Hi I am planing on taking adult skating lessons and am interested to know what boots to get. I can already skate forwards and backwards and do a two food spin and I am quite a fast learner so I think I will hopefully improve quickly when I start lessons. I am 5,9 and 66kg and I am interested in getting boots that are beginner friendly but will last quite a long time for like when I start learning jumps and stuff in the future as they are quite expensive and If I am going to spend the money I want them to last quite a while. Of course I am planning on going to a skate shop to get properly fitted but I am interested to know your advice. I have been looking and quite like Edea overtures but I don’t know if they are suitable for me and if not what other options do you recommend?
What boots should I get as a beginner?
- Thread starter hannah_d
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2022
Hi and congratulations for your well-planned and realistic start to figure skating! Hopefully your boot fitter will be able to offer the most appropriate brand choices for the shape of your feet. They'll measure your feet in all dimensions because different brands are better for different foot shapes. What is the angle of your toes (i.e., do they slope down from the big toe, is the second toe longer than the big one, are they straight in line across, etc)? Are your arches high, medium, flat, etc? Do you have narrow heels? Prominent ankle bones? We can offer suggestions as to which boots may be the most comfortable, to narrow your choices, but it's your fitter who will actually see and measure your feet.
And if you can tell us where you live, someone on this international forum will be able to direct you to the best fitter near where you live. Have fun!
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2017
Hi and welcome! You're going to need a stiffer boot than usual for beginners b/c of your stats. I need to know what style of foot you have (look this up) and arches: v. high/high/reg/low/non-existent?
Also, where in this world are you so we can suggest a proper fitter.
I will tell you that if you plan on advancing quickly etc, boots don't last long. You probably would need new boots in 18mos at most.
Good luck!
Last edited:
Thank you so much for the advice! I live in London, Ealing so if anyone knows somewhere close I would be rlly happy to find out.
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2022
There are several Brits who can help you there. @WednesdayMarch? Can you advise this beginner? I'm on the Pacific coast of Canada, so a bit out of your neighbourhood
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2019
Hello and welcome to the Forum!
Whether you're a beginner or elite, you really need to be fitted properly and to this end I recommend Everglides, who are in Gosport on the south coast. Easily reachable from London by car or public transport (train then bus from Fareham). You make an appointment and they spend about 2 hours (often longer) measuring, checking your pressure points, arches, how you stand, walk, etc and helping you try on and select the boots and blades best suited to your feet and aims. They heat hold and punch out if necessary and you can go back to have things tweaked. I currently live in Cornwall but travel to them (a 5 hour journey each way) because I know and trust them to fit me properly. They have saved me a lot of money, time and pain!
Whilst London has rinks, I don't know of anywhere reliable in the capital to be fitted properly. Several skaters I know who used the London Skate Centre were "fitted" with completely unsuitable equipment (put into completely the wrong style of boot for their feet and level - nobody needs a low cut dance boot when they are a complete beginner!) and at least one of them actually gave up and now stands glumly watching his children skate. I have heard good things about Love Ice Skating in Chelmsford but I have no personal experience of their fitting expertise.
Edea, Jackson, and Risport are the most popular brands of boot in the UK - and, indeed, the world - but Riedell and Graf are sometimes available here, too. I like Graf but find Riedell very painful indeed. I dislike Edea for the loose fit around the ankles. Jackson and Risport are better for my feet. Avoid anything from SFR, Oxelo, LMNADE. If it's available at Decathlon then you don't want it!
Blade-wise, you may be fitted with a standard set (Edea Overture, Jackson Freestyle, Risport Electra but nothing lower in those ranges) but if you're fitted with a boot only and need to choose a separate blade, then Coronation Ace, MK Professional or Legacy 7 are your choices. Many people hesitate to recommend Legacy as it has a flatter spin rocker, but at your level it will be absolutely fine and should comfortably take you a long way in your skating journey. There are currently shortages of both boots and blades and Coronation Ace (pretty much always my first pick for almost any skater) are difficult to find in the more popular sizes. Everglides don't - or certainly didn't last time I was there - stock MK Professional (no idea why) so Legacy 7 would be the way to go. Do not be tempted by the "Lite" versions of Aces or Pros. I have yet to find anyone who is actually happy on them and they really aren't suitable for beginners at all.
Always happy to help, so don't hesitate to ask!
Whether you're a beginner or elite, you really need to be fitted properly and to this end I recommend Everglides, who are in Gosport on the south coast. Easily reachable from London by car or public transport (train then bus from Fareham). You make an appointment and they spend about 2 hours (often longer) measuring, checking your pressure points, arches, how you stand, walk, etc and helping you try on and select the boots and blades best suited to your feet and aims. They heat hold and punch out if necessary and you can go back to have things tweaked. I currently live in Cornwall but travel to them (a 5 hour journey each way) because I know and trust them to fit me properly. They have saved me a lot of money, time and pain!
Whilst London has rinks, I don't know of anywhere reliable in the capital to be fitted properly. Several skaters I know who used the London Skate Centre were "fitted" with completely unsuitable equipment (put into completely the wrong style of boot for their feet and level - nobody needs a low cut dance boot when they are a complete beginner!) and at least one of them actually gave up and now stands glumly watching his children skate. I have heard good things about Love Ice Skating in Chelmsford but I have no personal experience of their fitting expertise.
Edea, Jackson, and Risport are the most popular brands of boot in the UK - and, indeed, the world - but Riedell and Graf are sometimes available here, too. I like Graf but find Riedell very painful indeed. I dislike Edea for the loose fit around the ankles. Jackson and Risport are better for my feet. Avoid anything from SFR, Oxelo, LMNADE. If it's available at Decathlon then you don't want it!
Blade-wise, you may be fitted with a standard set (Edea Overture, Jackson Freestyle, Risport Electra but nothing lower in those ranges) but if you're fitted with a boot only and need to choose a separate blade, then Coronation Ace, MK Professional or Legacy 7 are your choices. Many people hesitate to recommend Legacy as it has a flatter spin rocker, but at your level it will be absolutely fine and should comfortably take you a long way in your skating journey. There are currently shortages of both boots and blades and Coronation Ace (pretty much always my first pick for almost any skater) are difficult to find in the more popular sizes. Everglides don't - or certainly didn't last time I was there - stock MK Professional (no idea why) so Legacy 7 would be the way to go. Do not be tempted by the "Lite" versions of Aces or Pros. I have yet to find anyone who is actually happy on them and they really aren't suitable for beginners at all.
Always happy to help, so don't hesitate to ask!
Thank y
Thank you very much. I will definitely try to go there because I am really invested in starting skating and this will probably make my journey a lot better if I get well fitted skates.
