Fitter in England or Canada

[latetoskate]

Everglides in England or is there an amazing place around Vancouver Canada?

I need some fitting help, for my new skates. I will be in London this summer so I was plotting a visit to Everglides in Gosport. But that will be difficult to arrange. My main inquiry here is:

How good is Everglides, is it better than a shop (what shop would that be) in Vancouver? I have exhausted my local Seattle, WA area for help, and I could run up to Vancouver if there is an amazing fitter there, or I will just make Everglides happen when I am in England.
Everglides has two shops, one is rinkside and they can help me place my blade properly with me on the ice. So that is a draw. But I would like to know if prioritizing a day to journey to Gosport while I am staying in London is worth it. Seems that it will be difficult to train there and back from London in one day, and fit all the appointments required for each service at their 2 stores.

backstory: I have new Jackson Elles - my first skates - and I can't get my blades right and my feet hurt. I've skated in them 27 hours, have adjusted the blades three times, I have to re-lace them occasionally still for foot pain. I have superfeet insoles from the skate store, have heat molded 2x, punched-out. My plan is to get better insoles, to have someone to work with me on ice to get blades right (have already used my two local recommendations but we aren't on ice), a good sharpening as it's coming due. I have very high arches (ex-ballet dancer), narrow heels and wide ball of foot. I am a beginner, US adult LTS level 4. In addition to the foot pain which is variable I have trouble keeping one foot glides in a straight line. I do a lot of pronating to keep things straight. It's getting better with adjustments but I am definitely not there yet. The skates feel otherwise good, so I think they are fine enough for now provided I can fix these issues. Thank you!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Everglides in England or is there an amazing place around Vancouver Canada?

I need some fitting help, for my new skates. I will be in London this summer so I was plotting a visit to Everglides in Gosport. But that will be difficult to arrange. My main inquiry here is:

How good is Everglides, is it better than a shop (what shop would that be) in Vancouver? I have exhausted my local Seattle, WA area for help, and I could run up to Vancouver if there is an amazing fitter there, or I will just make Everglides happen when I am in England.
Everglides has two shops, one is rinkside and they can help me place my blade properly with me on the ice. So that is a draw. But I would like to know if prioritizing a day to journey to Gosport while I am staying in London is worth it. Seems that it will be difficult to train there and back from London in one day, and fit all the appointments required for each service at their 2 stores.

backstory: I have new Jackson Elles - my first skates - and I can't get my blades right and my feet hurt. I've skated in them 27 hours, have adjusted the blades three times, I have to re-lace them occasionally still for foot pain. I have superfeet insoles from the skate store, have heat molded 2x, punched-out. My plan is to get better insoles, to have someone to work with me on ice to get blades right (have already used my two local recommendations but we aren't on ice), a good sharpening as it's coming due. I have very high arches (ex-ballet dancer), narrow heels and wide ball of foot. I am a beginner, US adult LTS level 4. In addition to the foot pain which is variable I have trouble keeping one foot glides in a straight line. I do a lot of pronating to keep things straight. It's getting better with adjustments but I am definitely not there yet. The skates feel otherwise good, so I think they are fine enough for now provided I can fix these issues. Thank you!

I'll leave it to @WednesdayMarch for the UK fitter questions. I don't feel like it would be worth it with a fitter in Vancouver, I'll leave that to @Diana Delafield would might know better.

I will address this with you though: You are an adult correct? You should not be in an elle, it's not stiff enough to support an adult skater at all, and definitely not if you were a ballet dancer at some point in your life. And Jackson sound totally wrong for your feet. With the arches, you should more than likely be in a Risport.

I will wish you the best of luck and if you need any further help boot/blade wise feel free to ask me.

 

[Mimi2789]

Cyclone Taylor Figure Skating in Vancouver is great. They have a huge inventory of boots and blades in stock, and I have had only great experiences there. I have never personally been to Skater's Edge in Vancouver because I like Cyclone Taylor so much, but they are also supposed to be good.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Everglides in England or is there an amazing place around Vancouver Canada?

