Hello all, would appreciate some insight into a few concerns that are weighing on my mind.
I'm an adult skater (approx 130-135 lbs) currently in Risport RF3 boots with CA blades. I've had these since June 2023, although didn't really skate more than 1-2 hrs/week in the summer due to club scheduling (mostly summer camps). Since September, I've been skating between 4-6 hrs/week and working on single jumps up to axel (have started drills etc, jumping it in the harness, but not unassisted yet until I can prove I can do it safely lol). The boots are working fine for me right now, and other than a little heel slippage/loose ankle that I mitigate with a gel sleeve, I'm pretty happy. (I think I would have done better in a rapid custom Jackson boot due to my weird feet, but my only option of a fitter at the time was when I was on vacation on the other side of the world, so I had to go with what they had in stock).
BUT I'm also a worrier, and I'm someone who plans for the future because I hate scrambling at the last minute.
This summer I'll be moving to a city where the closest fitter I could get to is about a 3 hour plane ride away. I'll be there for at least a year, and after that I have no idea where I'll be moving. So there's a bunch of things sort of swirling around my brain:
1. How long will these boots last me? Will they last another 1.5 years, at least until I move away from that city, hopefully to somewhere with a fitter (or somewhere closer than a plane ride away)?
2. If they break down, how do I figure out an optimal way to get fitted, including if semi-custom boots are needed? My best option would probably be to get fitted in the city where my parents live, since I could maybe visit twice a year if I'm able to get vacation time. There is a good fitter there I think--it's a well-established skate shop that has been working with figure skaters for at least 2 decades (when i was little I had a figure skating friend who got all her gear from there).
I could book a fitting when I'm in the city, but if they don't have the size/model of boots in stock at the time, I guess I'd have to make a separate trip back there, which might be months later. Or, if I end up needing rapid-custom Jackson (very wide forefoot, very narrow heel), how would they manage that in a single visit? I imagine I'd still need to return to try them on, have them make any necessary adjustments, etc. Alternatively, I could preemptively get fitted when i'm visiting home, BEFORE my current boots break down, without actually purchasing a pair yet (I understand I'd have to pay a fitting fee), and then WHEN my boots break down, give them a call and tell them to order whatever we decided on beforehand, then pick them up whenever I fly home again. If that's the case, I'd probably look into getting fitted this summer when I'm home, and potentially purchase a pair next Christmas when hopefully I can be home again.
OMG I'm getting a headache.
tl;dr... I'd love to know if my boots will last another 1.5-2 years (I know it's impossible to be able to tell for sure, but it would be helpful to hear from others' experience), and if not, for people who live quite far from a fitter, how do you get semi-custom boots?
Thanks in advance
I'm an adult skater (approx 130-135 lbs) currently in Risport RF3 boots with CA blades. I've had these since June 2023, although didn't really skate more than 1-2 hrs/week in the summer due to club scheduling (mostly summer camps). Since September, I've been skating between 4-6 hrs/week and working on single jumps up to axel (have started drills etc, jumping it in the harness, but not unassisted yet until I can prove I can do it safely lol). The boots are working fine for me right now, and other than a little heel slippage/loose ankle that I mitigate with a gel sleeve, I'm pretty happy. (I think I would have done better in a rapid custom Jackson boot due to my weird feet, but my only option of a fitter at the time was when I was on vacation on the other side of the world, so I had to go with what they had in stock).
BUT I'm also a worrier, and I'm someone who plans for the future because I hate scrambling at the last minute.
This summer I'll be moving to a city where the closest fitter I could get to is about a 3 hour plane ride away. I'll be there for at least a year, and after that I have no idea where I'll be moving. So there's a bunch of things sort of swirling around my brain:
1. How long will these boots last me? Will they last another 1.5 years, at least until I move away from that city, hopefully to somewhere with a fitter (or somewhere closer than a plane ride away)?
2. If they break down, how do I figure out an optimal way to get fitted, including if semi-custom boots are needed? My best option would probably be to get fitted in the city where my parents live, since I could maybe visit twice a year if I'm able to get vacation time. There is a good fitter there I think--it's a well-established skate shop that has been working with figure skaters for at least 2 decades (when i was little I had a figure skating friend who got all her gear from there).
I could book a fitting when I'm in the city, but if they don't have the size/model of boots in stock at the time, I guess I'd have to make a separate trip back there, which might be months later. Or, if I end up needing rapid-custom Jackson (very wide forefoot, very narrow heel), how would they manage that in a single visit? I imagine I'd still need to return to try them on, have them make any necessary adjustments, etc. Alternatively, I could preemptively get fitted when i'm visiting home, BEFORE my current boots break down, without actually purchasing a pair yet (I understand I'd have to pay a fitting fee), and then WHEN my boots break down, give them a call and tell them to order whatever we decided on beforehand, then pick them up whenever I fly home again. If that's the case, I'd probably look into getting fitted this summer when I'm home, and potentially purchase a pair next Christmas when hopefully I can be home again.
OMG I'm getting a headache.
tl;dr... I'd love to know if my boots will last another 1.5-2 years (I know it's impossible to be able to tell for sure, but it would be helpful to hear from others' experience), and if not, for people who live quite far from a fitter, how do you get semi-custom boots?
Thanks in advance