Although I like skating in dresses and OTB tights, sometimes I think it would be easier to not have to totally change into and out of skating gear at the rink. Also, I've gained a few pounds lately and, to be perfectly frank, don't look quite as svelte as I'd like to in a skating dress .

I know that Joanna, for one, prefers skating in pants. I'm not sure what exactly constitutes "jazz pants" and just what kind of pants are good for skating. I have an irrational fear of catching a toe pick on loose fabric -- which is why I love OTB tights -- so I'm looking to find something that's fairly stretchy and close-fitting over my boots & laces; yet not so much so that it's like wearing opaque black tights. I have those, BTW, but they're almost as unforgiving as a dress with my extra poundage .

Any recommendations -- including brand names, styles, etc. -- will be most greatly appreciated. I'm also curious: is my irrational fear really so irrational or is catching a pick a known hazard with these type of pants?

TIA,
montanarose

I wear black leggings, when I can find them. I know kids who wear bootcut exercise pants to skate in. I can't because most of the boot-cut exercise pants I see at reasonable prices are about 6 inches too long for me, even with skates on.

Most of what I have, I bought at Target. I also have a pair of mid-weight stretch polar fleece pants that I bought on clearance from REI.

Also, Lands End and LL Bean carry some slightly more upscale workout wear that might work.

Over the years, I've picked up some boot-cut stretchy pants at Express stores. A couple pairs were polar fleece; some were a cotton/lycra blend. I'm on the shorter side as well, so it's a plus that Express carries most of their pants in short, regular and long lengths. I've also seen similar pants and lengths at Lerner NY stores. If you wait until there is a sale, they should be around $20. I've also had good luck at Gap and Old Navy outlet stores for lightweight fleece pants in both straight wide leg styles and boot cut styles.

Well as a guy I wear pants most of the time. I mostly wear skating trousers with a velcro stirrup, though I sometimes wear adidas tracksuit bottoms (the kind with a nylon/polyester outer, cotton liner and an elasticated "cuff" with a zip at the ankle). I can't remember having ever caught a toe pick.

John

Hi, montanarose (and others that like skating in pants!!!)

This is an example of a pair of jazz pants

http://store.danskin.com/nycb-pirouette-6014.html

As you can see, the bottom of the pants isn't wide enough that you can push a pair of skating boots over. You should have nothing to worry about regarding having the bottom of the pants getting caught with the blade. (The boots pushes the leg up.

If you are still concerned with pants that might get caught, you could have the bottom of the pants altered so that it would fit right around your ankles so it would fit your height. (In my case, Danskin Petite fits me perfectly in terms of height and inseam.) At worse, I've nicked the bottom of the pants on scratch spins and jumps. (Blades are very sharp...)

My only accident with my blades getting caught in something so far has been "the click of death" and the ice craters someone leave after a jump...and doesn't clean up afterwards!

Speaking of types of pants, I do recommend the Danskin brand. They last a long time (about 3 years already!) and they still look good!!! They also dry pretty fast after a fall on your butt too!!! I also like the jazz dancer look too!!! Ballerina just doesn't fit my style, though I have worn skating dresses before.

__________________
Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

My husband, too, wears jogging bottoms with elasticated cuffs at the ankle and has yet to catch his picks.

I actually prefer skating in a skirt, and wear a practice-skirt with T-shirt, and then underneath I wear a pair of large black underpants over my tights. This has the dual effect of helping to keep my tights up and preserving my modesty should I be unlucky enough to fall. These are easy to change into discreetly, as the skirt goes on first, then what needs to come off underneath comes off.....

But when it is very cold, I wear warm leggings/sweatpants (bought in some random cheap clothes shop) and usually wear them to/from the rink, as well.

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Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

My rink requires black pants for its instructors, so I've definitely had to stock up! I've had very good luck w/ Target; in their activewear section they have a brand called Mossimo--I have 3 or 4 pairs of their pants & they look great & are nice and long (I'm very tall). They eventually wear out in the inside thigh seams so I have to replace them about every 6-8 months (keep in mind I wear them constantly, more than my street clothes!). They sell for around $35-40, but they're often on sale. And they come in different styles, so it's not all just the same plain black pants.

I wear black leggings from Nike, that are snug-fitting. They're a spandex-type material. I pull them down to cover my laces so I don't end up hooking a blade in a loop from the laces.

I do think, though, that leggings and a t-shirt show more of your figure than a well-fitting skirt or dress. But I'm more comfortable in leggings most of the time.

Pat

I finally found a few subs for my beloved Capezio sueded supplex pants:

Flare legged stretch pants by "Moret" (probably too much flare for you) $18

Leggings by "Basics", which are more cotton than stretch, but do the job for a measly $6

Both are available at Target!

