How to Tie Edea Skates Properly (tutorial)

[Arwen17]

Because this question gets asked SO MUCH online, I've created a tutorial video on how I lace my Edea skates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM-n5B_LsFw

The heel should be locked into place, despite loose ankles.

NOTE: if you do NOT have Edea skates, this tutorial does NOT apply to you. Edea skates are very, very different from any other brand of skates. That's why they require special instructions on how to lace them.


The first couple months in Edea were really rough and I hated them. But when I finally figured out how to tie them correctly, got the arch inserts in the right place, and as my ankles got stronger, things finally worked out and I love them now.
Hopefully, this tutorial will help others navigate their transition to Edea more smoothly.

Feel free to share this tutorial video any time someone posts the usual question of "omg the ankles are so loose! I can't skate in Edea!"

[Query]

Your video is very nice and clear.

Do I understand right from your video, and Edea's own site (https://ice.edeaskates.com/en/skaters-tips/lacing-properly) that Edea boots (except for the tongue) are less flexible than most skates? And that they break down quickly if you force them to flex as much as other major brands? So you need to fit loose most places so that the foot can flex without flexing the boot much?

Does this mean it is easier to get blisters in Edea boots? And that some people will never be comfortable or safe in these boots?

Personally I like the secure feeling of boots and shoes that move with me, with sufficient sideways resistance, and hug my ankles enough to keep me safe. Maybe because I used to have a lot of ankle sprains.

Is there an advantage to the Edea way of doing things? E.g., do you get tired less quickly because you don't have to bend the boot? Do you prefer that design?

I have always wondered about the fact that speed skaters (and racing cross country skiers) mostly have boots that give relatively little ankle support. I presume they too have to develop stronger ankle support muscles. Both have told me less ankle support lets them move faster.

A lot of hockey players go that way too, in part because high end hockey boots are extremely stiff to protect them from sticks and pucks - though that may also reflect the use of ultralight ultrastiff composite materials - which Edea also to some extent uses.

Whereas leather is used for some things because it can flex a lot, without breaking down very quickly, and still provide a fair bit of support. (That was something that Don Klingbeil once mentioned to me, as an argument for leather boots.) Though I wonder if that are some modern lighter weight composites that could do as well.

Rather than counting the same number of fingers worth of space for everyone, perhaps it makes sense to figure out how much your feet and ankles can safely flex, and make sure the boot helps you you stay within that personal safe range of motion - not just for Edea boots, but for any brand boot or shoe.

[Arwen17]

The extra ankle room lets me bend more, which makes it easier to point your toes and to jump better. But, before your ankles have strengthened, it just sucks.

I've never had a problem with blisters in Jackson or Edea. I think if the skate is fitted properly and you have thinner socks on, you shouldn't experience blisters in any skating brand.

Yes, except for the tongue, the Edea skate is like a solid brick (a very, very lightweight brick tho) lol. But I like that. I wanted more support. And with all the ankle room, you have plenty of flexibility, so it doesn't matter the rest of the boot is an unbending brick. (This is exactly why you can't overboot in Edea.)
The skate is super, super lightweight. So while it may be solid and inflexible, it's certainly not heavy.
There is ankle support in Edea, it's just less support than most skaters are used to when coming from other brands. It's not like I can fit an entire fist into my skate, it's only a few fingers.
Now that my ankle is strong enough, I never notice this difference in support anymore. One could argue this kind of skate will strengthen your ankle and therefore prevent injuries, compared to relying so much on the boot to hold you up.
I'm not sure if I would recommend these skates to obese people though. Their joints are already under enormous pressure because of the unhealthy weight, so it's probably better for them to have more supportive skates to try to offset that weight issue.

The only difference I've noticed in energy levels, is that I can go longer and achieve better positions because the skates are so much lighter. The amount of ankle support doesn't affect my energy levels at all, just the lightness of the boot.

