Trying on Ice Fly Tomorrow

[davincisop]

So I'm not sure if I ever posted about the foot issue I had that had me off the ice for a few weeks and then babying my foot for a few more, but I was at first diagnosed with sesmoiditis, which has now been determined to not be the issue and rather just a bursa in between the sesmoid bones. So I got to go back into skating harder.

I told myself if I lost 30 pounds (to start), I could look at getting new boots. I've had my Jacksons for 4 years now and they're causing a lot of foot pain now, yay breakdown. I unfortunately haven't lost any weight (diet and exercise woes, don't need to go into them here, but I'm working on it) but my friend ordered two pairs to try on. She and I are the same foot size, so she's letting me try the ones she ordered in on for size so I can see how they feel! She tried another skater's pair just to see what they felt like off ice a few weeks ago and ran to me excited and ready to order. So I am excited to try them on! I won't be purchasing until I drop the weight, but if I like the boot, then that is extra incentive to get my butt moving. And if they don't work for my feet, I can look into another Jackson boot for when I've dropped. But I look at it now as if they work for my feet, then YAY and time to really kick things into gear, and if they don't, I know ahead of time and can start planning for different boots.

Wish me luck!

[skategeek]

Good luck!  Sounds like a great opportunity to try them out!

[davincisop]

Verdict is in: when I lose 30 pounds, these will be my next boots.

I got to try my friends' on and even though they were a size too small, they felt amazing. 1000x comfier than my current boots. My fitter said he's going to order in the sizes for me to try (he's building up stock) but he also knows I'm waiting to purchase. But he wants me to see what a perfect fitting boot will feel like.

[Neverdull44]

Did you skate a few laps in them, or just try them on at the bench?

I ask because my Ice Flies felt great in the store, but my issues came after 10 minutes on the ice when I had extreme lactic acid buildup in my foot muscles.

Did you look into custom orthotics for your skates in the meantime?  Your insurance might pay for them.  I have alot of foot issues, and these custom orthotics were the answer.  Not the Ice Flies.

[davincisop]

No, only on the bench and they were a size too small, so they're ordering in my size to try.

I massage my arches before every session so my feet don't cramp, and already have orthotics. My skates are 4+ years old, breaking down, and never fit perfectly (heel too wide). It's time for new skates and I'm ready for the break in.

[Doubletoe]

Did you skate a few laps in them, or just try them on at the bench?

I ask because my Ice Flies felt great in the store, but my issues came after 10 minutes on the ice when I had extreme lactic acid buildup in my foot muscles.

Did you look into custom orthotics for your skates in the meantime?  Your insurance might pay for them.  I have alot of foot issues, and these custom orthotics were the answer.  Not the Ice Flies.

THIS.  EXACTLY.  Due to the narrowness of these boots (even after stretching), they started to cut off the circulation to my toes and make my arches cramp after 10-15 minutes of skating.  It's an expensive trial, especially since these boots take a shorter blade than any other boot and you're out the cost of boots AND blades if they don't work for you.  If your feet are A width in the ball (front) of the foot and your instep isn't very high, you should be fine.  Otherwise, buyer beware.

[davincisop]

I spoke at length with my fitter. He said the boots come in a C width and can be stretched and pinched in as needed. He did it on one of his students who has a very wide forefoot and a very very narrow (AAA) heel and they worked perfectly for her.

I trust his judgment, he knows his stuff. My friend has similar feet to me (just one size smaller), so I will get to see how they work for her over the coming weeks.

Plus, I've already had extreme foot issues in my current skates, I'm pretty sure it's not going to get worse with this boot. Though I appreciate hearing your experiences with them.

[sarahspins]

I spoke at length with my fitter. He said the boots come in a C width and can be stretched and pinched in as needed. He did it on one of his students who has a very wide forefoot and a very very narrow (AAA) heel and they worked perfectly for her.

I also have a super wide ball and I had someone basically try to convince me recently that Edea should be my next boots since they do come in a C width and can easily be stretched to an E - I don't known that I truly believe that, but I am at the point with my harlicks that I just can't take the pressure on my taylor's bunions any more (I've tried having them punched, but we can't get the punch in the right spot since it's so close to the sole so it hasn't really helped any) and I'm probably going to go back to my old boots for a while and buy something else fairly soon. 

I was happy with my Jacksons and didn't have any fit or foot issues, but they discontinued the boot I was wearing.  I didn't want to order a custom to basically get what I had, but now I'm kind of wishing I had... I kept hoping that my harlicks just weren't broken in yet and would get better but after 6 months and my feet just hurting more and it's clear it's not getting better.

[rd350]

Oh this scares me.  I waited 15+ weeks now for my custom Harlicks.  If I have issues with them I will flip!

Ommmmm..... not going to happen.... ommmm.... they will be perfect.... ommmmm.....

[davincisop]

Yeah, my fitter said with the Edeas, it takes a skilled person to really get the fit perfect, but that he was able to stretch the boot of one of his skaters to my width. He looked at my feet and said there'd be no issues.

I have a picture of the boots on my fridge so I don't mindlessly snack and I stick to my workout plan. I want them SO badly. Especially with all the issues I'm having with my current boots. When I first got my Jacksons they were WONDERFUL. I'd gone from an ill fitting, too long, too narrow Reidell skate (fitted at 13, feet shrunk, lost weight, in Florida so options were incredibly limited) to a boot that felt amazing when I put it on. Now since it's breaking down, that's not the case and they hurt.

