Hi!
I am changing my blades from Pattern 99 to Gold Seal and was wondering if anyone could advise how they are going or went with their Gold Seal K picks? I was told that they slip easily and was advised against buying them. Help please!!
(oh and I am learning axel and double jumps at the moment)
Thanks!! Also prompt replies definitely appreciated as I have to give my word on whether K pick or not very soon!
Cheers
Jo
K picks were designed to mask a picking issue.
K-picks seemed to be designed for the highest level skaters. If you are just working on an axel it doesn't seem worth the money at all.
Thanks to the replies.
What do you mean by it is masking a picking issue? Could you please explain?
Also I have already paid for a K-pick and even if I take the non k-pick version there won't be refund. So which should I get?
Skaters with poor picking technique - those who hammer, don't pick in straight back, pick in with picks at an angle - can benefit from k-picks because it widens the strike zone on the toe pick area. The angled pick-in is the main problem it masks - the skater can keep the poor picking technique because they now have extra metal to the left (or right) of the main toerake.
(http://www.skatingboutique.com/images/K%20Pick_04-1.jpg)
The k-pick option triples the width of the toe rake on this blade. A skater who has a tendency to pick in at an angle would now have a crutch at the side to help them grab the ice. It doesn't correct the technique issue, however.
hi thanks for that detailed explanation which is very handy. Someone told me that k-picks cause slippage. Do you think this is true?
They are supposed to be more stable.
Cross-cut picks can be more slippery to get used to, and these are cross-cut (though it's not the k-pick, but just the regular pick that is), but the idea behind them is that it gives you more angles you can pick at, it just picks a little less into the ice at every angle (because the cross prevents them from being as uniformly deep as a straight cut pick- but if you miss with a straight cut pick, you miss entirely).