Ankle stability in Edea boots

[Skatingbear]

As I have already told in another recent thread, I'm looking for new boots since my RF3 Pro hurt my ankle bones so much.
I thought Edeas would be a good option since they are really loose in the ankle area and they don't bring any pressure on my ankle bones.
Today I was in a store to try on Edea Chorus. Since I only do single jumps until now, a stiffness rate of 75 should be definitely stiff enough for me. But they didn't feel like they could give me any kind of stability in the ankle area since they are so loose there (the skate fitter laced them exactly the way Edeas should be laced) . But there was no pain and no pressure on my ankle bones, so with Edea boots I could finally skate without pain (and they are available in my country compared to many other brands). But on the other hand, I guess that I would often twist my ankles, especially when I'm jumping.
That's why I was wondering how other skaters deal with that - how do you prevent twisting you ankles in Edeas? I've already red a lot here about ankle stability. It makes sense that you need strong ankles for Edeas, but
1. there are also a lot of beginner skaters with Edeas who don't have a lot of ankle stability, but still they are content with their boots and
2. is it even possible to gain enough ankle stability to prevent any kind of twisting? There is so much force and momentum in Figure Skating...

It would be interesting to hear about your experiences with Edea boots. Btw I'm also looking after other brands, I have ordered a pair of Risport Royal Pro and if they don't fit I would also consider trying out Graf boots..... but maybe I just got wrong how Edea boots work and there are a few tricks to gain ankle stability in Edeas that I dont' know yet Thanks in advance!

 

[MiraiFan]

First question--do Edeas fit your feet well? I assume the fitter suggested them for you. I myself love them--but I do have a lot of foot and ankle strength from dance and other sports. If Edeas are laced tightly over your instep, your foot and ankle should not move. I have never had any issues personally and I love my Chorus boots.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

From someone that's skated in them all and has major ankle issues. Edea was not a brand that I suggested to you for multiple reasons in your other thread: They won't support your ankles the way you need it and secondly, if your foot works with Risport they shouldn't go too well in an edea.

I've seen way too many competitive skaters, and lower levels either injure their ankles worse b/c edeas are not designed to support your ankle the way other boots do, or realize that they really did not like the feel and the lack of support of edea.

I do wish you luck. I know it's difficult with ankle injuries. My orthopedist, podiatrist and sports medicine doctors have all told me that the skating boot must offer enough support/stiffness to help my ankles (and this is coming from someone with strong ankles from many years of competing and show skating).

 

[LokiPoki]

As I have already told in another recent thread, I'm looking for new boots since my RF3 Pro hurt my ankle bones so much.
I thought Edeas would be a good option since they are really loose in the ankle area and they don't bring any pressure on my ankle bones.
Today I was in a store to try on Edea Chorus. Since I only do single jumps until now, a stiffness rate of 75 should be definitely stiff enough for me. But they didn't feel like they could give me any kind of stability in the ankle area since they are so loose there (the skate fitter laced them exactly the way Edeas should be laced) . But there was no pain and no pressure on my ankle bones, so with Edea boots I could finally skate without pain (and they are available in my country compared to many other brands). But on the other hand, I guess that I would often twist my ankles, especially when I'm jumping.
That's why I was wondering how other skaters deal with that - how do you prevent twisting you ankles in Edeas? I've already red a lot here about ankle stability. It makes sense that you need strong ankles for Edeas, but
1. there are also a lot of beginner skaters with Edeas who don't have a lot of ankle stability, but still they are content with their boots and
2. is it even possible to gain enough ankle stability to prevent any kind of twisting? There is so much force and momentum in Figure Skating...

It would be interesting to hear about your experiences with Edea boots. Btw I'm also looking after other brands, I have ordered a pair of Risport Royal Pro and if they don't fit I would also consider trying out Graf boots..... but maybe I just got wrong how Edea boots work and there are a few tricks to gain ankle stability in Edeas that I dont' know yet Thanks in advance!

I changed to Edea boots after skating in incorrectly fitting Jackson's.

