention that I have sprained my left ankle twice—once on the recreational skates I mentioned last year. So this year, I didn’t even go skating out of fear it might happen again, as they offer no support. The closest lessons to me are a 6 hour drive so that is not an option unfortunatelly, and there is no budget for the skates and blades I would just really like to get something good Forgot to add that while the rink is available I skate around 8-9 hours a week.

If you could help me with some recommendations, I would appreciate it so much. I fell in love with skating from the moment I stepped on the ice and would love to get proper boots and blades to further my skills and enjoy it more.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Hello!

I would love to get boots and blades that would be appropriate for me. If you have a minute to offer some advice I would really appreciate it
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 187 lbs
Normal width feet, Egyptian foot shape, medium/normal arch.

I've skated since my teen years, and I'm 31 now, with a 5-year pause. I can do all the basic skills, including an okay waltz jump, one-foot and two-foot spins. I've also been rollerblading my whole life, if that’s important.

We have an ice rink 2-3 months per year.
There is no local or even country pro shop where I live, so only recreational skates are available in sports stores.

I will be in Innsbruck, Austria in October, but I would love to see what to look out for in advance.
The available boot brands are Edea and Risport, and the available blade brands are JW, MK, and Jackson Ultima.

I’ve never had proper skates before; I always skated on these recreational skates. I think I measured an 8 rocker on them.
I have to get new ones every winter.

From previous posts I’ve read, the most recommended blades are the Coronation Ace and MK Pro (I seem to like the MK Pros the most of everything described, but I’m mostly overthinking the 7 rocker).
Out of the 8 rockers, I see the Legacy blade and the Gold Seal, but they're way too advanced from what I've read.

As for the boots, I guess I will decide while trying them on, but I would love to know the lowest and highest stiffness I should go for. Also, I forgot to mention that I have sprained my left ankle twice—once on the recreational skates I mentioned last year. So this year, I didn’t even go skating out of fear it might happen again, as they offer no support. The closest lessons to me are a 6 hour drive so that is not an option unfortunatelly, and there is no budget for the skates and blades I would just really like to get something good Forgot to add that while the rink is available I skate around 8-9 hours a week.

If you could help me with some recommendations, I would appreciate it so much. I fell in love with skating from the moment I stepped on the ice and would love to get proper boots and blades to further my skills and enjoy it more.

Hi and welcome ! Sorry if it seems your post is being ignored, it's just that everyone is gearing up for the world championships starting this week and that's grabbing almost all the forum's attention.

First, thank you for having done so much homework first and studying similar threads to know what information we need about you! That's much appreciated.

I've never used Edeas myself, so have only a basic knowledge of their models. From your description of your feet, they're close enough to mine for me to suggest Risport will be a good choice to try at whatever skate shop you can get to. The most expert adviser here as to brands of boots and location of recommended skate is @Ic3Rabbit . I'm sure she can give you more specific advice once the GS forum is not so focused on Worlds. In the meanwhile, what I can tell you is that an adult needs boots as strong or more so than the ones worn by a child competitor who may be more advanced technically. You're very wise to have abandoned those soft recreational boots that caused your ankle sprain.

I know the Risport Royal and RF lines fit differently. I wear the RF3 Elites myself as a pairs skater who needs their 90 stiffness for landing throws and jump combinations. I'm sure you'll get better advice in a week or so as to which line would be better for you to try. I'm guessing that either the Royal Pro at a 65 stiffness rating or the RF3 at 60 (one shop ad I looked at just now said 45, but others said 60) would be safer for an adult your height and weight, especially considering your ankle injury problem. When I broke an ankle many years ago, falling downstairs, not skating, I was back on the ice while I was still only able to walk with crutches because my stiff boot supported the healing ankle like a plaster cast.

For blades, I'm a fan of the MK brand, preferring the 7' rocker. The 7' is somewhat better for spins, the 8' for jumps, speaking very generally. Since you don't have access to a regular coach, I'd prefer to hear you were working on spins on your own rather than jumps, where you really need someone watching you to correct errors that could cause serious injuries. The MK Pro will serve you well for everything you may be able to learn. There wasn't as big a choice of blades during my competitive years and I used MK Pro blades even for triple jumps and throws.

I'm sure others can give you more detailed advice once the fan excitement of Worlds is over, if you can hang in there, but I wanted to at least give you some basic suggestions to help you feel at home on GS . Good luck!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hello!

I would love to get boots and blades that would be appropriate for me. If you have a minute to offer some advice I would really appreciate it
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 187 lbs
Normal width feet, Egyptian foot shape, medium/normal arch.

I've skated since my teen years, and I'm 31 now, with a 5-year pause. I can do all the basic skills, including an okay waltz jump, one-foot and two-foot spins. I've also been rollerblading my whole life, if that’s important.

We have an ice rink 2-3 months per year.
There is no local or even country pro shop where I live, so only recreational skates are available in sports stores.

I will be in Innsbruck, Austria in October, but I would love to see what to look out for in advance.
The available boot brands are Edea and Risport, and the available blade brands are JW, MK, and Jackson Ultima.

I’ve never had proper skates before; I always skated on these recreational skates. I think I measured an 8 rocker on them.
I have to get new ones every winter.

