What to look for when purchasing ice skates…
Ice skates for beginners should have a good amount of support, similar in stiffness to 2ply cardboard, they should not be at all floppy. Plastic or leather
skates are fine. You should be able to wear a thin sock comfortably and wiggle your toes.
Ice skates for intermediate and advanced students should be as stiff as 3ply cardboard. They should be difficult to bend, but nowhere close to impossible. Blades should be able to be removed from the skates and replaced or reused on another pair of skates.
Skates for any level skater should be comfortable. Your toes should be able to move. You should be able to wear a thin sock without feeling cramped. Skates should not be so stiff that you cannot bend your ankles.
When buying skates leave them on and walk around for at least 15 minutes. Most likely they will need to be punched out around the ankle bones. The person selling you the skates should be able to do this.
To break in skates put on a pair of wet socks, heat your skates in the oven on 200 degrees until warm. Put guards on skates, lace up and walk around until skates cool. Repeat as needed.
Skate blades need to be sharpened about every 100 hours of skating. Some skaters may find that they need it more often or less often. This is a general guideline, you will learn what you will prefer. Skates blades have what’s called a rock-a slight curve from the toe pick to the heel. This allows the skater to rock back and forth as they change edges and directions. The blade also has two edges, the outside and the inside. There is a hollow between the two edges. When the edges wear down this hollow decreases. Be very careful about who you allow to sharpen your blades. One bad sharpening can decrease the life of the blade significantly. Look at your blade, there will be a slightly different color on the outer most area, this is the sharpenable part of the metal. Once this is worn down, even in only one part of the blade, the blades cannot be sharpened properly.
New skates/blades may or may not be sharpened. Ask the person selling you the skates if they need to be sharpened.
What to wear to class…
Comfortable, warm, layers of clothing which allow the teacher to see the shape of your body so that they can see if you are in the right positions.
In the coldest months wear hats and gloves and even snow pants. It is also helpful to get boot warmers and to put the instant heat packets under the warmer at the top of the toe area. You may also try the heat packets placed in mittens, on top of gloves. Avoid putting these packets directly on your skin. Wear fleece, yoga/dance or sweat pants, no jeans or corduroys, especially those that are not stretchy. Hair should be pulled back away from the eyes so that you can see. Keep a set of cloths in your skate bag in case you forget to bring appropriate clothes.