I need some fitting help, for my new skates. I will be in London this summer so I was plotting a visit to Everglides in Gosport. But that will be difficult to arrange. My main inquiry here is:

How good is Everglides, is it better than a shop (what shop would that be) in Vancouver? I have exhausted my local Seattle, WA area for help, and I could run up to Vancouver if there is an amazing fitter there, or I will just make Everglides happen when I am in England.
Everglides has two shops, one is rinkside and they can help me place my blade properly with me on the ice. So that is a draw. But I would like to know if prioritizing a day to journey to Gosport while I am staying in London is worth it. Seems that it will be difficult to train there and back from London in one day, and fit all the appointments required for each service at their 2 stores.

backstory: I have new Jackson Elles - my first skates - and I can't get my blades right and my feet hurt. I've skated in them 27 hours, have adjusted the blades three times, I have to re-lace them occasionally still for foot pain. I have superfeet insoles from the skate store, have heat molded 2x, punched-out. My plan is to get better insoles, to have someone to work with me on ice to get blades right (have already used my two local recommendations but we aren't on ice), a good sharpening as it's coming due. I have very high arches (ex-ballet dancer), narrow heels and wide ball of foot. I am a beginner, US adult LTS level 4. In addition to the foot pain which is variable I have trouble keeping one foot glides in a straight line. I do a lot of pronating to keep things straight. It's getting better with adjustments but I am definitely not there yet. The skates feel otherwise good, so I think they are fine enough for now provided I can fix these issues. Thank you!

As @Ic3Rabbit has said, considering your problems with blade placement, you're probably better off having the work done in England where you can use a fitter with rinkside access. I'm in a Vancouver suburb and have happily used Cyclone Taylor Figure Skating shop for a very long time. For me it's about a 20-minute drive from home and they're quite close to the Vancouver club where I skate, although I've never personally needed a lot of close attention and fiddling with blade placement by their technicians. I just shop there, getting fitted for new boots as needed. On the other side of the city there's also the Skater's Edge Boutique in the suburb of Coquitlam, more convenient for skaters on the eastern side of the metro area. I've never been there, but know skaters who have been satisfied with their service.

However, considering the hassle of crossing the border back and forth every time you need to consult your fitter, I really wouldn't recommend coming to Vancouver in your situation when you have the chance for a personal eye on the problem with Everglide. If you were just wanting to get fitted for new boots and/or blades not available in Seattle, then I'd say it would be worth it to come here in spite of the inconvenience of cross-border travel. But when it's a case of needing someone to adjust, and watch, and adjust some more, and watch again......you may have more tolerance for inconvenience than I do, but I wouldn't put myself through all that to use a Seattle fitter or technician if the situation were reversed.

Good luck!

 

[latetoskate]

I'll leave it to @WednesdayMarch for the UK fitter questions. I don't feel like it would be worth it with a fitter in Vancouver, I'll leave that to @Diana Delafield would might know better.

I will address this with you though: You are an adult correct? You should not be in an elle, it's not stiff enough to support an adult skater at all, and definitely not if you were a ballet dancer at some point in your life. And Jackson sound totally wrong for your feet. With the arches, you should more than likely be in a Risport.

I will wish you the best of luck and if you need any further help boot/blade wise feel free to ask me.

Thank you for the advice! I believe my original fitter here in Seattle put me in those considering budget and my beginning skating level. Yes I am older adult 140 lbs. On the Jackson site it looks like they are fine until I start jumping... I'm still in learn to skate. But I see that perhaps I will be struggling until I change them. Just got them in March though! So I prefer to at least complete LTS levels in these! Only started skating in February.

 

[latetoskate]

I'll leave it to @WednesdayMarch for the UK fitter questions. I don't feel like it would be worth it with a fitter in Vancouver, I'll leave that to @Diana Delafield would might know better.

I will address this with you though: You are an adult correct? You should not be in an elle, it's not stiff enough to support an adult skater at all, and definitely not if you were a ballet dancer at some point in your life. And Jackson sound totally wrong for your feet. With the arches, you should more than likely be in a Risport.

I will wish you the best of luck and if you need any further help boot/blade wise feel free to ask me.

Thank you for the advice! I believe my original fitter here in Seattle put me in those considering budget and my beginning skating level. Yes I am older adult 140 lbs. On the Jackson site it looks like they are fine until I start jumping... I'm still in learn to skate. But I see that perhaps I will be struggling until I change them. Just got them in March though! So I prefer to at least complete LTS levels in these! Only started skating in February.

Ugh just reviewed the chart on Jackson site and see that they aren't good for me after level 4! that's a bummer.

