Best way to pack skates for international travel?

[sk8great]

Anything special I need to do?

[fsk8r]

Mine always go in the suitcase with hard guards on. I also make sure the blades are pointing to the centre of the bag and are placed on top of a layer of clothes and have another layer on top to provide cushioning from the being thrown around of air travel.
I've had the soakers on with the blades pointing out before (the boots sit nicer together that way round) but discovered a small hole in my bag after the flight and I wouldn't be surprised if that was from a blade as they stick out the end of the soakers.
I also stuff the skates with other bits I'm packing as it uses otherwise wasted space.

[taka]

I second what fsk8r says. I've also been known to use pillowcases or the 1001 soft canvas shopping bags I seem to have accumulated to cover up my boots to protect them from any clothing zips/buttons etc too. Mind you my boots are now that scratched I don't bother anymore!

Not sure where you are flying to/from but within Europe you must pack them in your hold luggage as they are not permitted in hand luggage.

Enjoy your trip!

[blue111moon]

When I went to London last year, I packed my skates in my carry-on bag and, while they did get commented on when I went through Security in Boston, the TSA inspector let them pass.  I put the hard guards on and then covered those with big fluffly soakers that were really hard to get on and off.  I figured that would at least slow down anyone who wanted to use them as weapons.    It worked just fine. 

But, as has been said, flying within Europe is different and you do have to pack skates in checked baggage.  Some places are stricter than others;  coming home from Germany through Geneva, when I changed planes in Paris, French security had my checked bags taken to the departure gate and made me identify all the metal items inside from memory and explain where I got them.  And explaining why a fat old lady had come by ice skates, a trophy and a couple of medals at a skating competition wasn't easy!  The guard seemed determined that I was carrying them for someone else, until I dragged out the competition program and the results sheets and showed him my name!  I try not to fly through Paris anymore if I can help it. 

[AgnesNitt]

Flying, I recommend clean hard guards first then soaker over, and use twist ties front and back to secure them on. I usually stuff them with small stuff like gloves etc.  I always ship them in an old hard sided suitcase.

I don't wrap them in cases  in case someone regards that as suspicious.

I thought everyone had good suggestions, but fsk8r had some stuff I'd never thought of.