Hi everyone, I'm new around here - from Okotoks, AB, Canada!

I've read these boards for a while now, but never posted before. After what happened to me earlier today, I'm in need of some advice!

I like wearing mostly skirts for practise, but I also have a pair of black Mondor velvet skating pants for those days when I feel like wearing pants.
Well, today was my "I feel like wearing pants" day. It was also one of those days where my backspins needed some practise. I almost wiped out coming out of one of the spins - my left blade somehow got tangled in the right pant leg and ripped a good 2" hole in it. I didn't feel too graceful and would like to avoid this from happening again! I figured it's probably because the mentioned pants have a little bit of flare to them (but they call the skating pants and sell them in our pro shop!).

Does anyone know a brand of skating pants that are safer than that? What do you guys wear for skating pants?

Thanks!
Pille

I usually skate in pants and most of my looser pants have holes in them because of backspins and jumps. The pants least likely to have issues are running tights or mondor fleece stirrup pants. Basically the pants have to be tight and fit close to the legs or you run the risk of catching them in backspins. I still skate in my looser leg pants though.

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I personally alter pants to make sure they fit very well around the ankles, I also went through that before, I wore normal flared pants for the longest time, but one day I kicked the flare while doing a flip jump and fell (not extremely bad otherwise I would have remember that more clearly) but it was something I was very glad to reduce just by wearing fit at the ankle pants.

If you can't sew it in yourself, then when buying pants you check how it look near the ankles... they do sell pants like that, normally for gym or running. It may be hard to find though, and that is why some people just wear tights and skirt instead (which yeah I know you already do). Or you can try tights and cropped pants.

Or you can try to tuck the pants into your socks when you skate if you really have to skate in those pants... or be really careful....

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Tidesong

It's a Canadian company ... Sixo Skatewear; their skating pants fit snug down to the boot tops, no flare, and they're very very very warm (a fleecy lining that doesn't add any bulk.) Plus, for the long-legged, you can get a tall size which actually is - tall - and a petite size, even in tall, which is actually - petite.

Yours, the mum of a petite skater with a 34" inseam.

Or, if you want to go the custom route, BlueSkys in - wait for it - Alberta, makes fantastic pants, and you can get them customized completely, and under the boot straps are available on them too. It's a bit pricier, but we swear by them - absolutely indestructible, wear like iron, and WARM. DS uses them due to the problems of getting things that fit a boy properly, but DD is considering going that route too.

www.blueskys.com

I buy winter weight running tights at a sports store. Under Armour makes some nice ones, as does REI. I have bought the REI stretch fleece leggings both online and at REI stores. I've gotten the Under Armour leggings online through Amazon.com I think.

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You can also get the Seku skating pants, which fit snugly over the top of the boot and keep your laces covered, too. They aren't cheap, but they are made specifically for skating. The ones without the zippers are best, since if the zipper slides open, you can catch a blade.

http://www.sekuskatewear.com/seperates.html

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I usually skate in Nike exercise pants, but I don't do backspins yet :-). I'm curious as to what other guys wear also. The Mondor skating pants I've seen look nice but are quite pricey.

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Re the guy question: we ended up with BlueSkys because there was, simply, nothing else out there for guys. Sweatpants - NO way; the running leggings were too - tight - for the mental comfort level. Other alternatives were too loose fitting for the line to be seen properly. We asked around at a bunch of rinks, and BlueSkys was recommended by all. I know that I've seen them on the backsides of a lot of male skaters who are genuine skaters ... at least in Canada.

They are pricey, but incredibly durable. One little cost-break we've figured out is to get plain black ones, and that way they can do double-duty as test or competition wear. Plus, according to DS, 'the boys' are comfortable - and not as "visible" as they would be in, say, running tights.

here's the link again ... and no, I'm not shilling for them, I honestly really like the product -

www.blueskys.com

Thanks everyone for your replies!

I'm soooo tempted to order a pair of pants from Se-Ku! Those look so fabulous and nobody around my club wears them!

My son wears Nike pants as well. We have an intermed boy here and he wears the same thing.
I will check out the blue company but its not worth if its alot of money !Need lessons more than pants.!!

If my daughter wants to wear pants, she wears tight leggings from old navy or even Fred Meyers. They work fine, can see the line and are 10.00 or under !
Edited to add..
I did check them out but they are way too expensive for practice pants.My son does have a nice testing/comp outfit from Inperier Sportswear which fits nice and he likes alot!!
http://www.imperialsportswear.com/index.html

I NEVER wear skirts when I skate (unless it's a competition). I usually just wear regular workout pants that aren't too tight and have a bit of a flare at the bottom. Last year during just my second lesson with my ex-ice dance coach, I was doing consecutive 3-turns (I think it was supposed to be a precursor to twizzles) and wiped out, flat on my stomach... superman arms out in front and everything! It was embarrassing. He was totally laughing, lol, but then said that he did the exact same thing at the previous year's Worlds during twizzles, only didn't fall. So I guess it happens at all levels!