I tried on Risport and other Jackson models that were correctly fitted to my size and I still had a lot of heel slipping, even though the boot was tight as.

I have Chorus, and as soon as I tried them on they felt nice - tight enough to hold my foot and no heel slipping. When I first got them I had to adjust to the different way to lace, and I noticed the feel of the boot was WAY different from the Jackson's I had been in previously.

I'm only learning singles and getting ready to take my preliminary pattern test, but overall I love them. They are super different though.

Not sure if this is helpful at all, but thought I'd share.

 

[LolaSkatesInJapan]

I love my Edea boots so much. I hate any shoe that strangles my ankles and I absolutely love how the Edeas support the ankle while allowing control of knee bend trhough the tongue (Edeas work differently than other boots and must be laced properly to work properly).
Also note that different models within the same brand may fit and feel differently, another reason to always work closely with a trusted professional skate fitter.
I had another model previously to the one I have now, had issues, made me even question if I was wearing the right brand until the fitter (asked by my coaches while she was at the rink) let me test other brand and it felt very awful. I bought new skates (another model within Edea) and they fit beautifully, like a glove. Break in time was 2 ice days, by the middle of the 2nd day they already felt so comfortable around my feet. Impressive.
For context, I have Greek feet, quite narrow feet and heels, high arches (I wear custom orthotics in all my footwear), I am a former classical ballerina, height 163 cm weight 49 kg, skate 5 days a week (sometimes 6 depending on schedule), average 3 hours and a half per day on ice, have on ice coaching sessions 3 times a week, group off ice training once.a week and personal off ice training once a week too.

Each skater is different and so are their feet, so it's important to seek counseling from people who see you skate, know your background (do you/did you dance, or where an athlete in another sport) and anatomy (what kind of feet you have, your gait etc) and will fit you with the correct boots for you *in person*, not in the internet. Seek advice from a trusted professional skate fitter and your coach, they can see you in person and analyze you closely, which is impossible to do in an online skating forum.

 

[Skatingbear]

I've seen way too many competitive skaters, and lower levels either injure their ankles worse b/c edeas are not designed to support your ankle the way other boots do

Yup, that's exactly what I'm afraid of... it's a dilemma: With Edeas I could (probably) finally skate without pain in the ankle bones, but there's a high risk of injuring my ankles and then the pain will come more than ever. With my RF3 Pro I have intense pain in my ankle bones, but just because of the boot's pressure on the bones, there's not a real injury. And they prevent me from injuries. But both is linked to pain...
But I think the better option would be to find a way how I can wear Risports without pain; yesterday when I was at the skate fitter, we did (again) some heat adjustment and they widened the area that hurt my ankles. I'm really curious if it will be better now, I will find it out next week.

 

[Skatingbear]

Seek advice from a trusted professional skate fitter and your coach, they can see you in person and analyze you closely

I was at a professional skate fitter yesterday and I asked them about this issue, while I was trying on the Edea Chorus. They said that if I want strong ankle support in Edea boots, I should go with the Ice Flys. They grade the Chorus rather as something like a "transitional model" for kids adolescents, but not for adults seeking for strong ankle support.
And both of the guys who work there (former roller and figure skaters) are basically not a fan of Edea boots because of the lack of ankle support. But they sell them anyways, because there's such a high demand

 

[LolaSkatesInJapan]

Did your coach recommend this professional? What does she/he say about this issue?
I am not a professional skate fitter, however it seems common sense to me to be fan of a skate that fits best for the feet of that particular skater who is shopping for skates. I was given Risports to try and absolutely hated them, felt instant discomfort and pain. My rink friend skates in Risports and loves them very much. We both were fitted with the same professional. Her feet are better suited for Risport, my feet and best suited for Edea. A fitter is a fan of fitting the skater with the best skate for her/him.

 

[Skatingbear]

Did your coach recommend this professional?