 

[Lucie]

With regards to Everglides, they will give you an excellent fitting but it would be at their Basepoint store not at the rink shop. They’re more complex services like boot fitting for above absolute beginners, blade mounting, insoles and investigation into why you are having problems are only available at the Basepoint store. The rink shop only stocks beginner boots and doesn’t have the equipment of their main store. They will be able to look at your feet and adjust your blade placement etc even without seeing you on ice, they did this for me.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Thank you for the advice! I believe my original fitter here in Seattle put me in those considering budget and my beginning skating level. Yes I am older adult 140 lbs. On the Jackson site it looks like they are fine until I start jumping... I'm still in learn to skate. But I see that perhaps I will be struggling until I change them. Just got them in March though! So I prefer to at least complete LTS levels in these! Only started skating in February.

Ugh just reviewed the chart on Jackson site and see that they aren't good for me after level 4! that's a bummer.

With you being a 140lb adult they aren't good for you period. They aren't stiff enough to properly support you for even basic lessons and I am concerned regarding the probability of you getting injured b/c of it.

 

[latetoskate]

With you being a 140lb adult they aren't good for you period. They aren't stiff enough to properly support you for even basic lessons and I am concerned regarding the probability of you getting injured b/c of it.

: (

 

[latetoskate]

With regards to Everglides, they will give you an excellent fitting but it would be at their Basepoint store not at the rink shop. They’re more complex services like boot fitting for above absolute beginners, blade mounting, insoles and investigation into why you are having problems are only available at the Basepoint store. The rink shop only stocks beginner boots and doesn’t have the equipment of their main store. They will be able to look at your feet and adjust your blade placement etc even without seeing you on ice, they did this for me.

thank you. I scheduled both a rink side mounting at that store and ortho and troubleshooting at the basepoint store. hopefully that will work out

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

: (

This is why a fitting with a respected proper fitter is very important. And to also know what you may need before going in.

 

[latetoskate]

This is why a fitting with a respected proper fitter is very important. And to also know what you may need before going in.

I went to our local respected fitter. He put me in these. A second respected fitter has been helping me too, he never mentioned a problem with the Elles. I just started skating in February and went to him in March, so it’s been a big learning curve for me. I believe I’ve exhausted my local resources for professional advice and look forward to visiting Everglide. I am going to the rink tomorrow with my drill, will try to figure out where to put this blade myself in the meantime. I just realized I can’t even stand on the left blade now off ice. I fall to the outside

 

[AdultBeginnerEng]

You won't have an issue travelling from London to Gosport and back in one day. I've done a day trip via train(s) from 100 miles north of London to Gosport twice this year without any issues. Also, the distance between the Basepoint and rink side store is walkable.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I went to our local respected fitter. He put me in these. A second respected fitter has been helping me too, he never mentioned a problem with the Elles. I just started skating in February and went to him in March, so it’s been a big learning curve for me. I believe I’ve exhausted my local resources for professional advice and look forward to visiting Everglide. I am going to the rink tomorrow with my drill, will try to figure out where to put this blade myself in the meantime. I just realized I can’t even stand on the left blade now off ice. I fall to the outside

I believe there's a breakdown in the understanding of respected fitter, but good luck at everglides (a true respected fitter) and we'll just agree to disagree. I was only trying to help you with my extensive knowledge in the sport.

 

[IceM]

You should get stiffer boots next time (stiffness rating of around 60 or so). But as first skates, you could have been fitted in much worse (I've seen adult males fitted in Artiste/Mystiques which are even softer than Elles). So no need for despair. Skates from the 50's were basically stiffness rating 0, so it's not like you can't learn to skate in those, it's just not optimal, and might even be exacerbating some of the issues you're having.

As to your blade problems, I think you gotta try to reset things a little, and just put the blade as straight as you can (maybe just close to the original placement?), and fix the fit issues first. I think there are too many variables going on right now, with you being an absolute beginner (I presume?) and all that. Blade adjustments should be done last, and should be only minor.

