On Frozen Pond

September 16, 2011 8:29 AM

I'm looking for reccommendations for ice skates to buy.

I want to ice skate for excercise and probably take some lessons in November - December (i took a few lessons as a kid and my parents would take me to leisure skate so I can do basic forward skating, not so much backwards). I haven't owned my own skates in a while and I would like to buy a pair of figure skating style skates. What are some good mid-level options? Are there any brands in figure skates comprable to the hockey skate brands?

posted by WeekendJen to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total)

At our local rink the director of the skating school has a rather large collection of used figure skates that he sells and rebuys to learning skaters. That might be a way to try out various brands / models / sizes without a big $ commitment.
posted by ghharr at 8:52 AM on September 16, 2011

Riedell is a good brand of boot for beginners on up, and Rinkmaster is a good beginner blade. S-P Teri is more expensive than Riedell.

If you can say where you are located, we might be able to recommend pro shops, such as Skaters Paradise in the D.C. area.
posted by jgirl at 9:02 AM on September 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I'm in Philadelphia, PA. I'm right across the bridge from Camden county NJ if anyone wants to reccommend shops in that area. I have fuzzy memories of that being the area I most went to as a child for skating stuff.
posted by WeekendJen at 9:06 AM on September 16, 2011

If this is just for recreational use, not actual figure skating, I'd strongly endorse buying soft skates compared to hard boot ones. They're warmer and far more comfortable. Best innovation cross-over from rollerblading ever. Hockey-style blades (no picks) are much easier to skate with too, especially if you are not a very experienced skater.
posted by bonehead at 9:49 AM on September 16, 2011 [1 favorite]