Anyway, after that I would just roll up the right pant leg up to my knee. He would call it my "gangsta look" but whatever, it kept me from falling on my face!! That might be helpful when you want to do backspins and stuff... just roll up the pant leg. Good luck!

I'm currently wearing Danskin Boot Leg jazz pants in black and in blue color. They retain around $44... made out of some wear fabric called Supplex and cotton. They fit nicely and last a while.

I AM doing backspin now, but I haven't gotten it to the point where I draw my legs tight to a back scratch. However, I have been doing a forward scratch for years and well, after I don't know how many years of wearing those pants, I'm still wearing them.

Now... the one problem with the Danskin pants that I usually wear is... it only comes in one color - BLACK! I love black, don't get me wrong, but I like having different colors too! Given that, I'm tempted to get some nice pants in different colors from this company. I already gotten some nice tops from them and they look like very good quality clothing! Yes, they are expensive... but BOY do those top make me look GOOOOOOD!!!

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jazzpants

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Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

I skate in running tights. The ones that zip at the cuff. The fit over my boots and hold my laces in place. The insides of the cuffs have some sort of rubberized stitching that hold then in place.

The most recent ones are from Lands End or LL Bean. Don't remember which. They have pockets (good for holding chapstick and tissues). Now the only one that puts holes in them is my pairs partner

Rob

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If you do decide to splurge, I can tell you the sizing is pretty true to adult misses' sizing. For example, I wear a size 4 in misses' pants and I wear a size Small in the Seku stretch pants. If you wear a 6 or 8 in misses' pants, you will probably want to order size Medium.

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Well, I'm not a guy, but I skate in Nike warm up pants for boys (I have to get boys because of the zipper at the bottom, buying adult sizes they are much too long and can't be hemmed because of the zipper that allows me to get them off over my skates. Girls pants are cut to skinny in the hips, even at XL).

It is not an infrequent occurence for me and my coach to be wearing the same pants- though he wears adult sizes. At my level, I have not had any issues catching my blade on backspins or jumps. Since my coach wears the same pants for his practices, I imagine he is comfortable skating in them- and he is a high level skater.

Plus if you have an outlet mall nearby- you can get them really cheap.

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I love the Blue Skys pants. I wear my old competition one for practice now and have a velvet pair for competition.

A few people have recommended to me Onwardonline's pants:
http://www.onwardonline.com/pants.html

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I don't remember the source... Scott Hamilton said "the tighter the better".
It's true for me. I love compression.

Jazzpants, I got a pair of pants from "that company" you mentioned. They are just great for running and general exercise, but whichever model I ended up with is way too flare on the bottom for skating. I know they have about 5-6 different fits, I just went for the looks and was not thinking about the function at the time of purchase.
I think Se-ku pants are screaming out my name. I'll be ordering a pair really soon! Woohoo!

I got some nice pants from The Running Room on the advice of a friend who is a runner and trains winter and summer. They were pricey but the are very warm, stretchy without being restraining, and they zipper at the cuffs. They are just over a year old and still look new.

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

I enjoy my underarmor running tights, they are warm for the cold rink I skate at!

"That company" which name I cannot pronounce (i think it's LOOLOO Lemon, but, who knows), also makes great jackets that you can wear for skating. Their sizes fit very very small though ... so trying on is critical. The ability to do the "thumb' thing to keep wrists warm is great.

Re the length/flare: some of the girls/ladies wear the cropped length, which keeps the leg covered snugly to mid-calf, and then tights below. We won't DISCUSS the ones who can wear the super-short shorts to skate in, and look great - !

And, they're even expanding their men's wear line; some of our older boys wear their jackets for skating, they look nicely masculine and come in guy-colours. Too big for my little guy, yet, though.

Geez, my posts on this board are funny for someone who abhors shopping and particularly shopping for clothes!

Kim: Do you wear the "cold gear frosty tights"? I tried the size small in a local sports store. It was so long that it covered my heels. The x-small, which the store does not carry, may be too tight around my waist / hip. Thanks to my thick thighs.

Cherriee,

That is the kind I wear...they are long, but, I like having my pants over my boots (and by over my boots, I mean way low ) Then again, I also wear my pants very high to avoid that nasty line that happens...

I skate in Stonewear pants--they flare a little at the bottom, but not too much (though I'm not at a level where I'm spinning or jumping, so they might cause problems there--I don't know), and they have the best waistline I've ever encountered.

http://www.stoneweardesigns.com/stor...iewCat&catId=4