Yes, if you try to keep the ankle tight (which is what I tried to do in the beginning because the lesser ankle support was freaking me out), you will wear out the tongue of the boot a lot faster. Plus, the skates will quickly loosen as you skate anyway because the skates know how they were designed to be tied.
I was retightening every 10min because of how fast they would loosen up.... until my coach told me to stop it, just get over it, and learn to adjust to the lesser ankle support.

Our entire rink, including our coaches, are wearing Edea now. I've never heard of anyone twisting an ankle in them. I've never even read on the internet about anyone twisting an ankle. Just lots of posts of people freaking out over the lack of ankle support. So I kinda don't think it's really possible if they're tied correctly.
There may be more space than people are comfortable with at first, but it doesn't seem be enough space to actually cause injury. Edea skates wouldn't have become so popular if people were experiencing that.

P.S. I'm not aiming for 3 fingers of space. That's simply how much people usually end up with if they tie the skates correctly. A lot of people have that extra space after tying and then think the skates are tied wrong because of all the extra space. I was trying to show that you will have that extra space after tying properly and it is correct.

[dlbritton]

Thanks for this information. I am considering Edea's for my next skates and probably would have been trying to tie them too tight.
I tend to do that with my current Riedell's.

One factor with me is I am a ski instructor and am used to having my ski boot clamped solidly to my foot all the way to the top. Being able to insert even 1 finger in the top of the boot indicates it is too loosely buckled. There are even cinch straps that go above the top buckle to allow you to remove any space at the tongue to the very top of the boot.

[Query]

With my limited flexibility, 3 finger widths space would likely allow an ankle/foot/leg sprain and/or strain, or a broken bone.

But I guess one could add something to take up space at the top.

That said, I'm still trusting what a an Edea rep told me some years back - between the fact that I am about halfway between their sizes, and my relatively wide toes, no Edea boot could fit me, even with their variant of heat molding.

But it's very interesting to know that Edea boots are designed to fit differently. And I wonder if the same applies to other ultralight boots, like the lightest Harlicks, which are supposed to be even lighter. Someone told me theirs hadn't lasted very long - but perhaps they tied them too tight?

dlbritton, I think all modern downhill skis have quick release bindings, which may to some extent compensate for tight fits. I.E., if the forces on the foot become too large, the release (hopefully) keeps you safe.

(As of a few decades ago, most cross country skis were fit more loosely, like hiking boots.)

[Arwen17]

But I guess one could add something to take up space at the top.

If you succeeded in doing something like that, it completely defeats the point of the Edea design, aka to give you more room for deeper bending and therefore better jump takeoffs. as well as making it easier to point your toes.

You can't strap yourself up in a straight jacket and expect to have better flexibility compared to the one who didn't do that.

[Query]

True - but if the foot/ankle breaks before my ankle touches the boot - as it would with that much space, at least for me - the boot has not done its job.

Ideally, the support a boot provides should match the individual's strength. Ideally, the space/flexibility that a boot allows should match the individual's safe range of motion.

Strengthening exercises can, to some extent, change the amount of support one needs. Stretching exercises, can to some extent,  alter what one's safe range of motion is. But, only to some extent. (I've tried to do both.) In the end, all of the characteristics of the boot, including support and flex, should still match the individual's body.

I've done stretching exercises like Yoga for at least 35 years, but my body just wasn't designed to be very flexible. I'm quite jealous of people who gain and keep flexibility easily, though I'm aware that such people have a different set of potential problems. A sane person would give up on sports like skating, where flexibility is such an advantage. Alas, I'm not sane.

So, if what you are saying is that Edea's design philosophy isn't appropriate for my feet and ankles, that's probably true.

On the other hand, a lot of people love Edea boots. So maybe that philosophy is very appropriate to some people's feet.

[Isk8NYC]

Thanks to the OP for the video tutorial.  Sorry the thread got side-tracked. 

Thread closed.