hi! i started skating in march- i broke down a jackson excel in a few months and now in in jackson elles! i’m starting single jumps (specifically salchow and toeloop) and im also working on forwards and backwards crossovers, and i’m in pre-free skate. i started having a lot of problems with heel slippage and not feeling supported very well so i went to my skate shop and they told me that i have a very narrow heel, (AA or AAA?) and a little bit of a wider toe area but nothing extreme. they said i could do custom skates but that would be very expensive, or i could try edeas in a C or B width. i would like to try the edeas since they are narrow and maybe we could punch out the toe box? we have tried some things out for my current skates, and we will see if it helps, but if it does not, should i consider an edea? let me know your thoughts!
opinions on skates for narrow heels and a little wider than average toe area?
- Thread starter lolosk8
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- Joined
- Jan 9, 2017
Hi and welcome. First of all, your skate shop has no idea what they are talking about. Secondly, what is your height/weight/foot type? More than likely you are in skates that are no where near stiff enough for you and therefor you should not be jumping in them, you risk injury.
With the wider toe area and more narrow heel that you described, stay away from Edea they won't be the right shape for you. Once you let us know the answers to what I asked then I can suggest boot brands and styles for you. Also, where are you in this world so that I can suggest a better fitter for you?
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- Jan 9, 2017
Hi! With what you told me I would look into Risport RF3pro or Jackson Synergy Elite or Premiere 2800. You will need an intermediate level traditional blade to go with them since they are boot only. Look at MK Pro or JW Coronation Ace.
Also, you aren't going to find a non-hockey centered skate place in Oregon. You would have to go into Washington State. Your best shot is in Shoreline WA with Highland Skate shop.
Otherwise, you would have to go to Cyclone in Vancouver.
Good luck and if you have any more questions I'm here.
Also, you aren't going to find a non-hockey centered skate place in Oregon. You would have to go into Washington State. Your best shot is in Shoreline WA with Highland Skate shop.
Otherwise, you would have to go to Cyclone in Vancouver.
Good luck and if you have any more questions I'm here.
thank you so much! i’ll look into those models and blades! i’m wondering why you recommend a stiffer boot for me? i was worried that i wouldn’t be able to break in a stiffer boot! let me know and thank you again!Hi! With what you told me I would look into Risport RF3pro or Jackson Synergy Elite or Premiere 2800. You will need an intermediate level traditional blade to go with them since they are boot only. Look at MK Pro or JW Coronation Ace.
Also, you aren't going to find a non-hockey centered skate place in Oregon. You would have to go into Washington State. Your best shot is in Shoreline WA with Highland Skate shop.
Otherwise, you would have to go to Cyclone in Vancouver.
Good luck and if you have any more questions I'm here.
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2022
Your combined height and weight needs stronger boots. Don't worry, they're not like cement blocks on your feet, but will give you much more support for landing jumps. With pre-stretching and molding today's boots by your fitter, the breaking in process is not the prolonged agony it was when I was your age
.(By the way, Ic3Rabbit of course meant Vancouver, BC, over the border.
I doubt if Vancouver, Washington, has a skate shop, being such a small place. I live in a suburb of the Canadian Vancouver and use Cyclone Taylor Figure Skating Shop myself, and they do carry the Risport and Jackson boots she recommended. But try the shop in Shoreline as your first choice, to avoid the hassle of driving back and forth across the border for shopping and fitting appointments if you can.)
If your boots are not breaking down (i.e., the leather and stiffening materials is turning soft, rather than the reason for the lack of support being a lack of contact, or insufficient contact), you could modify your insoles to snug up your heels. If they are breaking down, you could still do that - but the boots won't last forever, and if they are soft, they won't provide much support.
Take cloth athletic tape and stick it to the bottom of the insoles under your heels, so that it extends past the sides of your heels. Alternately you could stick moleskin onto the heels themselves, but it's easier to modify the insole. You could also buy heel cups at a drug store or general store - but they might not happen to fit your feet, whereas if you make or modify your own insoles, you can make it nearly perfect.
This is such an easy mod that it's worth a try. At least, IMO.
Take cloth athletic tape and stick it to the bottom of the insoles under your heels, so that it extends past the sides of your heels. Alternately you could stick moleskin onto the heels themselves, but it's easier to modify the insole. You could also buy heel cups at a drug store or general store - but they might not happen to fit your feet, whereas if you make or modify your own insoles, you can make it nearly perfect.
This is such an easy mod that it's worth a try. At least, IMO.