I went to this store because it's the only professional skate fitter in my region. Almost everyone I know goes there because other skate fitters are very far away. And basically the employees are really good and they know a lot about roller skating and figure skating boots, blades, frames and so on. But they only sell Risport and Edea boots, so they can only say if they would rather suggest Edea or Risport for you.
It's really complicated to get other brands than Risport and Edea in Germany - there are some skate fitters who can order boots from abroad, but you can't simply come over to try on some models. And these fitters are very rare, too.

What does she/he say about this issue?

My coach said she doesn't know a lot about figure skating boots, she's been skating with Risport RF2 for years (they look really destroyed lol) and now I think she has bought Ice Fly, but it's been a while since we've met the last time because of the loooong summer break in German ice rinks :/

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I was at a professional skate fitter yesterday and I asked them about this issue, while I was trying on the Edea Chorus. They said that if I want strong ankle support in Edea boots, I should go with the Ice Flys. They grade the Chorus rather as something like a "transitional model" for kids adolescents, but not for adults seeking for strong ankle support.
And both of the guys who work there (former roller and figure skaters) are basically not a fan of Edea boots because of the lack of ankle support. But they sell them anyways, because there's such a high demand

Then they aren't the type of fitter we were sending you to if they told you that about edea. Because a pro fitter of figure skates that know the products and how things work would know that Ice Fly is just a bit higher rated boot with the same technology in the ankle that the others have, it's not a good idea for you at this point in your skating. You are better off to go with another brand that is designed more traditionally stiff in the making of the ankle area to actually support you. I'm telling you this as a professional figure skater who competed at the elite level at one time. Do not trust someone that knows roller skates, it's not the same thing without getting into the technicalities.

 

[emilinkaa]

Then they aren't the type of fitter we were sending you to if they told you that about edea. Because a pro fitter of figure skates that know the products and how things work would know that Ice Fly is just a bit higher rated boot with the same technology in the ankle that the others have, it's not a good idea for you at this point in your skating. You are better off to go with another brand that is designed more traditionally stiff in the making of the ankle area to actually support you. I'm tell you this as a professionally figure skater who competed at the elite level at one time. Do not trust someone that knows roller skates, it's not the same thing without getting into the technicalities.

The advice she got is basically the standard line of advice from fitters in Germany re: ice flys. It drives me batty.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

The advice she got is basically the standard line of advice from fitters in Germany re: ice flys. It drives me batty.

These are the "fitters" that scare me.

 

[emilinkaa]

These are the "fitters" that scare me.

Right? The fact that I’ve heard this anecdote from so many skaters, who’ve gone to different shops? Someone has to be passing this “info” around as facts.

 

[bostonskaterguy86]

With my RF3 Pro I have intense pain in my ankle bones, but just because of the boot's pressure on the bones, there's not a real injury. And they prevent me from injuries.

I’m curious - when you say you’re having pain in your ankle bones, do you mean the malleolus (the bones that form “bumps” on either side of the ankle just above the foot)?

I had this problem recently as well with my Jackson Debuts. It was strange because I’ve had the boots for almost 5 years and had never had this problem before, but I got back on the ice earlier this year after a long break, and every time I’d skate I would have pain. Most of the time I’d even find bruises over the malleolus on both sides, on both ankles!!

My tech felt that it was probably due to a combination of the padding in the boots wearing down, and the shape of my ankles changing (especially my right - I had minor surgery on it during my break from skating). She recommended getting the ankles punched out a bit over the bones - I think I’m remembering right that she said the boots needed more of an adjustment than she thought a heat-mold would correct for. We did the punch-outs and it solved the pain/bruising problem!

I wonder if what you might need is to get the ankles of your boots punched out a little bit - rather than switching to a boot that isn’t designed to give the degree of ankle support you’re looking for. The Risport RF line is built to completely wrap and support the ankle all the way around, while Edeas are built to provide side-to-side support without restricting the ankle from flexing up and down - so it’ll be a big adjustment. That being said, plenty of people do make the switch to Edea from other brands, so it’s obviously not impossible - but, if you want your ankles to be wrapped and supported from all sides, Edea might not be the right brand for you. I skated in a friend’s Ice Flys once and though I loved the lightness and the comfortable padding, the ankle just felt too loose compared to my Jacksons.

