Hey, I was interested in picking up ice skating. I'm 19 and thought it might be a good hobby to pick up. I tried looking for some skates but everything was so pricey. Can anyone tell me where I can get decent stuff for a decent price? And the differences between figure skating and ice dancing? It looks like a really beautiful sport but I don't know if I'll be able to afford it. Does anyone have any ideas?

Be warned - it is not only expensive, it's very addictive!

You might want to start out by taking a learn-to-skate class in a local ice rink. If you are in the UK, these are known as Skate-UK classes, but same difference. For these, hired skates will do very well for the first few weeks, and there may or may not be a shop at your rink where you can buy your first pair. Make sure they sell you figure skates, though, unless you want to play hockey!

There are a great many different kinds of ice skates, ranging from the purely recreational (which is what you want - you can buy these in a sports shop or from the shop at your rink) right up to boots suitable for world champions doing quadruple jumps. By the time you start needing a better-quality boot, you will know where to go to be fitted!

The basic skills for both ice dance and figure skating are exactly the same, and indeed, at the lower levels it's a great idea to take both disciplines, as they inform each other.

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

Are you taking lessons now? If not, try to sign up for a group lesson to see if you like it. Rent skates for while. Granted they are not very good, but they are a very small investment. Decent skates are pricey, but they are worth it if you are serious about getting involved in skating.

Kay

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Welcome to the site!

I started skating again back in June (i'm 23). I agree with the others...it can become expensive and VERY addictive. Great form of exercise too.

As for skates, don't go buying the most expensive and stiff boot you can find. Your bank account and your feet will not be happy. I recommend going with a basic recreation skate. There are different skate brands that offer lots of variety for fit. Jackson and Reidell skates are typically found in sports shops and pro shops at rinks. I started in Jackson Glacier skates which is a very basic recreation skate. They served their purpose - but I'm having to upgrade already since I'm now starting jumps. I'm not familiar with Reidell skates much, but I know that Jackson Mystique or Artiste might be a good place to start. Someone in my LTS classes started with Artiste and did just fine. Make sure you get fitted by someone who knows figure skates. Boot sizes are different than shoe sizes. Example: I wear a size 7 shoe and just got fitted for a size 5.5 boot. While researching skates, go ahead and skate in rentals. If you find that you want to continue ice skating, then you can proceed with buying your own skates.
Good luck! I'm sure you'll be addicted like all of us very soon!

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Figure Skating is a very beautiful sport and once you start you'll never want to stop. It may be stuff at times but in the end it's always worth it. I also think it would be good if you started learn-to-skate or to start taking lessons. Ice Dancing is Figure Skating, and if you mean by how Ice Dancing is different then pairs, ladies, and men. The difference is that in ice dance it is like ballroom but on ice. You get to do dance lifts, you also get to do spins, but no jumps at all. Hope this helps, anymore questions feel free to ask.

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Skating, skating all day long, skating, skating all night long! May seem tiring to some people but not me, it's my life!!

Goals: Triple Loop, Novice Competitive, Sr.Silver Dances, Gold Artistic, and top 3 at Sectionals

When i get my own pair of skates, what name brands would you guys recommend? i want a semi good pair because i don't want to move through them too fast, like something that will take me through beginning to learn and learning jumps and etc. how much am i looking to spend?

As a rough guide, I started skating a year ago and wear Reidell skates. My coach tells me there is still all the support in them (even though I am dying to buy new skates!) and they will last me for a few months yet.

They cost me about £100 (and are Reidell Blue Ribbon). A friend bought the Risport RF4 - a very popular beginning skate in the UK - and they cost £120 I think.

A cheaper way is to see if there is a notice board at your rink - there is always adverts for skates for sale.

It might seem like a lot but it is so worth it. The same friend initially had a pair of cheaper skates bought for about £40, and within a couple of weeks they had crease marks round the ankle - a sign that they are breaking down - and gave her little support. The "recognised" brands will also have much better blades on them.

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"If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance . . . "

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I recommend SP Teri's just because they have been my favourite skates so far. All the others I have had have broken down on me, but these have stayed tough and now I'm getting my 2nd year out of them.

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2014 and 2018 Olympics here I come!

Skating, skating all day long, skating, skating all night long! May seem tiring to some people but not me, it's my life!!

Goals: Triple Loop, Novice Competitive, Sr.Silver Dances, Gold Artistic, and top 3 at Sectionals

i started with reidell silver medallian and inexpensive blades, 2 years into it i switched to coronation ace blades, and year after (3 years since i began skating) which is like 2 weeks ago i now wear custom harlicks with coronation ace blades. the reidell skates were perfect to begin with, but over time they began to break down but they lasted a good 3 years. of course depending on how often you skate, and how you progress will determine how long skates will last.

good luck!

oh i forgot you wanted to know the price, the reidells with blades were about $240 I'm a junior size in skates (3 1/2 in skates, 5 1/2 regular shoes/sneakers), so a size above 4 in skates would be a bit more. if you want to start with the coronation ace blade that would add like about $180-$200 to the price tag, but i dont think you need an ace blade for just beginning. if you begin group lessons get rentels and then ask your group coach for his/her opinion.

I started in Riedell Blue Ribbons, which I don't really recommend because they barely took me through waltz jumps comfortably. I now have Klingbeils but definitely not recommended for a beginner. I think Riedells are wonderful for beginner and higher up skaters, can you go to a pro shop and get fitted? That's the best way to go about getting your own skates.

