Help me help my new boots! Slippy heel.

[MCsAngel2]

Yay, the boots came in yesterday. Went skating today. Other than being out of shape and like, learning to keep my balance and get around with not falling, pretty good.

I had a panic last night when I tried them on again at home and they were SO TIGHT and my feet were cramping immediately and my larger foot's big toe was  pushing against the boot. Calmed down after googling some more, broke out the hair dryer this morning, did a trick where I put some padding in front of that toe when I put the boot on while it cooled. Skated with no socks at all, redid the laces so they were looser over the instep, and all was well.

Except my right foot is smaller and my heel is slipping. Right away. Went and got some makeup sponges last night and played around with it, and they work pretty well, but not perfectly.

Went skating today, and after awhile when I was warmed up, it began slipping again.

It's not a huge problem right now. I'm literally just going around in circles. I can't do crossovers, I'm not even doing swizzles. But I have to find something else to add to help. I'll add more sponges if I have to but I have to think there's something else I can get.

I know I should send it back to Jackson. If I do that, I can't skate at all. We are in the height of public skating season where I am, one rink has wednesday nights until the end of May, and Tuesday nights until August. After that I'll only be able to skate on Fri nights, Sat, or Sun. The rink will Tues nights has an adult LTS starting in June and I am thinking of doing that. So I want to hold out until August if I can. Maybe I'll email Jackson to see if they'll help me still if I wait that long.

If I were single, I'd just actually pay the money and order new boots NOW with the changes I know I need. But it was already over $500 (I had to go semi custom because I'm an EE and needed an extra wide tongue) and there's no way my husband would go for that.

Has anyone got suggestions?

[Bill_S]

Recently someone here with a similar problem recommended a padded heel sleeve for skates that are too big...

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=achilles+heel+padded+sleeve&crid=20DOWWS1TSAQ1&sprefix=Achilles-Heel-Sleeve%2Caps%2C166&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_20

Maybe they can chime in about their experiences with them, but they are inexpensive enough to try.

EDIT: Agnes had a post on her blog a few years back called "Super Fitting Your Boot". There are some good tips there...

http://icedoesntcare.blogspot.com/2014/08/super-fitting-your-boot.html

[MCsAngel2]

My issue specifically is that the heel is too wide. I put a bit of sponge in the back under the achilles and that part is fine. Just trying to pad out the side now. The sleeve looks like a good idea. If I can't find one that has padding on the sides, maybe a plain sleeve will hold some homemade padding.

[AgnesNitt]

Don't order new boots just for a heel. I've had two pair of FULL CUSTOMs made and the heel of the right boot(s) are always wrong. Order new boots for a forefoot that's too narrow, but even with full customs there's no guarantee they'll get the heel right. A gel tube is a universal figure skating solution. Just make sure when you put it on, that you put the edge that goes under the foot at the far back of your heel when it passes under.

[Loops]

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=achilles+heel+padded+sleeve&crid=20DOWWS1TSAQ1&sprefix=Achilles-Heel-Sleeve%2Caps%2C166&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_20

Maybe they can chime in about their experiences with them, but they are inexpensive enough to try.

This is me. I have full customs (Jackson's). These little sleeves are great. Cheaper than silipos and fit over the heel without folds/ lumps/bumps. I got a two pack and one pair has served me the season. Maybe even will still be good for next. Who knows. I wear them under my socks, but would probably work on top of socks too.

Definitely worth a try. Much better than losing ice time and/ or forking over for new skates that may not solve the problem.

[MCsAngel2]

This is me. I have full customs (Jackson's). These little sleeves are great. Cheaper than silipos and fit over the heel without folds/ lumps/bumps. I got a two pack and one pair has served me the season. Maybe even will still be good for next. Who knows. I wear them under my socks, but would probably work on top of socks too.

Definitely worth a try. Much better than losing ice time and/ or forking over for new skates that may not solve the problem.

Which ones did you use? The ZenToes or CRS? And are they padded on the side as well as the back?

[Loops]

I bought the cheapest silicone heel sleeves I could.  I wasn't about to spend more than necessary. 

This is the product the pricing seems to vary, this is the cheapest version I found without spending too much time, and seems pretty reasonable. Definitely look around amazon (or Alibaba?) and see if you can't find it cheaper though:

https://www.amazon.com/Silicone-Protector-Plantar-Fasciitis-Support/dp/B075VPZ2R1/ref=pd_sbs_121_2/134-5137676-3170412?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B075VPZ2R1&pd_rd_r=16f5ee5e-70dd-11e9-acff-01df0530b2b5&pd_rd_w=7ufSs&pd_rd_wg=c1Q4C&pf_rd_p=588939de-d3f8-42f1-a3d8-d556eae5797d&pf_rd_r=VY8P3Y1VM47MN2RHSPBJ&psc=1&refRID=VY8P3Y1VM47MN2RHSPBJ