Adult newbie - Is this overbooted? It's this or nothing. Extremely large shins.

[MCsAngel2]

Hey all, I'm a 46 year old returning skater, after about a 30 year lay off. Rediscovered how much I loved skating. Went to a rink last month for the first time in 30 years! My mind remembers what to do, but my body sure doesn't. I am a complete newbie, struggling to find my balance.

The rental situation was interesting. Essentially, my shins are way, way too wide for standard sizes. I wound up with a size larger than my normal, just to be able to buckle the plastic straps. It felt like my legs were in a vise, and afterwards left me with some weird and concerning bruises farther up my leg. Meanwhile, my foot was swimming in the boot.

So, off to the pro shop I went! The first one (attached to another rink) was a dud. Fortunately my research turned up a legit shop and pro in my metro area. I had planned on trying to see if Jackson Artiste was available to customize (which it's not). So the pro (after talking to Jackson about options) recommended the Jackson Debut Fusion, the low cut (the dance boot). I was a bit surprised, as it's rated at 45, and I thought I'd be getting around a 30.

I am overweight; I weigh 175 and I'm 5'3". Ordered the skates last month, they should be coming in any time now. By the way, I'm a EE/E. I'm sure the reason he recommended the low cut is to hopefully help accomodate my large shins; not going to lie, I'm still pretty nervous that they won't fit properly. I did tell him I would do just about anything to get skates that would fit properly, just hoping I don't have to go pay to go the custom-custom route.

Over the last few weeks, I'm getting used to the idea of having a stiffer boot than anticipated. I'd kinda rather have the standard boot than the dance, but I'm trying not to be pessimistic about the fit (or not fitting, as the case may be).

I've not been able to find any posts on skating boards about boot fit problems due to large shins, like me. Anyone know of someone who's been in my situation?

Secondary is what ROH to have my blades sharpened to. I'm a bit nervous to start out at 1/2", and was thinking of starting at 5/8". Opinons?

[AgnesNitt]

I have calves like Easter hams.

I had custom Harlicks built and Phil (the fitter) told me I needed extra wide tongues. IN THEORY you could go to a shoe repair shop and they could sew leather wideners onto the boot tongues to get them to fit.

http://icedoesntcare.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-boot-report.html

[MCsAngel2]

Is that your blog? I found it a couple of weeks ago and am following it on Facebook now.

A wide tongue came up in our discussions. I suspect he asked Jackson to put one in; I asked about having to return the boots for other modifications and he said everything else that needs to be done will be done in the shop.

[DressmakingMomma]

My daughter doesn't have particularly large shins but she does have big calves and a pronounced Achilles tendon. She skate in full customs because she has other wonky foot features and one thing that is a MUST for her on ordering boots is a lower cut, dance style backstay. She has fantastic toe point, her calves are far more comfortable and the lower cut doesn't seem to effect support (she skates in Riedell Silver Stars, rated at stiffness of 90). You may end up very happy with that lower boot over a higher traditional cut.

[Loops]

I too returned after a 20 year hiatus.  Went with dance boots- because my old Riedels from the late 80's tore into my achilles like no ones business.  I will never go back to a "normal" backstay.

My guess is you're going to be just fine with the 45 stiffness- especially once you get your legs back.  Especially in Low Cut boots, I'm big- 5'8" and have always been hard on my boots- the old finesse (which is what you're buying in the new version) wasn't stiff enough.

Yay you!  And welcome back to the ice!!!!!

[tstop4me]

To OP:

(a) A Jackson stiffness of 45 should not be too excessive.  A very competent skate tech I know (no longer in my area, unfortunately) recommends the Jackson Freestyle skate as the go-to skate for adult beginners who are serious about getting into skating (assuming an appropriate fit for their feet).  The current women's Freestyle boot is rated 40/45 (not sure whether the two numbers indicate two models are available, or whether the stiffness is in between), about the same as the Debut Fusion Low Cut.  A big advantage of the Debut over the Freestyle is that the Debut is supplied as a boot only (you pick the blade that you want), whereas the Freestyle is supplied as a kit only (you pay for the attached Ultima blade, whether you want it or not).

(b) For initial ROH, you should probably go with 1/2", rather than 5/8".  I assume that you're concerned that your weight would require a larger ROH.  I know skaters in your approximate weight range who are fine with 1/2" or 7/16".  Also, as a beginner, it's better to sacrifice easier glide for better edge control.  Once you acquire more experience on the ice, you can play around with ROH on subsequent sharpenings to see what works best for you.

[MCsAngel2]

To OP:

(a) A Jackson stiffness of 45 should not be too excessive.  A very competent skate tech I know (no longer in my area, unfortunately) recommends the Jackson Freestyle skate as the go-to skate for adult beginners who are serious about getting into skating (assuming an appropriate fit for their feet).  The current women's Freestyle boot is rated 40/45 (not sure whether the two numbers indicate two models are available, or whether the stiffness is in between), about the same as the Debut Fusion Low Cut.  A big advantage of the Debut over the Freestyle is that the Debut is supplied as a boot only (you pick the blade that you want), whereas the Freestyle is supplied as a kit only (you pay for the attached Ultima blade, whether you want it or not).

(b) For initial ROH, you should probably go with 1/2", rather than 5/8".  I assume that you're concerned that your weight would require a larger ROH.  I know skaters in your approximate weight range who are fine with 1/2" or 7/16".  Also, as a beginner, it's better to sacrifice easier glide for better edge control.  Once you acquire more experience on the ice, you can play around with ROH on subsequent sharpenings to see what works best for you.

