Edea Ice Fly for beginner with hypermobility issues?

[crazyshihtzu]

Hello,
I've ordered Edea Ice Fly size 245D in January 2025. The are likely to arrive in September-December 2025 depending on Edea waiting times. Currently I'm in Edea Chorus 245C which I had to get widened in their toebox area. I got fitted by trying on Edea Overture 240D which was too small, Edea Flamenco Ice 245D which was perfect and Edea Ice Fly 245C which was to narrow in the toebox area and the heel pocket felt like I could not put my heel any deeper and it was floating above the insole (I need wider heel pocket too). My blades are Coronation Ace and I am fine with them. I have hypermobility in my ankles, knees and hips. I am also struggling with knock knees, pronation in ankles and flat feet because my parents ignored it when I was younger. I am 23-years old, 65 kg and 160cm. I can do one foot spin, outside and inside forward three turns from standing position. I am working on my edges, crossovers and overall strenght, condition and core stability to get ready for jumps. I am totally fine with bending my knees in Edea Chorus and in Edea Concerto (I've tried it on and done lowest possible shoot the duck I can do on ice). Is it good idea to go straight to Ice Fly before starting jumping? My physiotherapeutist, coach and skate fitter say that they will be fine for me.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hello,
I've ordered Edea Ice Fly size 245D in January 2025. The are likely to arrive in September-December 2025 depending on Edea waiting times. Currently I'm in Edea Chorus 245C which I had to get widened in their toebox area. I got fitted by trying on Edea Overture 240D which was too small, Edea Flamenco Ice 245D which was perfect and Edea Ice Fly 245C which was to narrow in the toebox area and the heel pocket felt like I could not put my heel any deeper and it was floating above the insole (I need wider heel pocket too). My blades are Coronation Ace and I am fine with them. I have hypermobility in my ankles, knees and hips. I am also struggling with knock knees, pronation in ankles and flat feet because my parents ignored it when I was younger. I am 23-years old, 65 kg and 160cm. I can do one foot spin, outside and inside forward three turns from standing position. I am working on my edges, crossovers and overall strenght, condition and core stability to get ready for jumps. I am totally fine with bending my knees in Edea Chorus and in Edea Concerto (I've tried it on and done lowest possible shoot the duck I can do on ice). Is it good idea to go straight to Ice Fly before starting jumping? My physiotherapeutist, coach and skate fitter say that they will be fine for me.

Hi and welcome! No. You should be in a Chorus if Edea is even the type of boot for you, which from your description sounds like they are not.
What is your foot shape? And what are your arches like: Very high/high/normal/low/flat?

 

[crazyshihtzu]

Hi and welcome! No. You should be in a Chorus if Edea is even the type of boot for you, which from your description sounds like they are not.
What is your foot shape? And what are your arches like: Very high/high/normal/low/flat?

I forgot to say that I have ortotics in my skates and I was fitted with these orthotics for Edeas. My foot shape is Greek type and my arches are low. I've tried on multiple models of Risport in different sizes (240-250) like Electra, Royal Pro, RF3 Pro, RF 1 Elite and Royal Primes. In all of them the problem is the same - my feet are sliding side to side even if the boots are laced super tight by myself or laced Risport way by the professional fitter. I could not stand Risport on my feet because I felt unsupported even in RF1 and Royal Primes. They felt wobbly inside the boot (feeling of the feet not ankles). Two fitters from different pro-shops in my country said that my foot shape can work with Edea, Risport or Aura not Jacksons. I'm going to try on Auras since they have lower level model Aura Sky 50. In my country I can currently only try on Aura Sky 100 or 200 which are too stiff for my level.

 

[Mimi2789]

I have heard many beginners justify their overbooting (and overbooting in ice flys in particular) by saying that they need it for their "ankle hypermobility." As someone with severe, diagnosed ankle hypermobility that has required multiple surgeries and years of physical therapy this makes no sense to me. If you truly have hypermobile ankles the Ice Fly is just about the worst boot you could possibly buy. I ended up with a pair of Ice Flys because I was in desperate need of a new pair of boots and all the boots I wanted were on back order or experiencing production delays. My fitter had a pair in my size, in sock and they fit great in her store (and I won't lie... I thought they were pretty!). They turned out to be a nightmare though because the low cut + loose ankle wrecked absolute havoc on my hypermobile ankles. Unless I tightened them to the point that my fingers were basically bleeding, I constantly felt like I was going to roll my ankle, and they felt scary unstable. Of course you are not supposed to lace Edeas that tightly, so they started to break down after about 3-4 months (I do skate 12-15 hours a week fwiw) and were fully dead to the point of needing to be thrown away by 6 months. If you want Ice Flys for the sake of having Ice Flys you should buy them, but if you want a pair of boots that are actually appropriate for your level and hypermobility you should without question look elsewhere.