I'm excited to see how Edea will be for me. Trying them on I'm already hopeful and excited. So with any luck, I'll be in them by the end of February. If I am able to lose the 30 pounds sooner, then I can get adjusted to them before my test. Otherwise I'll wait until after.

[sarahspins]

Oh this scares me.  I waited 15+ weeks now for my custom Harlicks.  If I have issues with them I will flip!

Ommmmm..... not going to happen.... ommmm.... they will be perfect.... ommmmm.....

Honestly, in every other regard they are fine, and I do still have  a couple of other things to try (including basically whittling myself a block out of wood to force into position to help push the boot out in the place I need it since punching isn't working - that will be my project over the holiday break in a few weeks) and the last thing I'll try is sending them to Harlick to have them try to fix this for me.

It's just frustrating because it's gone from a "hmm, that's kind of uncomfortable" at first to an "OMG my feet are dying" kind of thing if I have my skates on for more than about an hour... less than that and it seems to be fine, and I rarely skate for more than an hour when I'm just practicing, so if I am on the ice longer it's when I am teaching, which also means I am not moving as much, which seems to make it worse - my feet definitely hurt less the more I'm moving, it's almost as if they are simply subjected to more pressure in that specific spot on both feet while I am standing around.  It's weird also because my boots are not particularly tight around the ball of my foot either and I'm not lacing them up super tight over the top of my foot.

[rd350]

Wow, that sounds really frustrating.  I hope you get it worked out.  Do you have another pair of skates to wear if you need to send them back for tweaking?

I am already frustrated with the wait (supposed to be 6-9 weeks - it is over 15 weeks now, and, I don't even know if they shipped them as promised as I never heard back.)

[irenar5]

Oh this scares me.  I waited 15+ weeks now for my custom Harlicks.  If I have issues with them I will flip!

Ommmmm..... not going to happen.... ommmm.... they will be perfect.... ommmmm.....

Be prepared for some issues.   Even though they are custom, they might still require some punching or adjustment. 

[sarahspins]

Be prepared for some issues.   Even though they are custom, they might still require some punching or adjustment.

Yep, this is a very common misconception, that custom = no problems whatsoever once you get your boots.  Generally customs will fit better than stock boots, but more often than not they still require punching and other slight fit adjustments.

[Loops]

Sarahspins I hope you can get your boots sorted though. What a drag to be still suffering this far in. From what I've heard on these forums though, Harlick will make it right. Just may take some time.....

Good luck to you and Davincisop on getting your skates sorted out!

[techskater]

Yep, this is a very common misconception, that custom = no problems whatsoever once you get your boots.  Generally customs will fit better than stock boots, but more often than not they still require punching and other slight fit adjustments.

That depends.  My customs fit perfectly for several pair.  I've only had one that required adjustment. 

[Neverdull44]

Boots are like boats.   There's going to be a problem.  Even if they are brand new customs, there is still a good chance going to be a problem.

Sarah, I'm thinking of your arches.   The "Yellowfeet", but in the black version.  If that doesn't work . . . . try custom orthotics.  I'm telling you, I am finally soon happy in my Edeas with custom orthotics.  What's under my arch is so supportive, that I can't push it down.  It's like a metal shank holding up my arch.   

[TreSk8sAZ]

Yep, this is a very common misconception, that custom = no problems whatsoever once you get your boots.  Generally customs will fit better than stock boots, but more often than not they still require punching and other slight fit adjustments.

While this may be true for some, I have never had to punch out a boot or do anything other than heat mold (and that was on non-customs). I have had several pair that have been great without any modifications. I think it truly depends on your fitter and how complicated your foot issues are. Is there a chance they won't be perfect, yes. But is that going to be the case every time or even most of the time? From my friends and those I know who have gone that route, probably not.

[rd350]

@TreSk8sAZ Harlicks?

I did go out to a fitter no so close, after much research and I think understood my feet.  He also works with Elite skaters and is crazy busy all year round.

[sarahspins]

While this may be true for some, I have never had to punch out a boot or do anything other than heat mold (and that was on non-customs). I have had several pair that have been great without any modifications. I think it truly depends on your fitter and how complicated your foot issues are. Is there a chance they won't be perfect, yes. But is that going to be the case every time or even most of the time? From my friends and those I know who have gone that route, probably not.

Interestingly enough, I didn't have to punch the last two pairs of stock boots I've had and aside from the foam issue (allergy) on my first pair of Jacksons I really had no problems with either pair, but the prior pair of SP Teri customs and now my Harlicks have required punching... and in completely different places.  Different boots, different problems.

I'm not trying to say that everyone is ALWAYS going to have to punch customs, just that it's naive to assume that customs automatically mean a perfect fit every time.  For some it may, others may need to address some issues - minor OR major.

Neverdull44 - I'm not sure what my arches have to do at all with my skates pressing on my taylor's bunions.. this isn't a footbed support issue at all - what is causing the problem is pressure on the top/outside of my little toe joint.  Unfortunately for me that joint (on both feet) is now very inflamed, which only makes things worse.  Time off in a couple of weeks may help, and I'm not out of options, it's just frustrating because the easy/obvious solutions haven't helped much.

[TreSk8sAZ]

@TreSk8sAZ Harlicks?

I did go out to a fitter no so close, after much research and I think understood my feet.  He also works with Elite skaters and is crazy busy all year round.

I've never had to punch out or do anything to my Harlicks - stock or custom. GAMs were the only ones I had to do anything with.

[sarahspins]

I finally got some cheap gel bunionette pads from amazon and my feet were MUCH happier after 2 1/2 hours on the ice today... no pain at all when I took my skates off.  Why oh why didn't I just do that sooner