My tech initially suggested the Freestyle, then came back and suggested the Debut low cut after talking to Jackson. At that point I agreed with him, since the blade on the Freestyle is the Aspire, which is about two levels higher than what I wanted. I want to start on the Mark IV.  Maybe I'll go with the Freestyle the next time I need new skates (which should be quite a while).

You're right, I'm trying to find the right balance between my weight, and the fact that all the rinks I'll be skating on have hockey ice. Everything I've read says that for beginners, bigger ROH is better. Less grip/more glide means it's easier to learn skills like hockey stops. I just have vivid memories of when I skated as a teen, when I once got my skates sharpened and they were way too grippy. I'm literally still working on my balance and want to avoid tripping over my skates!

[masterblaster]

I am much heavier than you, a total beginner to skating this winter, have very large calves, and I did fine in a Jackson Elle Fusion (35 stiffness) and now the Gam Concept (45 stiffness.) They both fit well enough around my shins and the stiffness has not been an issue at all.

I also prefer a 15/32" ROH, and actually started off in a 7/16" not knowing it because that is how the shop sharpened my new skates. It was okay, despite being heavier. I found a 1/2" a little too glidey for my preference.

I think your set up should work out for you.

[tstop4me]

My tech initially suggested the Freestyle, then came back and suggested the Debut low cut after talking to Jackson. At that point I agreed with him, since the blade on the Freestyle is the Aspire, which is about two levels higher than what I wanted. I want to start on the Mark IV.  Maybe I'll go with the Freestyle the next time I need new skates (which should be quite a while).

The Freestyle doesn't come in a low cut.  So if your tech chose the Debut Low Cut to accommodate your shins, the Freestyle is not an option.  Besides, if the Debut Low Cut works out, you don't want to go to a lower model as you progress:  you either stay with it, or go to a more advanced model, when you need a replacement.

It's odd that you are shying away from the Freestyle because you think the attached Aspire XP is too high level.  Several skaters I know like the Freestyle boot, but want a better grade blade [prior to ~2015, the Freestyle was available as a boot only].  You should check with your fitter and coaches regarding a blade recommendation.  You don't need to start out with a rock bottom blade.  Also, if you take into account the cost of sharpening, a blade with a cheaper initial purchase price may end up costing more over the long term [cheaper blades are often produced with lower-grade steel and require more frequent sharpening].

[MCsAngel2]

The Freestyle doesn't come in a low cut.  So if your tech chose the Debut Low Cut to accommodate your shins, the Freestyle is not an option.  Besides, if the Debut Low Cut works out, you don't want to go to a lower model as you progress:  you either stay with it, or go to a more advanced model, when you need a replacement.

It's odd that you are shying away from the Freestyle because you think the attached Aspire XP is too high level.  Several skaters I know like the Freestyle boot, but want a better grade blade [prior to ~2015, the Freestyle was available as a boot only].  You should check with your fitter and coaches regarding a blade recommendation.  You don't need to start out with a rock bottom blade.  Also, if you take into account the cost of sharpening, a blade with a cheaper initial purchase price may end up costing more over the long term [cheaper blades are often produced with lower-grade steel and require more frequent sharpening].

I mean, the blade comparison chart I've looked at puts the Aspire as appropriate for skaters in Basic 7-8 through Freestyle 6. It's not a complete beginner blade, and I am relearning alllllllll the basic skills. Have you seen the pick on the Aspire?? I'd be tripping over that left and right. I might choose the Mirage instead of the Mark IV, but I'll take a look at both and see what the tech says.

In terms of the boot, I meant that the Freestyle and Debut Fusion seem to be the same level to me (same stiffness rating), and if fitting is not an issue as long as I get those semi-custom EEs, then I'm not *necessarily* needing to stay with the low cut (esp since there's only one other low cut and that's rated 80).

[DressmakingMomma]

If I remember right, you can't customize any of the boot/blade combos. I'm glad they have added the debut that can be customized with lower stiffness rating. The last time we ordered Jacksons the lowest boot we could get an ee width was the Premiere and my daughter just hated them - cried after every session so we ditched them after about 3 months. They were just too stiff for her even after multiple heat molds.

Is there a reason that you are trying to avoid the lower cut? I don't know anyone who switched to a lower cut that didn't end up loving it. Sometimes I think that is part of the big comfort appeal of the Edea boots.

[MCsAngel2]

If I remember right, you can't customize any of the boot/blade combos. I'm glad they have added the debut that can be customized with lower stiffness rating. The last time we ordered Jacksons the lowest boot we could get an ee width was the Premiere and my daughter just hated them - cried after every session so we ditched them after about 3 months. They were just too stiff for her even after multiple heat molds.

Is there a reason that you are trying to avoid the lower cut? I don't know anyone who switched to a lower cut that didn't end up loving it. Sometimes I think that is part of the big comfort appeal of the Edea boots.

No, no reason. I'm not expecting to hate them or anything, it's just that there are more choices amongst all brands in standard boots. And remember, I'm coming back to skating after 30 years. I didn't even know there WAS such a thing as a low cut boot.

Your poor daughter. What boot did she switch to??

[DressmakingMomma]

Riedell customs. I'm a bit of a superfan since Dan and Lee from Riedell saved her skating, she was on the verge of quitting. We went to the factory in Red Wing, MN four different times but it was absolutely worth it because her boots are perfect. A plus for her was that their custom price includes all options so she was able to add in fun designs at no extra cost.