Another newbie question...sharpening?

[jlspink22]

If my daughter skates 4-5 hours a week, how often do I need to sharpen her skate blades?

I'm noticing she's slipping during lessons.

[PhysicsOnIce]

This depends on her blades and what hollow she likes, but typically 20 to 40 hours is recommended to keep the"just sharpened feeling". The best way to determine if they need to be sharpened is to look at the blade if they are not  uniformly "satin" looking they probably need to be sharpened.   

[jlspink22]

They are Mark IV blades, nothing fancy, but I looked at the bottom and they definitely do not look like satin anymore.

Probably way way overdue on the sharpening.

This depends on her blades and what hollow she likes, but typically 20 to 40 hours is recommended to keep the"just sharpened feeling". The best way to determine if they need to be sharpened is to look at the blade if they are not  uniformly "satin" looking they probably need to be sharpened.

[sampaguita]

If they are slipping then they are due for sharpening. You can also try the fingernail test: run your fingernail across the side of the blade. If the blade takes part of the cuticle off, it's still sharp.

The sharpening schedule depends on a lot of factors: ice temperature and blade care (using blade guards, drying them properly, etc) are just two of them. I think sometimes it also depends on what skills the skater is doing.

[fsk8r]

If they are slipping then they are due for sharpening. You can also try the fingernail test: run your fingernail across the side of the blade. If the blade takes part of the cuticle off, it's still sharp.

I can slip on my blades and still pass the cuticle test for being sharp. I go on the feel on the ice, but aim for somewhere between 6 weeks and 3 months and I skate a similar number of hours. I prefer to keep my blades sharp as there's less readjustment than if you let them get a little too blunt.

[jlspink22]

I had them sharpened yesterday. Being she is under 40 lbs, it seems that if her blades are at all dull, her little legs have to work even harder at not slipping and gripping the ice. Which means she slips, and can't even do basic edges properly.

[fsk8r]

It's not just weight it's experience. A higher level skater knows to just bend their knees more. Being younger (and less experienced) she doesn't necessarily appreciate that she just needs to bend her knees to grip the ice and might not have the necessary technique yet.
Hopefully as she becomes more experienced she can notice the difference in the blades and can tell you when they need doing.