Ice skates

What Kind of Skates Should I Buy?

For the beginner skater, the Easy Gliders are a great choice; these are skates that attach to shoes using plastic straps. It’s important for children to be low to the ice to help strengthen their ankles. As children grow older and become proficient on the Easy Gliders, they are ready for real skates. For individuals with weak ankles, there are hard, high boots that provide ankle support. For those with stronger ankles, there are low, soft-boots speed skates.

Children’s Skates

For beginner children, the Easy Gliders are ideal. These are attached to shoes and are designed to give children enough grip. By starting with these skates, children learn to maintain their balance and strengthen their ankles. Once children have improved their skating skills, they can transition to skates with a high, hard boot, which offers significant support to prevent ankle sprains. These skates come in speed skate, figure skate, and ice hockey styles. Some of these skates are adjustable in size, allowing them to be used even as children’s shoe sizes increase.

Speed Skates

The most well-known skates are speed skates. These have long blades and are suitable for long distances, allowing for high speeds. The most common type features a low, leather boot, which is suited for people with strong ankles, as it offers minimal support. For those with weaker ankles, there are speed skates with hard, high boots, which provide less freedom of movement but prevent ankle sprains. These are also known as combi skates. Speed skates are used by athletes on 400-meter tracks and are ideal for technique training.

Figure Skates

Figure skates are designed for making graceful movements and are not suitable for long distances. Because of the short blades, many short strokes are required, making them tiring for long skating sessions. The blades of figure skates have toe picks at the front, allowing for easy stops and tricks. Their short blades give figure skates a small turning radius, enabling easy turns.

Ice Hockey Skates

Ice hockey skates are also equipped with short blades, allowing for quick accelerations. These skates have a very small turning radius, which is necessary for the quick movements in hockey. They always feature a hard, high boot to support the ankles during gameplay. Like figure skates, they are not suitable for long distances for the same reason.

Combi Skates/Roller Skates

For children, our selection includes skates that can be converted to roller skates. These have a high, hard boot and can be transformed from skate to roller by removing the wheels and adding blades, and vice versa. These boots are adjustable in size, allowing for long-term use.

Tip

Always dry the skates after use, which can easily be done with an old towel. This prevents rust on the blades.

If you have any questions about the skates, feel free to ask our customer service.