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- Jan 9, 2017
At her stats (height/weight) and needs, she should not be wearing Elles, they are no way stiff enough for her. If she was a 50 lbs school kid, then they'd be fine, but not her.
I would not recommend Rick's shop in Shoreline. There are many horror stories of them fitting people in skates way too big and only push Jacksons. Most people in that area prefer Terry in Lynnwood who sells Edea, Jacksons, and Aura.Hi! With what you told me I would look into Risport RF3pro or Jackson Synergy Elite or Premiere 2800. You will need an intermediate level traditional blade to go with them since they are boot only. Look at MK Pro or JW Coronation Ace.
Also, you aren't going to find a non-hockey centered skate place in Oregon. You would have to go into Washington State. Your best shot is in Shoreline WA with Highland Skate shop.
Otherwise, you would have to go to Cyclone in Vancouver.
Good luck and if you have any more questions I'm here.
If you want to try on Risports, you generally have to go to Skaters Edge in Coquitlam or Cyclone in Vancouver, but you have to call ahead to see if they have relevant sizes for you to try on. Both shops are hit or miss on who fits you though since they have more staff.
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- Jan 9, 2017
Thank you for letting us know, I truly didn't know that about the places in NW US and it's good to know. I would definitely suggest that OP goes to Cyclone as I suggested but if leaving to another country for a fitting will be an issue then IDK.
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2022
No personal experience driving back and forth between Canada and the USA to shop, but I've been told by others that it's a bit more of a hassle than travelling between two European countries. The price of boots and blades will seem to be a lot higher in BC, but that's the exchange rate between the CAD and USD. The prices are actually about the same when converted to USD. Sales tax in BC is high, though. According to Google, it's 6% in Washington state, but BC has combined sales tax and Goods and Services tax (HST=Harmonized Sales Tax) for a total of 12%. I don't know if you also have to pay import duties at the border when you declare your purchase to a customs agent, as you'll have to do. Just considering the time spent sitting at the border for each trip back and forth for fittings (if necessary), I'd be more inclined to try in the US first. (Not that I want to deprive my favourite skate shop, Cyclone Taylor, of business! I'm just thinking of time spent -- more so, I'm told, than driving back and forth between European countries to shop -- and coping with more levels of bureaucracy each time if you have to make multiple trips.)
But it may be simpler than that. I may just have been told of the more frustrating experiences and not heard of the many easy shopping trips
.FWIIW, Edea boots are designed for feet that are about the same width from front to back. A very few people have been trained to modify them with a hair dryer (has to be done very carefully, or you destroy the boot), but you cannot modify the boot near the footbed, such as at the bottom of the heel. (Actually, I don't know of any skate boots that let you heat mold the footbed, except possibly for inserting a heat moldable insole or orthotic, but maybe they exist. Ski shops sometimes put in heat moldable cork.) So you might need to do the kind of insole modification I suggested.
Aura used to make custom figure skates but has stopped making customs. FWIIW The skate tech at my favorite rink says that Aura boots, like Edea were made of composite materials (Aura's website says "6K carbon fibre and high-grade thermo polymers") - but they are much stiffer than any figure skating boot he has carried, which resulted in some negative remarks from his customers. (But bear in mind he almost never does customs - and when he does, he has the company rep do the fittings.) Also, be aware that composite materials generally don't breath, and whatever reasons, tend to accumulate odor (smell) much more than leather.
OTOH, he said that Aura are very light. If you like light boots (opinions vary - some say it takes more energy to jump into the air and step, others say that the extra momentum helps), that might be nice.
When it comes to stock boots, Jackson is considered one of the better brands of stock boot for people with somewhat wide toes and somewhat narrow heels. Not enough for me, but for some people.
It is possible that almost any skate shop could do a fairly good job if they bring in a fitter that works for the manufacturer - which some companies, like Jackson sometimes send. But I was told they don't send such fitters out very often (if at all) to low volume dealers. You could contact boot makers to determine if any of them are sending out someone soon to your area.
As far as traveling to Canada and back to the U.S. again, I haven't been to Canada in a long while. You should look up what is needed to cross and come back. (When I did go, crossing to Canada was easy, crossing back added a few hours and extra paperwork - though because I had a receipt for something I bought, I was able to get back the sales tax at the border.) Quite possibly birth certificate, some sort of approved "Real ID" document, up to several hours wait, search and/or inspection time at the border. I'm not sure if they are still testing for Covid-19.
It is not unusual for people who want really good boot fits to spend a day driving or flying each way to a really good pro shop. Because the difference between a really good fitter and a bad one is overwhelming. Some boot manufacturers, BTW, give advice on what fitters tend to do the best job with their brand of boot, if you contact them.