From previous posts I’ve read, the most recommended blades are the Coronation Ace and MK Pro (I seem to like the MK Pros the most of everything described, but I’m mostly overthinking the 7 rocker).
Out of the 8 rockers, I see the Legacy blade and the Gold Seal, but they're way too advanced from what I've read.

As for the boots, I guess I will decide while trying them on, but I would love to know the lowest and highest stiffness I should go for. Also, I forgot to mention that I have sprained my left ankle twice—once on the recreational skates I mentioned last year. So this year, I didn’t even go skating out of fear it might happen again, as they offer no support. The closest lessons to me are a 6 hour drive so that is not an option unfortunatelly, and there is no budget for the skates and blades I would just really like to get something good Forgot to add that while the rink is available I skate around 8-9 hours a week.

If you could help me with some recommendations, I would appreciate it so much. I fell in love with skating from the moment I stepped on the ice and would love to get proper boots and blades to further my skills and enjoy it more.

Hi and welcome. I actually read your post last night and when I went to reply, the forum had an error saying your thread no longer existed.

This is the first time I can get back to you since the thread has reappeared.
My suggestion for you after looking at your stats (and knowing you will need a stiffer than usual boot) that you should look into the Edea Chorus. There isn't going to be a Risport that will be at the right stiffness for you (they will either be too stiff or not enough). You could also look into Graf brand boots--try the Richmond Special and if you should need a bit more stiff the Galaxy.

Team any of those with a good standard style intermediate blade: MK Pro or JW Coronation Ace.

Good luck!

 

[Ivyx]

Hi and welcome ! Sorry if it seems your post is being ignored, it's just that everyone is gearing up for the world championships starting this week and that's grabbing almost all the forum's attention.

First, thank you for having done so much homework first and studying similar threads to know what information we need about you! That's much appreciated.

I've never used Edeas myself, so have only a basic knowledge of their models. From your description of your feet, they're close enough to mine for me to suggest Risport will be a good choice to try at whatever skate shop you can get to. The most expert adviser here as to brands of boots and location of recommended skate shops is tied up with Worlds this week as a coach, but I'm sure @Ic3Rabbit can give you more specific advice once her attention is not so focused elsewhere. In the meanwhile, what I can tell you is that an adult needs boots as strong or more so than the ones worn by a child competitor who may be more advanced technically. You're very wise to have abandoned those soft recreational boots that caused your ankle sprain.

I know the Risport Royal and RF lines fit differently. I wear the RF3 Elites myself as a pairs skater who needs their 90 stiffness for landing throws and jump combinations. I'm sure you'll get better advice in a week or so as to which line would be better for you to try. I'm guessing that either the Royal Pro at a 65 stiffness rating or the RF3 at 60 (one shop ad I looked at just now said 45, but others said 60) would be safer for an adult your height and weight, especially considering your ankle injury problem. When I broke an ankle many years ago, falling downstairs, not skating, I was back on the ice while I was still only able to walk with crutches because my stiff boot supported the healing ankle like a plaster cast.

For blades, I'm a fan of the MK brand, preferring the 7' rocker. The 7' is somewhat better for spins, the 8' for jumps, speaking very generally. Since you don't have access to a regular coach, I'd prefer to hear you were working on spins on your own rather than jumps, where you really need someone watching you to correct errors that could cause serious injuries. The MK Pro will serve you well for everything you may be able to learn. There wasn't as big a choice of blades during my competitive years and I used MK Pro blades even for triple jumps and throws.

I'm sure others can give you more detailed advice once the fan excitement of Worlds is over, if you can hang in there, but I wanted to at least give you some basic suggestions to help you feel at home on GS . Good luck!

Hi, thank you so much for your extensive answer. I was actually looking at around 60 stiffness, as you suggested, but I had some doubts about whether they would be too stiff. From everything I've read and seen, the MK Pros seem really great, and I’ve kind of already made up my mind about them; I just wanted someone to confirm. I will not be attempting jumps by myself, no worries. I will mostly be spinning like I have been so far, and I usually try some step sequences, also love doing spirals. Thank you again for your kind answer, I really appreciate it.

 

[Ivyx]

Hi and welcome. I actually read your post last night and when I went to reply, the forum had an error saying your thread no longer existed.

This is the first time I can get back to you since the thread has reappeared.
My suggestion for you after looking at your stats (and knowing you will need a stiffer than usual boot) that you should look into the Edea Chorus. There isn't going to be a Risport that will be at the right stiffness for you (they will either be too stiff or not enough). You could also look into Graf brand boots--try the Richmond Special and if you should need a bit more stiff the Galaxy.

Team any of those with a good standard style intermediate blade: MK Pro or JW Coronation Ace.

Good luck!

Hi, thank you so much for answering, I appreciate it. I was mostly looking between the Royal Pros and Choruses and am glad I was on the right track. I will check out everything you mentioned. Thank you.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi, thank you so much for answering, I appreciate it. I was mostly looking between the Royal Pros and Choruses and am glad I was on the right track. I will check out everything you mentioned. Thank you.

You are welcome. The Royal Pro is not going to be stiff enough for you. And the Royal Prime will be too stiff.

 

[Ivyx]

You are welcome. The Royal Pro is not going to be stiff enough for you. And the Royal Prime will be too stiff.

I just took a look at the Grafs you mentioned before, and they look and sound fantastic! I love the more traditional look of the skates. Fingers crossed they fit well and feel great. Thanks a lot!