Skates with narrow heels? | Golden Skate

Skates with narrow heels?

emilinkaa

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 17, 2023
I am currently wearing Risport RF3 pros, and am mostly happy with them - except in the heels. They’ve always been a bit loose right in the heel (I have wide toes, but narrow heels), and as they’ve broken in and broken down, I’ve had more and more heel slip. As I am starting to research brands again, I am curious if there are brands known for having a wider toe box and narrower heel? Or if I should just plan on a semi custom boot?

Thanks in advance!
E
 
I am currently wearing Risport RF3 pros, and am mostly happy with them - except in the heels. They’ve always been a bit loose right in the heel (I have wide toes, but narrow heels), and as they’ve broken in and broken down, I’ve had more and more heel slip. As I am starting to research brands again, I am curious if there are brands known for having a wider toe box and narrower heel? Or if I should just plan on a semi custom boot?

Thanks in advance!
E
Take a look at Jacksons. Their better stock boots (not the el-cheapo kits) are specifically fitted on a split-width last: wider at the ball; narrower at the heel; relatively round toebox. Their current stock widths are a bit confusing. Assuming you're a woman (is that correct?), stock widths are R(A/B) and W(C/D). R means that out of the box, the ball width is A; with heat molding, it can be expanded to B. The heel width is AA. W means that out of the box, the ball width is C; with heat molding, it can be expanded to D. The heel width is B. [The info on their website is out of date, but the above is info I got from contacting a Jackson rep.]

With Jacksons, if you need a greater difference in width between ball and heel than stock sizes can accommodate, you'll need to go semi-custom or full custom, depending on how great a difference you need.
 
I am currently wearing Risport RF3 pros, and am mostly happy with them - except in the heels. They’ve always been a bit loose right in the heel (I have wide toes, but narrow heels), and as they’ve broken in and broken down, I’ve had more and more heel slip. As I am starting to research brands again, I am curious if there are brands known for having a wider toe box and narrower heel? Or if I should just plan on a semi custom boot?

Thanks in advance!
E
Semi-custom.
 
I am curious if there are brands known for having a wider toe box and narrower heel?

Graf.

Edea would be closest to Risport with narrower heels.

Split width semi-customs is also an option. Jacksons have very wide heels otherwise, so you'd want their narrower options.

In general, stretching the toe box is fine, so getting the heel right is always more important.
 
I know most people here don't like the idea doing this themselves - but I have sometimes used cloth athletic tape to modify insole shapes, especially at the heel, where mine tend to be narrow. The idea was to create what I arbitrarily call "wings" - tape extensions that go on the side or back of the heel to fill the space. You can also stick a good quality "moleskin" to the sides of the heels of the boots. (Obviously, you don't want anything sticky touching your foot because it wouldn't last after you took off your boots. My wings stuck to the bottom of the insole.) Also you can put tape under the back of the heel, to try to push the heel up into a smaller part of the boot. I have sometimes also sculpted my own insoles out of foam, in a full 3 dimensional sense, using a sharp heavy duty scissors. But the foam I used - from a foam camping mat - doesn't retain its shape for more than a few months at most, and often less, before becoming squished down. I chose it because it was cheap and skin-safe - many foams aren't either.

But you say your boots are broken down. In which case anything you do now would likely be very temporary. But maybe worth it while you wait for your new boots to arrive.

You can also buy many types of heel inserts in stores - but it is virtually impossible to determine before you buy them whether they will fit your precise needs. I never found any that fit me.

In principle a good orthotist can take good enough measurements to get inserts made that may work well instead of or in addition to your insoles. A few weeks ago I spoke to an orthotist who told me that to do that, they need a "blank prescription" from a podiatrist. But I don't know if that is true everywhere in the world. Even within the U.S.A., the laws on what each type of medical practitioner can do vary state-to-state. The blank prescription allows the orthotist is to figure out what is needed, rather than follow what the podiatrist specifies. She claimed that orthotists have more training to design inserts than most podiatrists, but I don't know enough to verify that.

If you intend to use inserts, tell your fitter, because it may affect how they fit you.

BTW, there are strong limits on how far you can stretch toeboxes. Maybe about 1/6 - 1/3 inch, though that may be out of date? Probably depends on how stiff the boots are, and what they are made of. And the sole probably can't be stretched at all, any place in the boot - only the upper, starting a bit above the sole. Unless you have unusual soles that are made of heat moldable materials. (The insoles I tried like that didn't work well for me.)

There is something I don't understand: A lot of hockey boots fit me fairly well, unmodified. But so far, no figure skate boots. Because my toes are too wide, my heels too narrow, and my ankles too big. But the fact that many hockey boots fit implies my feet can't be all that unusual, at least for men. (BTW, if you are a lady, consider trying men's boots. They sometimes have wider toes. But you might need to change the color if you don't like black.) Unfortunately, hockey boots and figure skating boots are not easily interchangeable.
 
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