Big mistake! Get a very basic beginner boot and blade - the actual brand will depend largely on what the shop sells and on the shape of your feet. If you get a higher level, they will never feel comfortable, and you may well give up in despair long before you've had your money's worth out of them.

Truly, we do know what we're talking about!

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

well my feet are actually pretty wide, and the skate shops around my house mainly sell riedell which i heard run narrow. so what should i do?

Try on a pair and see how they feel!

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

Does 50 dollars seem like the right amount to buy beginner skates?

Go to the skate shop and get measured for both length AND width. Make a note of the brand and both sizes. (ie. Riedell 9 C) If they don't have the right size and width in stock, ask them to order them for you. You'll have to wait for them to arrive, but they'll be the right size. Don't let them sell you a longer length if you need a wider skate - it's a waste of money. You'll have to replace them too soon.

Pro shops usually include recommendations, measuring, correct sizing, initial sharpening, and initial sharpening in their price. Many have excellent customer service, for example: my old pro shop stretched skates for free if you bought them there; the new pro shop charges $20. Ask another adult skater for a recommendation.

For an adult, a GOOD used pair for $50 is okay; if they're new, they're too cheap to be useful.

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$50 is about the price of a new pair of Riedell Yellow Ribbon Skates which are the most basic of the beginner skates. You'll want at least a Blue Ribbon but probably not higher then a Gold Medallion. All the Ribbons and Medallions can be ordered with blades.

As for the width, Riedell does run narrow but they can be ordered in wide. Don't get a bigger size boot just because of the width. A good cobbler should be able to stretch the ball area of the boot almost an entire size if a wide is too narrow.

Don't dismiss the Riedells out of hand. I also have wide feet, and had heard the same thing, but I've just downgraded my skates, and have bought a pair of Riedells (Gold Medallion). I put them on in the shop and basically thought, "Oh my god, skates can feel comfortable." So I'd try them on and see how they feel before deciding they're too narrow. They come in different widths, so you might just need a wider boot.

And the reason I downgraded was because my previous boots (Gam 95s) were way too stiff for me. They were hindering my progress, as they always felt heavy and uncomfortable, and sometimes my feet hurt too much for me to do lessons properly. After almost 18 months skating in them they have no creases at all - so I'd say I've never properly broken them in. I've only had one lesson in my new boots, but my coach noticed an immediate difference.

I'm the perfect example of why you shouldn't get a stiffer boot than you need (though I think the fitter thought they were okay at the time <shrug>).

Goodness, yes - Husband has only just gone up to 95s (and isn't 100% certain this was a wise move, although our fitter recommended it), and I'm still in 75s and plan to stay in them!

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

I'd be cautious with RF4 for beginners, they're pretty hard stuff. They're supposed to hold up for axels.

what do you guys mean when the boot is stiff? and why is it bad for beginners?

You want support, not iron maidens that prevent you from moving.
Good skates have support built into the boots, which helps you stay upright and protect you from injury.
If you've tried rentals, you've probably felt your ankles bend and had trouble standing upright on the blades. That's what "weak" boots feel like.

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I'm going out on tuesday to try on some skates at the pro shop and am planning on getting either the white ribbon from riedell or the red ribbon. its a 50 dollar difference and as a beginner im not sure im going to notice much difference at all. so is it worth it for me to get the more expensive one? or should i just stick to the 50 dollar white ribbon skates? does anyone know alot about riedell that can help me?

Go for the Blue Ribbons if they have it - I assume you're a full-grown 19 year old. Unless you're very small and very thin, the White and Red ribbon skates won't last you more than a few months.

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I work in my rink's proshop fitting people for skates and we carry mostly Riedells. (I think we have only one pair of Jacksons and a couple of Risports in stock.) The white ribbons have very little padding and aren't meant to carry the weight of an adult skater; they break down very quickly. The red ribbons are a little better and come with a better blade, the spiral instead of the GR4, but they too would probably break down within a few months.

If you came into my shop, I would probably recommend the Bronze Medallion boot with the Excel or MK21blade. You can purchase the boot and blade together as a set and the blades come mounted. The Bronze Medallion is the first boot to come with a compressed leather sole, and the current model has a special stitch design on the outside ball area that is softer and more comfortable for the side of the foot that generally pushes the most against the skate. They are a little pricey, just under $250, but they would last all through Basics 1-8 or Adult 1-4 and a little beyond.

If money is an issue, the Blue Ribbon retails around $135 and comes standard with a Sapphire blade. The sole is a type of plastic and the brown coating can rub off onto your boot if your feet rub together so you might want to invest in boot covers or over-the-boot tights. It is a good beginner skate and can handle the weight of an adult. However, the boot and blade aren't really designed to handle most of the single jumps on an adult. They are recommended mostly for the basic skills levels.You can also check out the riedell site http://www.riedellskates.com/fit/boots.html They have a boot recommendation chart that might help.

Make sure that they measure both feet for the length and width. If they have a few pairs around your size but not in the model you want, go ahead and try them on and see what fits you best. If one size fits right in the length but not the width, then you know to order a wide. Skates should feel snug but not hurt or pinch. Your heel should not come off the bottom of the skate when you walk. Any riedell skate you get should be heat-moldable for a more personal fit if you need it. Your proshop should be able to help you with that.

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The blue ribbons wont be too advanced for me?