Ice Skates Questions & Buying Advice...

Below is a useful and hopefully helpful guide to Ice Skating and what to look for when planning to buy Ice Skates. If you apply this information to the products we retail you should end up with an Ice Skate you are more than happy with. If you need further help or advice call us on 07799 666325.

What is Ice Skating?
How Do I Know What type of Ice Skate To Buy?
Fitting and Sizing, What should I get?
Main differences of an Ice Skate to other Skates
Skates Construction, Key Features to look for

What is Ice Skating?
Ice skating is the activity by which one propels oneself across a sheet of ice wearing boots with blades affixed to the bottom. It works because with there being very little friction over the surface of ice , the blade at the base of the skate, when in contact with the ice, can glide effortlessly. It is an activity befitting a diverse range of persons of all ages, whether its for fun, fitness, or just for socialising with friends and family. All of the ice skates we sell are of high quality, meet the highest industry standards and are sure to be what you need to have the fun you want.

How Do I Know What Type of Ice Skate to Buy?
There are many different aspects to take into consideration when chosing the skate that is right for you, the main reason for this being the wide range and diversity of features available to choose from. Remember that each individual ice skates page has a discription about the type of the skate and who they specifically cater for. This infomation can be found next to the skates main picture.

Price:
Too many parents buy expensive skates before the child even knows if they really enjoy skating. So for starting out you should really think about the basics, focusing on the skates at the cheaper end of the market. Those who are more experienced skaters and/or skate regularly should feel free to opt for a more premium skate, thus ensuring an enhanced skating experience. Generally speaking the quality of the skates can be discerned by the cost.

Age:
5 + is probably a good age to start skating as children below this age tend to be a little less coordinated. For children it may be worth looking at the adjustable skates that we have to offer. Adjustable skates allow for several years growth which in the long run will save money where you would otherwise have to pay for new ones each year or so. In each individual skates page there is a discription of which age group(s) applies to the ice skate and who they are suitable for. This infomation can be found next to the skates main picture.

There are three types of skates that we sell:

Figure skates: Figure skatesare used in the sport of figure skating. The principal difference between figure skates and other types of skate is the type of blade. You will see that this type of skate has toe picks at the front of the blade which is commonly used for certain jumps in figure skating, such as the flips and waltz jump. Figure skates are also often made of tight leather, designed to increased ankle support. In the main these type of skates allow for intricate, elegant and refined movements allowing the skater to glide with finesse and poise – so they are usually very popular with girls!
NOTE: The figure skates we sell are all brand NEW, they come direct from manufacture, this means the blades on them need sharpening once received. This can easily be done at any ice rink.

Hockey Skates: Hockey skates are generally made of molded plastic and/or leather/ ballistic nylon. These type of skates are made from durable materials so are designed for a more robust and dynamic use. The moulded resilient blade permits extra speed and enables fast sharper turns and manouvreability. These type of skates tend to be more popular with boys!

Recreational skates: These skates resembe inline skates with a molded plastic boot. Recreational skates are very versatile so are appropriate for a varied range of use. They are suited to all ages and skill levels, but are probably best for those who want a well rounded multi-purpose skate.

Fitting and Sizing, What Should I Get?
As a general rule its always prudent to go up one size from your normal shoe size. However, always check each individual ice skates page for advice on sizing.

We would also recommend purchasing insoles when :
- You decide to purchase Skates that are bigger than the recommended sizing advice given above.
- You have Narrow feet.

Main differences of an Ice Skate opposed to other types of Skates

The most important difference of Ice Skates when compared to contemporary Inline or Roller skates is that they are only suitable for use on Ice. Although the boot design and materials used can be quite similar to e.g. Inline Skates but the overall feel and stability involved is quite different.

The two main factors involved in this are:

1. Ice Skates use a blade to cut into or glide over the ice which requires a slightly different approach to the technique used to move along when Inline Skating.

2. Ice Skates are rarely frame based which means there are limitations in some manoeuverability but advantages in other forms which you will find out over the more time you spend doing it.

Skate Construction, Key Features to look for