Hey everyone, I am a 24 year old male recreational skater. I’ve been skating for about two to three years, I’ve nearly got my Lutz and will soon be working on my Axel! Apart from skating, I do powerlifting and plan to compete sometime in the future.
By training for powerlifting, I do see my weight fluctuate throughout the year as I “bulk” and “cut” i.e. there are portions of time I dedicate to gaining weight and then I will later cut weight. Because of this, I’m much heavier than the typical male figure skater. Throughout the year, my weight may be anywhere between 160 lbs (72 kg) and 200+ lbs (91+ kg).
I currently have the Jackson Debut with Matrix Legacy blades which I got when I started learning half-jumps and I pretty quickly broke them in and they’ve been serving me pretty well. The only problem is that I’ve gotten some skin peeling/blisters/bone spurs which I’ve mostly mitigated by wearing one of those padded foot sleeves.
As I get closer to starting to practice for axel and then practicing for doubles, I’ve been looking at getting a new pair of skates, and have been considering Edea Ice Flys, since the skate shop nearest me specializes in Jackson and Edea. Since I live a vegan lifestyle, I would, in general, prefer a boot not made of leather, but if it’s unavoidable then so be it. Looking through previous posts made here, I’ve seen that overbooting into the Ice Flys is generally discouraged, but I’m pretty heavy, so I think that might be fine for the added stability, and I figure I would wear out less stiff boots pretty quickly. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!
If I was going to stick with Jackson’s, I was considering the Jackson Elite (again, because I’m heavier). However, given the problems I’ve had and the need to wear the sleeves, I don’t know whether to stick with Jackson or not. I would also consider other brands, but I know with certainty that my skate shop would have to order them just so I can try them on, but I’d love to hear suggestions about what skates I should wear if I was considering something like Risport, Riedell, etc. I’m also looking for new blades, and was looking at Gold Seals, Pattern 99, or just rebuying the Matrix Legacy blades, though I do find them a bit hard to spin on, but that may just be me! I’d love your opinions and insight into the boots and blades I should consider! Thanks in advance!
I will of course go to my local skate shop and get fitted. I’m just trying to figure out what my options are prior to actually going to the shop to get fitted, especially since it’s a two hour drive away. I will go with the brand that fits me best, but as I mentioned, the skate shop specializes in Jackson and Edea, and anything else will likely have to be ordered to the store so I can try them on. Being male with bigger feet means they’ll likely not have the boot in store in the appropriate size, so I’d like to know my options before I ask them to order it to try on.
By training for powerlifting, I do see my weight fluctuate throughout the year as I “bulk” and “cut” i.e. there are portions of time I dedicate to gaining weight and then I will later cut weight. Because of this, I’m much heavier than the typical male figure skater. Throughout the year, my weight may be anywhere between 160 lbs (72 kg) and 200+ lbs (91+ kg).
I currently have the Jackson Debut with Matrix Legacy blades which I got when I started learning half-jumps and I pretty quickly broke them in and they’ve been serving me pretty well. The only problem is that I’ve gotten some skin peeling/blisters/bone spurs which I’ve mostly mitigated by wearing one of those padded foot sleeves.
As I get closer to starting to practice for axel and then practicing for doubles, I’ve been looking at getting a new pair of skates, and have been considering Edea Ice Flys, since the skate shop nearest me specializes in Jackson and Edea. Since I live a vegan lifestyle, I would, in general, prefer a boot not made of leather, but if it’s unavoidable then so be it. Looking through previous posts made here, I’ve seen that overbooting into the Ice Flys is generally discouraged, but I’m pretty heavy, so I think that might be fine for the added stability, and I figure I would wear out less stiff boots pretty quickly. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!
If I was going to stick with Jackson’s, I was considering the Jackson Elite (again, because I’m heavier). However, given the problems I’ve had and the need to wear the sleeves, I don’t know whether to stick with Jackson or not. I would also consider other brands, but I know with certainty that my skate shop would have to order them just so I can try them on, but I’d love to hear suggestions about what skates I should wear if I was considering something like Risport, Riedell, etc. I’m also looking for new blades, and was looking at Gold Seals, Pattern 99, or just rebuying the Matrix Legacy blades, though I do find them a bit hard to spin on, but that may just be me! I’d love your opinions and insight into the boots and blades I should consider! Thanks in advance!
I will of course go to my local skate shop and get fitted. I’m just trying to figure out what my options are prior to actually going to the shop to get fitted, especially since it’s a two hour drive away. I will go with the brand that fits me best, but as I mentioned, the skate shop specializes in Jackson and Edea, and anything else will likely have to be ordered to the store so I can try them on. Being male with bigger feet means they’ll likely not have the boot in store in the appropriate size, so I’d like to know my options before I ask them to order it to try on.
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