How to find a fitter?

[sy916]

I've a somewhat basic question - the general recommendation when finding new skate boots is to go to a fitter, which makes tons of sense. Except, fitters in my "area" fit for only one or two types of boots, which are very different from each other, and if you have no idea what brands actually work for your feet, you can wind up with a very expensive wrong boot. It would be great if there were a one-stop shop, but there isn't.

This brings me to my latest boot issue: I recently got custom orthotics from a podiatrist specifically for my skate boots, to deal with fallen arches in both feet and other alignment issues. I can finally one-foot glide without doing weird things with my upper body! Now that the orthotics are snugly in my boots (the older Edea Chorus 240C), they have exacerbated what I have suspected: the toe box of my boots are way too narrow/the boot is not shaped anywhere like my feet. My toes/feet flare out (more Roman shaped than anything else) and I have narrow heels and ankles - Crocs are the shape of my feet. With the orthotics in my boots, I am better aligned, but even despite stretching the toe box, it seems like because there still isn't enough room for my toes to spread sideways, they wind up "crunching" and curling lengthwise, if that makes sense. I'm worried that if I don't get into a new boot soon or get enough width in this current boot that it will eventually injure me.

I'm an adult learner, at the Freestyle 1 level/theoretically preparing for pre-Bronze USFS testing. I'm looking for guidance/reassurance that perhaps Jacksons and that fitter are the way to go next? Or would another brand be appropriate? I don't mind doing the drive to go through the fitting process, but it's an all-day trip for me, and I feel like I keep going to the wrong places and am frustrated by that.

Thanks, I appreciate any advice.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I've a somewhat basic question - the general recommendation when finding new skate boots is to go to a fitter, which makes tons of sense. Except, fitters in my "area" fit for only one or two types of boots, which are very different from each other, and if you have no idea what brands actually work for your feet, you can wind up with a very expensive wrong boot. It would be great if there were a one-stop shop, but there isn't.

This brings me to my latest boot issue: I recently got custom orthotics from a podiatrist specifically for my skate boots, to deal with fallen arches in both feet and other alignment issues. I can finally one-foot glide without doing weird things with my upper body! Now that the orthotics are snugly in my boots (the older Edea Chorus 240C), they have exacerbated what I have suspected: the toe box of my boots are way too narrow/the boot is not shaped anywhere like my feet. My toes/feet flare out (more Roman shaped than anything else) and I have narrow heels and ankles - Crocs are the shape of my feet. With the orthotics in my boots, I am better aligned, but even despite stretching the toe box, it seems like because there still isn't enough room for my toes to spread sideways, they wind up "crunching" and curling lengthwise, if that makes sense. I'm worried that if I don't get into a new boot soon or get enough width in this current boot that it will eventually injure me.

I'm an adult learner, at the Freestyle 1 level/theoretically preparing for pre-Bronze USFS testing. I'm looking for guidance/reassurance that perhaps Jacksons and that fitter are the way to go next? Or would another brand be appropriate? I don't mind doing the drive to go through the fitting process, but it's an all-day trip for me, and I feel like I keep going to the wrong places and am frustrated by that.

Thanks, I appreciate any advice.

Hi and welcome. I would definitely suggest Jacksons or maybe even Risport RF line for your foot type. Could you provide me with a little bit more information and I and others could help you with this?

Height/Weight, Where in this world are you? So I (we) could suggest a proper fitter?

 

[sy916]

Hi and welcome. I would definitely suggest Jacksons or maybe even Risport RF line for your foot type. Could you provide me with a little bit more information and I and others could help you with this?

Height/Weight, Where in this world are you? So I (we) could suggest a proper fitter?

I'm in Northern California and can get to the Bay Area with planning. 5'0" and 102lbs - age 50F. Thank you!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I'm in Northern California and can get to the Bay Area with planning. 5'0" and 102lbs - age 50F. Thank you!

Thanks for your reply. For Jackson, you should look at the Premiere 2800 and the Synergy Elite. You could also look at Risport RF3 Pro.
As far as blades, you'd be perfectly fine with a traditional intermediate level blade: MK Pro or John Wilson Coronation Ace.

Fitter: A&G Skate Shop in S. San Francisco. George Spiteri runs it and he's one of the best, if you have ever heard of SP TERI figure skating boots, he's the creator.

 

[sy916]

Thank you so much for the advice @Ic3Rabbit, I will reach out to them. I'm curious, as someone who is tween-sized (although not tween-shaped), what is the thought process on appropriate boot stiffness for an adult my size vs. a tween who is still growing? Or would a tween my size have received similar boot suggestions?