While I'm not a true expert, that's my take.
Aura used to make custom figure skates but has stopped making customs. FWIIW The skate tech at my favorite rink says that Aura boots, like Edea were made of composite materials (Aura's website says "6K carbon fibre and high-grade thermo polymers") - but they are much stiffer than any figure skating boot he has carried, which resulted in some negative remarks from his customers. (But bear in mind he almost never does customs - and when he does, he has the company rep do the fittings.) Also, be aware that composite materials generally don't breath, and whatever reasons, tend to accumulate odor (smell) much more than leather.
OTOH, he said that Aura are very light. If you like light boots (opinions vary - some say it takes more energy to jump into the air and step, others say that the extra momentum helps), that might be nice.
When it comes to stock boots, Jackson is considered one of the better brands of stock boot for people with somewhat wide toes and somewhat narrow heels. Not enough for me, but for some people.
It is possible that almost any skate shop could do a fairly good job if they bring in a fitter that works for the manufacturer - which some companies, like Jackson sometimes send. But I was told they don't send such fitters out very often (if at all) to low volume dealers. You could contact boot makers to determine if any of them are sending out someone soon to your area.
As far as traveling to Canada and back to the U.S. again, I haven't been to Canada in a long while. You should look up what is needed to cross and come back. (When I did go, crossing to Canada was easy, crossing back added a few hours and extra paperwork - though because I had a receipt for something I bought, I was able to get back the sales tax at the border.) Quite possibly birth certificate, some sort of approved "Real ID" document, up to several hours wait, search and/or inspection time at the border. I'm not sure if they are still testing for Covid-19.
It is not unusual for people who want really good boot fits to spend a day driving or flying each way to a really good pro shop. Because the difference between a really good fitter and a bad one is overwhelming. Some boot manufacturers, BTW, give advice on what fitters tend to do the best job with their brand of boot, if you contact them.
While I'm not a true expert, that's my take.
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2017
If a skaters foot is not the shape for an Aura or EDEA then it's just not. There is no point in getting one when it's not going to properly fit no matter what you do to it. And WTH would you go to a ski place for your figure skate?!! NO!
OP--I am an expert and I suggest your best interest would be to look into the boots I suggested or something around the stiffness level in those brands of Jackson or Risport.
Good luck!
OP--I am an expert and I suggest your best interest would be to look into the boots I suggested or something around the stiffness level in those brands of Jackson or Risport.
Good luck!
hello again! thank you all for your advice on my skates! unfortunately i am still in the Elle’s since we are saving up money for a new pair. since my last post, we have talked to our skate shop and the owner said that i can wait for a new level of aura boots to come out that are rated for single jumps (march/april) or we can do the edea chorus. i started experiencing really bad pains when i skate that start in the sides of my feet and radiate through my whole foot, which only allows me to skate for 30 minutes or less before taking a break. this tells me that my skates are too narrow. back to the edea chorus - he said that we would get a boot that is a B width (to fit my heel) but get it in a size that is too long and he will “crush the boot”??? to make it the right width for the rest of my foot. obviously my mom is skeptical about this and we can’t afford fully custom skates so that isn’t an option for us. we don’t know if he has done this to other skates before. going into canada would definitely be a hassle but my mom wants a second opinion. are there any reliable skate shops in washington that may have some experience with this kind of issue?
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2017
Hi. Elle's are broken down at this point beyond help and were not stiff enough for you in the first place, so I would suggest getting checked by a podiatrist or orthopedist, b/c you may have an injury from them. Also, Elles are nothing to be judging width of boots by and if you have skates that are currently too narrow, then Edea is NOT the way to go. You'd need Risport if you don't want to stay with Jackson. And no, do not let a guy "crush" a boot. PM Me and we'll talk about fitters that you could possibly go to in your area or over the border in Canada. @Diana Delafield would also be helpful with shops if you would be able to travel to the Vancouver area.
Good luck!
Sounds to me like your guy had a few too many beers. He wants to treat a boot like a beer can: squash the can from top to bottom to cause the sides to bulge out. To paraphrase what I wrote in another post: "If a guy told me he'd fit me by ordering a boot that's too long and narrow (in the front) and adjust it by crushing the boot to shorten and widen it, I'd beat it out of there right quick."
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There's another current thread for a skater with similar, though not identical, fitting issues. Here's an excerpt from my recent response that should give you some useful background information concerning fitting wider toes/narrower heels in Jacksons.
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