 

[SusanaFG]

These are the "fitters" that scare me.

The problem is that in Europe doesn't exist the figure of "fitters". Here they are just sellers, like t-shirt seller. maybe it is difficult to belive it, They don't know about the boots, characteristics, feet, include they don't know the tables that the brands have, about width, they think the longitude of feet is related with the normal shoes... ( I have lived this discussion twice). In Europe we can't access to the brands like Jackson, if the "shop" wants to order ok, but when you recives the products if they aren't valid for you it is impossible return them. The worst is that Edea and Risport are Italian brands and they know the problems in Europe but they doesn't offer any solutions. When in the webpage of the brand appears "technical distributors", they are a shop only. Include, now in Spain there isn't physical shop to try and buy them, everything is "on-line".
For example, now in Madrid (Spain) there is 1 shop where we can buy boots and try them, but never there aren't boots available. Now it is "buy on line and good luck"
note: in Spain nobody adjusts boots.
This is the reason why we ask. It is imposible to try and go to a "fitter" pro. :-(

In my case, I have Edea Chorus, I like very much but the right boot is very wide in my ankle ,I have tried heating them, tying them very tightly, bungas... anything work. And the risport are big. I don't have alternatives. I've been trying for 2 months to find an ice fly boots to try or risport rf3 pro. I need to feel support in the ankle .

I hope that this explanation to help to understand the figure skaters european

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

The problem is that in Europe doesn't exist the figure of "fitters". Here they are just sellers, like t-shirt seller. maybe it is difficult to belive it, They don't know about the boots, characteristics, feet, include they don't know the tables that the brands have, about width, they think the longitude of feet is related with the normal shoes... ( I have lived this discussion twice). In Europe we can't access to the brands like Jackson, if the "shop" wants to order ok, but when you recives the products if they aren't valid for you it is impossible return them. The worst is that Edea and Risport are Italian brands and they know the problems in Europe but they doesn't offer any solutions. When in the webpage of the brand appears "technical distributors", they are a shop only. Include, now in Spain there isn't physical shop to try and buy them, everything is "on-line".
For example, now in Madrid (Spain) there is 1 shop where we can buy boots and try them, but never there aren't boots available. Now it is "buy on line and good luck"
note: in Spain nobody adjusts boots.
This is the reason why we ask. It is imposible to try and go to a "fitter" pro. :-(

In my case, I have Edea Chorus, I like very much but the right boot is very wide in my ankle ,I have tried heating them, tying them very tightly, bungas... anything work. And the risport are big. I don't have alternatives. I've been trying for 2 months to find an ice fly boots to try or risport rf3 pro. I need to feel support in the ankle .

I hope that this explanation to help to understand the figure skaters european

Okay well I've traveled this world as a former elite competitor and now pro. And can tell you that yes there are pro fitters (they may consider a different term) but they do exist and there are others here that live in Europe with experience with such that will agree.

You can get Jackson, Graf, Risport and Edea in Europe. I will tell you if you don't like light support in ankle and the feeling that they stretch or get "big" then you don't want Edea at all period.

 

[SK4T3]

Okay well I've traveled this world as a former elite competitor and now pro. And can tell you that yes there are pro fitters (they may consider a different term) but they do exist and there are others here that live in Europe with experience with such that will agree.

You can get Jackson, Graf, Risport and Edea in Europe. I will tell you if you don't like light support in ankle and the feeling that they stretch or get "big" then you don't want Edea at all period.

Yes you are right; there are pro fitters in almost every country in Europe; but you have to discover them by (talking to) social contacts at the Ice(rink). The best Fitters have the most poor/ugliest website.

But there is a problem with availability/stock in both Boots & Blades. Boots in Length (185-310) sizes availability is soso; but don't talk about Width (other than C; B-D-E for example); these are all "Custom Order" (No Return).

Stock (at local fitters) is dramatic; you cannot "Try-On" like 2022-stocks (which was difficult too)