Heel Slipping Advice

Hi, I'm looking on some advice on how to keep my heels from slipping in my skates. I got my skates about 6 months ago and for the first 3 months or so, I didn't have any issues, but then I started having trouble with my heels slipping up and down a bit. If I tie them super tight, they don't slip, but then my toes get numb and that doesn't seem good either. It's hard to get them tight enough on the top part. It seems like the tongue of the skate isn't very stiff anymore although the ankles and heels are still stiff the way they were when I first got them. Also the padding on the inside above my heel seems like it's been squished down. Just wondering if this is normal. They are the Riedell Stride for reference. Any advice on what to do? Would heat molding help? I never had them heat molded when I first got them. Would that make them conform to the shape of my heels a little more?

I suspect I might need a slightly narrower heel, but I can't afford new skates right now and I'm hoping to get a little more use out of them since they're only 6 months old, although I think I'm going to need an upgrade sooner than I'd hoped due to my progress being faster than expected. I guess that's good news I'm improving, but bad news for my bank account. I will definitely ask the skate tech/coach at my rink for help when it's time for an upgrade, but I'm hoping for some advice for the meantime. Thanks in advance!

I have this exact problem and have for my last couple pairs of skates. My fitter talked to riedell for some advice, and in my last pair of skates, I went to a AAA heel with extra padding built into the ankle area to make sure it stays locked in place. I’ve only had those skates a couple months and I’m having some heel slippage. My coach says she’s always had slight movement in the heel, but sometimes it feels more than slight which makes it uncomfortable for me.

There are some different tying techniques that people have suggested on another thread, but it didn’t help for me. (It might have been another forum; I did a lot of searching for how to fix this issue last year.). I would caution about tying them too tight though. Not just for the issues you mentioned you were having, but I was doing the same thing and I think I ended up irritating the tendons or ligaments right in front of my ankle bone which made edges painful.

There are two different types of bunga pads I’ve used which have helped. There is an Achilles’ tendon bunga pad which has gel from the back of heel up your ankle and fits like an open sock. The gel helps to fill up extra space. Or there is the regular bunga pad sleeve that you can place on your ankle. I place it so it covers my ankle bones, and it helps a lot. The second option is a bit cheaper because you just need one that you cut in half and use for both feet, and I don’t like the feel of the sock Achilles’ tendon pad.

I’m wondering if the heel space shape of reidell’s is too big for my heel. I got the reidell fit bed for their arch supports and it has a heel lift wedge that is supposed to help slippage. I was going to try that to see if it helped, but I sprained my ankle hiking last week and haven’t had a chance.

Anyway, good luck with yours! I’d give the bunga pads a try and experiment with their placement. One fitter suggested I wear the bunga sleeve over my heel while I was still in my old skates and waiting for the new ones to come in. It was uncomfortable for me, but it might work for you.

(1) First confirm (with either a skate tech or with Riedell) whether the Stride is even heat moldable. Assuming it is, did you buy it from a local shop that does heat molding? In my area, if you buy boots from a local pro shop, they generally include multiple heat moldings at no extra charge. If you buy them elsewhere, the charge is ~$50 each time. Since you are trying to save money, and heat molding may or may not solve your problem, take that into consideration.

(2) Foam linings will flatten out with use; in particular, the foam lining of your tongues. Here's a quick, inexpensive fix to try. Insert a liner in between your tongue and foot: this will push the heel of your foot more securely into the heel of the boot. For the initial liner to try out, use soft polyurethane foam. You may have some lying about that was used for packing material. Otherwise try craft stores, fabric stores, or upholstery stores (cheap if they sell remnants). Buy foam 1/4" and 3/8" thick. Try liners of both thicknesses. Cut a ~rectangular piece. The width should be ~1/2" less than the width of the tongue. The length should be such that the front starts ~2" in back of the ball of your foot [you don't want the liner to extend too far forward, otherwise you'll put excess pressure on your toes] and ends ~1/2" below the top of your tongue. Before you lace up, make sure the laces are very loose such that you can open the tongue fully. Insert your foot into the boot. Then insert the liner between the tongue and your foot; lace up as you do normally. If this works, report back, and I'll provide instructions for making a more durable liner (bare cheap foam won't hold up under extended use).

tstop4me said:

(1) First confirm (with either a skate tech or with Riedell) whether the Stride is even heat moldable.

Click to expand...

