Any ice skaters out there?

A snowHead

Hi everyone.

I'm looking for some recommendations for skate shops please. I think in the past I've seen posts from ice skaters talking about the similarities in fit between ski boots and figure skates, ie that they need to be snug, thin or no socks etc so I'm hoping there are some snowhead skaters out there.

Therefore I wondered whether anyone could recommend a good shop in the south west area that has the expertise to look at my skates and possibly either punch them out or recommend a new pair in a better fit. If I lace them really tightly to be snug they kill my little toe joint and there is no give in the leather so they won't break in. I suspect they are cheap thick hard leather that are designed to be roomy! They are Jackson Mystique which is a beginner boot and I've been skating on them regularly since November. I'm now at level 6 skate uk and am noticing that I don't have as much control in my foot as I think I need for these moves.

I've been through this saga with ski boots before and visited CEM etc so I appreciate how important these things are and I just have a gut feeling that my skates are too big. They certainly don't feel as snug as my ski boots do!

I'm willing to travel if necessary but I simply don't know where to go. I bought my skates from the Bristol ice rink but as they are closing down, they have very little stock and I don't think they do punching out of boots.

Thanks all!

A snowHead

I can't be too helpful, but you are pretty much right about the fit. Otherwise, ask your instructor, ask at the rink where you skate, or ask the mum of a competitive kid.
The last time I had ice skates worked on in the UK it was at the rink in Nottingham.
If you've noticed the boot is not working for you it might be time for a more advanced boot, and possibly blade, which you will need as you progress to harder jumps (bigger toe pick and more substantial boot, my last competition boots were three layers of leather) - I don't know what L6 consists of since when I skated in the UK we were still doing medal tests and figures were an important part of every competition.
I have found with skating that it's not always a "shop" that you go to for service - quite often it's a business run out of someones garage.
I hope this helps. wink

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Thanks skinanny. I'm going to try heating the inside of the boot with a hairdryer and them do them up tightly whilst they cool down. If that doesn't work I've been recommended to go to a place called Everglides in Portsmouth. By the way L6 Skate UK is still quite low level as we've just done crossovers and are now learning 3 turns so I'm really still a novice.

Help!!

Any ice skaters out there?

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