 

[IceM]

I'm a little puzzled that you're considering the Ice Fly, which is among the stiffest rated Edea boots, but then also consider the softest Aura as the stiffer ones are too stiff for your level?

Stiffness ratings are not standardized and not directly comparable between manufacturers, but the Ice Fly stiffness (90) is rated higher than Aura 200 (75), according to Edea and Aura.

As to the hypermobility, I honestly don't think Edea style boots are a great idea if you have any sort of foot alignment issues, but that's just my opinion based on my experience. But if Risports and Jacksons don't fit you, then I guess you don't have many options left. Maybe Riedells or Grafs? Also, you can tie Risports the "Edea way" if that helps lock your foot.

I have heard many beginners justify their overbooting (and overbooting in ice flys in particular) by saying that they need it for their "ankle hypermobility." As someone with severe, diagnosed ankle hypermobility that has required multiple surgeries and years of physical therapy this makes no sense to me. If you truly have hypermobile ankles the Ice Fly is just about the worst boot you could possibly buy. I ended up with a pair of Ice Flys because I was in desperate need of a new pair of boots and all the boots I wanted were on back order or experiencing production delays. My fitter had a pair in my size, in sock and they fit great in her store (and I won't lie... I thought they were pretty!). They turned out to be a nightmare though because the low cut + loose ankle wrecked absolute havoc on my hypermobile ankles. Unless I tightened them to the point that my fingers were basically bleeding, I constantly felt like I was going to roll my ankle, and they felt scary unstable. Of course you are not supposed to lace Edeas that tightly, so they started to break down after about 3-4 months (I do skate 12-15 hours a week fwiw) and were fully dead to the point of needing to be thrown away by 6 months. If you want Ice Flys for the sake of having Ice Flys you should buy them, but if you want a pair of boots that are actually appropriate for your level and hypermobility you should without question look elsewhere.

Out of curiosity, what boots did you end up with and would recommend?

 

[Mimi2789]

Out of curiosity, what boots did you end up with and would recommend?

I am in customs now, but for me a traditional, stiff, all-leather Riedell like the Bronze/Silver Star or Aria is the perfect boot. The combination of high cut + low heel makes my ankles feel very stable and secure. I'd buy stock Silver Stars or Arias in a second if I could, but I have bunions so the toe box on Riedells pinches my toes too much. I am really curious to try Graf Edmonton Special because they seem to have similar features with a wider toe box, but I can't find a fitter near me who has any in stock or is willing to order a pair without the commitment to buy.

 

[FethryDuck]

Related to what IceM said:

... I do not get it:
the IceFly was said to be the stiffest Edea boot (don't know how that compares to the stiffness of other very stiff boots) but at the same time the IceFly was said to not provide enough support for people with hyper mobile (=weak? unstable?) ankles.

How does that go together?

I always thought a stiff boot is a boot that provides super strong support (i.e. a boot that kind of "clamps" the foot like a cast, i.e. a boot with extra reinforced shaft and thus also more difficult to bend) to the ankle and lower leg so that one does not break one's ankle upon landing after a multiple rotation jump.

Maybe someone can explain ...

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Related to what IceM said:

... I do not get it:
the IceFly was said to be the stiffest Edea boot (don't know how that compares to the stiffness of other very stiff boots) but at the same time the IceFly was said to not provide enough support for people with hyper mobile (=weak? unstable?) ankles.

How does that go together?

I always thought a stiff boot is a boot that provides super strong support (i.e. a boot that kind of "clamps" the foot like a cast, i.e. a boot with extra reinforced shaft and thus also more difficult to bend) to the ankle and lower leg so that one does not break one's ankle upon landing after a multiple rotation jump.

Maybe someone can explain ...

Ice Fly is not the stiffest Edea boot, Piano is but regardless. What was needed for the person's hypermobility isn't going to be found and work with an ice fly.