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I wear dance pants sometimes and then safety pin the under my boot to avoid them getting caught on anything.

deleted, double post, sorry.

For the past 2 seasons, I've worn black yoga pants from Old Navy. They have a slight flare, and have a drawstring which is perfect for those days where you don't feel super skinny. They've accomodated the gain of my freshman 15 quite nicely. I have yet to catch my blade or toepick on them as well. I think I bought them for around $30 CAN.

If you do feel a little uneasy about catching your blade/toepick on the pants, you can use a little bit of clear hockey tape to tape the pants to your skate. I've done this during dance lessons, and it's worked great.

I'm also a "pant" wearer. I wear the nylon sport sweats with the elastic ankle and zipper. I leave the zipper undone and pull it down over my boot. I wear skating tights and sweater tights underneath. I wear sport tank tops on top. Usually multiple layers to avoid the bounce factor. =-) I have never caught my blade on my pants. Well, I guess once I ran the back of my blade down the front of my pants in a scratch spin. (From the knee down.) I did cut a pretty good slash, but didn't catch it. I have also worn running black leggings on a few occasions. (Revealing, but less so than your bloomers going up your tush!) My coach used to tease me that he knew I had a butt so what was the big deal about dresses. Well, the big deal is he hadn't and wouldn't see it without fabric covering it!

Chico

__________________
"I truly believe, when God created skating, he patted himself on the back."

Adding that I too have never caught a toepick, but I have caught the back of my blade coming out of backspins or jumps a few times. Never unbalanced me, but did cut my pants.

We're the slasher girls!!

I love the running tights from Lady Footlocker. They're like close fitting leggings, lots of stretch and long enough to pull down over my boots. Plus, they are often on sale (buy one get one half off), so I've got several pair. They last well and don't snag.

I wear L.L. Bean's Perfect Fit Slim Pants. They are a stretchy material, but not as clingy as tights. There is no flare at the bottom, and I have never caught my pants with my blade.

Here is the link:

Slim Pants

I've never posted a link before, so I hope I've done this right.

backspin,

=-) Too funny. =-)

Chico

__________________
"I truly believe, when God created skating, he patted himself on the back."

(I did the same with one of my old jazz pants too.)

__________________
Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

http://store.nordstrom.com/product/p...tyleID=2796773 I have some Nike pants that sound like they fit the bill.

They are looser up thru the hips and thighs, but tight at the ankles with a zipper. They are pretty flattering since they aren't skin tight up around the thighs and tummy. Bought them at Dick's sporting goods.

Lululemon! Here is the website: www.lululemon.com. I skate in the Boogie pant, which is fitted with a slight flare: Boogie Pant.

This company has gotten really popular in Canada, and I have never seen anyone look bad in lululemon pants!

__________________
~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

I too wear pants. Mine are generic bands from Wal-mart and Target. I have a few with huge flares at the bottom but most of mine are normal exercise pants. I have never got my toe pick caught in them. i usually wear warm tights underneath. I don't skate in dresses, I don't have a flattering figure. I can't even find skating dresses in my size. it's pants allthe way with me!
Cid

It's not irrational! My costume for my interp program for the last two years had me in pants, and at first I had no problem. But then in my warmup at AN 2003 and at a critique session in February 2004, my blade got caught in my pants -- both times in the exact same part of my program -- and I went down. I also fell this year at AN, at a different section of the program, but I'm still not sure if it was the pants or the infamous blade-click-of-death! (I'm leaning toward the BCOD.)

I have a theory, though, that the reason I didn't have any problems with the pants at first was because I hadn't yet gotten heavy into ice dancing. As I progressed through the dance tests, however, I paid more and more attention to wide-stepping. So now, in my free skating, I bring my feet together between each step, thus increasing the risk of catching a blade in a pant leg.

The moral of this story is, I won't be skating in pants ever again.

I actually like to skate in dresses.............but I do have days that I'm in the mood for pants. I have some cute GK unitards, which are great because you don't have to worry about your mid-section freezing with short tops, or if you have a longer one that comes untucked. They are also long enough for me, where most sport pants aren't. Once I get back into skating shape I plan to order some Blue Skys pants. I have a friend that has a pair. They make them to fit, and her's are perfect (she's tall also). No loose fabric to catch blades in. I have caught my blade in my pants before.........and have holes in several pairs to prove it. I'm with daisies, it's not a place I want to go again.

I don't have a great figure (yet) nor can I find off the rack dresses in my size. I make them myself. They're not flattering, but everything is covered, and I can show off the great legs I've worked my a** off for. Plus, I just FELT like a skater the first time I stepped on the ice in a dress.

My coach doesn't have a preference, but she has told me when I wear a dress, she can tell easier if my knees are doing the right thing.