You say the skates have been punched out and molded, twice even. I wonder if it was done well: Was the instep and heel area pressed in properly, given you have a narrow heel/high arch? Also, regarding your insoles, depending on what kind of Superfeet you got, they might be doing you more harm than good. You don't want the insole to have a raised heel, which Superfeet tend to have. Even with high arches, you shouldn't actually need "arch support" unless you have more serious issues with something like pronation, in which case you need a proper orthtic made for you and your skates. But you probably just have an ill-fitting boot. Wide ball and narrow heel is often like that. I know.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents. I hope it's of any help, and wish you luck fixing the issues!

 

[WednesdayMarch]

I apologise for being late to the party (thank you to @Ic3Rabbit for the heads up).

Everglides are, indeed, my fitter of choice in the UK. I go there to get fitted and I have sent and personally taken skaters there because I trust them. I have only one skater who isn't happy with her boots and but that was a communication issue. If you shrug and say, "Okay, I suppose," they are unable to translate this into anything helpful! Fitters can have all the experience in the world, but they are unable to feel what the skater feels when being fitted, so it is absolutely vital to give detailed feedback at the time. If something feels even slightly off, say so. Fitters are not mind-readers. (This is why I take my skaters with learning disabilities there personally and interpret, because they will tell me and I know what they mean whereas it's not so easy for a stranger, however good they are at measuring and tweaking things.)

The other important thing is to contact Everglides and make appointments and ensure they know your needs in advance. There are considerable waiting times for both boots and blades, so the sooner they know what you are likely to need, the more likely they are to have it in stock. As has been mentioned above, the rinkside shop is really for the recreational and absolute beginner skaters, but if they know you really want on-ice blade placement help, then they can probably make this happen.

Good luck!

 

[Lucie]

As WednesdayMarch says it would be best to contact Everglides in advance even if you have made appointments so they can sort out the right amount of time for you and know in advance what you are looking for.

 

[latetoskate]

As WednesdayMarch says it would be best to contact Everglides in advance even if you have made appointments so they can sort out the right amount of time for you and know in advance what you are looking for.

was just realizing this -
thank you

 

[latetoskate]

I apologise for being late to the party (thank you to @Ic3Rabbit for the heads up).

Everglides are, indeed, my fitter of choice in the UK. I go there to get fitted and I have sent and personally taken skaters there because I trust them. I have only one skater who isn't happy with her boots and but that was a communication issue. If you shrug and say, "Okay, I suppose," they are unable to translate this into anything helpful! Fitters can have all the experience in the world, but they are unable to feel what the skater feels when being fitted, so it is absolutely vital to give detailed feedback at the time. If something feels even slightly off, say so. Fitters are not mind-readers. (This is why I take my skaters with learning disabilities there personally and interpret, because they will tell me and I know what they mean whereas it's not so easy for a stranger, however good they are at measuring and tweaking things.)

The other important thing is to contact Everglides and make appointments and ensure they know your needs in advance. There are considerable waiting times for both boots and blades, so the sooner they know what you are likely to need, the more likely they are to have it in stock. As has been mentioned above, the rinkside shop is really for the recreational and absolute beginner skaters, but if they know you really want on-ice blade placement help, then they can probably make this happen.

Good luck!

thank you for the heads up! good points to consider

 

[latetoskate]

You should get stiffer boots next time (stiffness rating of around 60 or so). But as first skates, you could have been fitted in much worse (I've seen adult males fitted in Artiste/Mystiques which are even softer than Elles). So no need for despair. Skates from the 50's were basically stiffness rating 0, so it's not like you can't learn to skate in those, it's just not optimal, and might even be exacerbating some of the issues you're having.

As to your blade problems, I think you gotta try to reset things a little, and just put the blade as straight as you can (maybe just close to the original placement?), and fix the fit issues first. I think there are too many variables going on right now, with you being an absolute beginner (I presume?) and all that. Blade adjustments should be done last, and should be only minor.

You say the skates have been punched out and molded, twice even. I wonder if it was done well: Was the instep and heel area pressed in properly, given you have a narrow heel/high arch? Also, regarding your insoles, depending on what kind of Superfeet you got, they might be doing you more harm than good. You don't want the insole to have a raised heel, which Superfeet tend to have. Even with high arches, you shouldn't actually need "arch support" unless you have more serious issues with something like pronation, in which case you need a proper orthtic made for you and your skates. But you probably just have an ill-fitting boot. Wide ball and narrow heel is often like that. I know.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents. I hope it's of any help, and wish you luck fixing the issues!

thank you! lots to learn here