 

[bostonskaterguy86]

Related to what IceM said:

... I do not get it:
the IceFly was said to be the stiffest Edea boot (don't know how that compares to the stiffness of other very stiff boots) but at the same time the IceFly was said to not provide enough support for people with hyper mobile (=weak? unstable?) ankles.

How does that go together?

I always thought a stiff boot is a boot that provides super strong support (i.e. a boot that kind of "clamps" the foot like a cast, i.e. a boot with extra reinforced shaft and thus also more difficult to bend) to the ankle and lower leg so that one does not break one's ankle upon landing after a multiple rotation jump.

Maybe someone can explain ...

Edea boots have a unique design - the support is provided mainly by the sides of the boot, while the tongue is much more flexible than traditional boots. Also, the collar of the boot above the ankle is much more loose than traditional boots. This design is intended to make the boots more comfortable/easier to break in, and also allows for easier knee bend (as there is less resistance against the shin) - but still provides side-to-side support, which is particularly important for jump landings.

However, people with hypermobility issues or weak ankles often find that they prefer a boot that fits tighter above the ankle and has a firmer tongue, as they need a higher degree of front-to-back support in addition to side-to-side support. I've never been diagnosed with hypermobility, but I have injured my right ankle several times (to the point of needing surgery) - and when I skated a couple laps in a friend's Ice Flys, the lack of front-to-back support really didn't work for me. I'm in Risport Royal Pros now, which actually share a few of the design characteristics of Edea boots, but have a firmer tongue and fit a bit tighter above the ankle - so they've been a sort of "best of both worlds" solution for me.

 

[FethryDuck]

Edea boots have a unique design - the support is provided mainly by the sides of the boot, while the tongue is much more flexible than traditional boots. Also, the collar of the boot above the ankle is much more loose than traditional boots. This design is intended to make the boots more comfortable/easier to break in, and also allows for easier knee bend (as there is less resistance against the shin) - but still provides side-to-side support, which is particularly important for jump landings.

However, people with hypermobility issues or weak ankles often find that they prefer a boot that fits tighter above the ankle and has a firmer tongue, as they need a higher degree of front-to-back support in addition to side-to-side support. I've never been diagnosed with hypermobility, but I have injured my right ankle several times (to the point of needing surgery) - and when I skated a couple laps in a friend's Ice Flys, the lack of front-to-back support really didn't work for me. I'm in Risport Royal Pros now, which actually share a few of the design characteristics of Edea boots, but have a firmer tongue and fit a bit tighter above the ankle - so they've been a sort of "best of both worlds" solution for me.

Thanks for clarifying!
I had always thougt that the concept of a boot being stiff did also include the front (tongue) and back part of the shaft (and not just the sides) but apparently I was wrong, at least when it comes to the IceFly ...

 

[bostonskaterguy86]

Thanks for clarifying!
I had always thougt that the concept of a boot being stiff did also include the front (tongue) and back part of the shaft (and not just the sides) but apparently I was wrong, at least when it comes to the IceFly ...

You're welcome!

You're right that boots with higher support ratings do generally have stiffer tongues than those with lower ratings - I think this was especially true back when all boots were made of leather. But there are always exceptions to every rule, and Edea is something of an outlier here.

I would at least guess that the Ice Fly has a stiffer tongue than a lower-level Edea boot like the Overture - but I've only worn the Ice Fly for a couple laps, and tried on the Chorus at a fitting once, so I can't really say for sure.

 

[IceM]

I am in customs now, but for me a traditional, stiff, all-leather Riedell like the Bronze/Silver Star or Aria is the perfect boot. The combination of high cut + low heel makes my ankles feel very stable and secure. I'd buy stock Silver Stars or Arias in a second if I could, but I have bunions so the toe box on Riedells pinches my toes too much. I am really curious to try Graf Edmonton Special because they seem to have similar features with a wider toe box, but I can't find a fitter near me who has any in stock or is willing to order a pair without the commitment to buy.

Yep, I had a similar experience too. No hypermobility, just some alignment issues, and while I could skate on the Edeas, they would just break super fast in a telltale way of pronation.

Back in Grafs now. The cut isn't that high compared to the Ice Fly though. Never skated on Riedells so can't compare to those. But the heel is lower in Grafs too, with good amount of volume inside the boot. Works much better.