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Thank you so much for the advice @Ic3Rabbit, I will reach out to them. I'm curious, as someone who is tween-sized (although not tween-shaped), what is the thought process on appropriate boot stiffness for an adult my size vs. a tween who is still growing? Or would a tween my size have received similar boot suggestions?

Similar

 

[sy916]

Following up on this thread - I was finally fitted for a pair of the Jacksons in January/February after a lower leg injury last April and being off the ice since then. Thank you for the advice!

I'm seeking advice on how to tell whether a boot needs to be stretched lengthwise, widthwise, or both. I've one foot that is slightly larger than the other and have had the boot stretched widthwise, and it's better, but my big toe and little toe (and maybe the others in between -- I honestly can't tell -- still feel smushed, and I'm not entirely sure that my big toe is flat in the boot. I'm anxious about stretching them in the wrong direction. I've skated about 10 hours in these. Are there feelings that are telltale that yes, I need more length vs. more width? Or am I at the trial and error point?

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Following up on this thread - I was finally fitted for a pair of the Jacksons in January/February after a lower leg injury last April and being off the ice since then. Thank you for the advice!

I'm seeking advice on how to tell whether a boot needs to be stretched lengthwise, widthwise, or both. I've one foot that is slightly larger than the other and have had the boot stretched widthwise, and it's better, but my big toe and little toe (and maybe the others in between -- I honestly can't tell -- still feel smushed, and I'm not entirely sure that my big toe is flat in the boot. I'm anxious about stretching them in the wrong direction. I've skated about 10 hours in these. Are there feelings that are telltale that yes, I need more length vs. more width? Or am I at the trial and error point?

Your fitter/tech should be able to tell you this information.

 

[Query]

While I'm not an expert - if your toes feel "smushed", or uncomfortable in other ways, I think that is a sign that changes are needed. If it feels wrong, it likely is wrong. That might not always be true for a beginner, who has no idea what skates should feel like - but you aren't a beginner, and you hopefully know what you want the boot to do for your feet.

It might be worthwhile trying to figure out in what direction they feel smushed. And in what direction the big toe feels curved. Maybe it is worth knowing whether or not that big toe is normally curved, or whether that is something the boot is doing to you. Maybe you should also figure out whether the end of that toe, and other toes, touches the front of the boot, and you use it while jumping. And whether you want it to touch. Perhaps bent toes are more of a potential medical problem if they support your weight while jumping?

If you are fortunate enough to be able to feel things on your foot, as it sounds like you can, trust your feelings - and your fitter too. Be sure to tell the fitter exactly what you feel, and what you want to feel.

Even the best fitters - and it is usually worth going back to the good one, for several reasons, need such information to do a good job. And sometimes there has to be an iterative approach. So after your next appointment with the fitter, if you are able to schedule time at appropriate rink session in the fitter's area to try out what the fitter has done, and you decide you still want it a bit different, you can hopefully go back to the fitter while you are still there and tell them what more you want. (Maybe tell the fitter if you are going to do this, and find out whether they will be available after your skate session?) And do it soon - fitters are more likely to charge you, or charge you more, if you wait. They often guarantee the initial fit - but only the initial fit.

BTW I don't know whether the boots you have bought sometimes need to be re-stretched to continue to fit well. Leather often does, and Jackson's website says the Premiere 2850 has a leather upper. Which boots did you get? Maybe Jackson can tell you whether the part of the "upper" around the bottom of the foot is leather. Also, leather may somewhat unstretch if they get too hot - e.g., if you leave them in a car that gets hot in the sun.

 

[Query]

Oops, when I said that some fitters guarantee the initial fit, I didn't mean straight from the factory. I meant that they guarantee that they can make them fit. But probably not if you wait several weeks, and not if another fitter has modified them in between.

 

[sy916]

Thanks! @Query I wound up in the Debut (rather than the Premiere) because I've somewhat regressed during my time off and am not certain of how frequently I'll be skating moving forward. This is my first time truly breaking in new boots, so some of my inquiry is based on not knowing what changes when a boot is broken in vs. what is a fit that needs to be changed up front. At least my left boot seems to be fitting well, so I can compare how that fits with the right. I am headed to the fitter today. I picked up the boot 5 weeks ago, so I'm optimistic I'm still in the "initial" fitting stage. He is located just far away enough to be inconvenient, and I suspect there might be an overnight boot stretch involved. I'll need to remember the before and after at a nearby rink strategy for next time.