Stride is heat moldable - it was the first non-recreational skate that my skater had and we went through 2 pairs.

To the OP - aside from performance and comfort issues, it is important to fix your heel slippage because in extreme cases you can aggravate your heel so badly from the up and down rubbing that you end up with something called a Haglund's deformity.

SmallAminal said:

Stride is heat moldable - it was the first non-recreational skate that my skater had and we went through 2 pairs.

To the OP - aside from performance and comfort issues, it is important to fix your heel slippage because in extreme cases you can aggravate your heel so badly from the up and down rubbing that you end up with something called a Haglund's deformity.

Click to expand...

I ended up with Haglund’s from my first pair of skates from heels slipping and it was the WORST. Things are much better now but it took a lot of pain, money, and trial and error. It was insane how quickly the bumps grew in size.

tstop4me said:

(1) First confirm (with either a skate tech or with Riedell) whether the Stride is even heat moldable. Assuming it is, did you buy it from a local shop that does heat molding? In my area, if you buy boots from a local pro shop, they generally include multiple heat moldings at no extra charge. If you buy them elsewhere, the charge is ~$50 each time. Since you are trying to save money, and heat molding may or may not solve your problem, take that into consideration.

(2) Foam linings will flatten out with use; in particular, the foam lining of your tongues. Here's a quick, inexpensive fix to try. Insert a liner in between your tongue and foot: this will push the heel of your foot more securely into the heel of the boot. For the initial liner to try out, use soft polyurethane foam. You may have some lying about that was used for packing material. Otherwise try craft stores, fabric stores, or upholstery stores (cheap if they sell remnants). Buy foam 1/4" and 3/8" thick. Try liners of both thicknesses. Cut a ~rectangular piece. The width should be ~1/2" less than the width of the tongue. The length should be such that the front starts ~2" in back of the ball of your foot [you don't want the liner to extend too far forward, otherwise you'll put excess pressure on your toes] and ends ~1/2" below the top of your tongue. Before you lace up, make sure the laces are very loose such that you can open the tongue fully. Insert your foot into the boot. Then insert the liner between the tongue and your foot; lace up as you do normally. If this works, report back, and I'll provide instructions for making a more durable liner (bare cheap foam won't hold up under extended use).

Click to expand...

Thanks, the pro shop at my rink does do heat molding. I can't remember how much they said it was, but there might have been a discount. I'll probably hold off for now.

I'm gonna try putting the foam in. I'm hopeful because the skates seemed to fit well and the lining on the tongue is definitely worn down. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks!

You can heat mold it with a hairdryer. I had the strides at one point and I would spot remold them when they started to slip. But there really is no long term solution if the heels are too loose. The heel is the hardest part of the boot to reshape. When buying boot next I would get them fitted for your heel first and then get the other parts shaped to fit.

tstop4me said:

(1) First confirm (with either a skate tech or with Riedell) whether the Stride is even heat moldable. Assuming it is, did you buy it from a local shop that does heat molding? In my area, if you buy boots from a local pro shop, they generally include multiple heat moldings at no extra charge. If you buy them elsewhere, the charge is ~$50 each time. Since you are trying to save money, and heat molding may or may not solve your problem, take that into consideration.

(2) Foam linings will flatten out with use; in particular, the foam lining of your tongues. Here's a quick, inexpensive fix to try. Insert a liner in between your tongue and foot: this will push the heel of your foot more securely into the heel of the boot. For the initial liner to try out, use soft polyurethane foam. You may have some lying about that was used for packing material. Otherwise try craft stores, fabric stores, or upholstery stores (cheap if they sell remnants). Buy foam 1/4" and 3/8" thick. Try liners of both thicknesses. Cut a ~rectangular piece. The width should be ~1/2" less than the width of the tongue. The length should be such that the front starts ~2" in back of the ball of your foot [you don't want the liner to extend too far forward, otherwise you'll put excess pressure on your toes] and ends ~1/2" below the top of your tongue. Before you lace up, make sure the laces are very loose such that you can open the tongue fully. Insert your foot into the boot. Then insert the liner between the tongue and your foot; lace up as you do normally. If this works, report back, and I'll provide instructions for making a more durable liner (bare cheap foam won't hold up under extended use).

Click to expand...

I am going to try that T-T
And I just bought my new skates two months ago.....
my right foot's heel always slip and I overcompensate it and now I am growing a bunion on top of my right foot.