When to upgrade skates and blades | Golden Skate

When to upgrade skates and blades

cashley

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 5, 2009
Hi everyone!

I'm just wondering when is the time to think about upgrading my boots and blades? I currently have the Edea Overture boot with the Ultima Mark IV blades that came with them. I've read the the boots are ok up to single Axel but not sure what level the blades are most suitable for. I've had them for nearly 2 years now but they aren't yet broken down - still going well.

However my query is when to upgrade to the next level of boots and blades? I'm currently working on single lutz (progressed through waltz jump, salchow, toe loop, loop and flip). In spins I'm working on getting consistency in camel, sit spin and back spin and just started on broken leg and catch foot. I'm an adult so no worries of outgrowing boots etc.

I suppose I'm wondering whether it's advisable to wait till Axel to replace the boots/blades or whether people tend to replace them before so as to get them broken in etc. I would like to buy new blades with my next set of boots just in case I need a different size or anything!

Also for the next set of boots - assuming I stay with Edea as they seem to fit well - would I be better going to the Chorus or the Ice Fly? I'm not expecting to ever be doing triples or anything but I'm just wondering whether adults usually go for the stiffer boot?

I'll be going to a fitter to get the boots and blades so I will get their advice as well. I'm just really doing some initial wondering and researching now.

Many thanks in advance for any advice you can give me! :)
 

likevelvet

#Bless this mess
On the Ice
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Country
United-States
Your coach is the best resource on this.

Buuuut.... as a kid, it was important, in my experience, to be in a boot that was exactly at the level of the elements I was working on. We never wanted to overboot because we tried booting up one level and it made it so I didn't want to skate. The boot was so much harder to break in. But as an adult, overbooting is less of an issue. Being fully grown, you can still work lower-level elements in a boot that's stiffer than you strictly need, and since you don't have to worry about them not fitting you in half a year, you can invest. In your position, though, if my boots were not yet even broken in, let alone broken down, and if I weren't working an element that really required a higher level boot? I'd probably wait a while. Just to get my money's worth. :biggrin:

Like I said, though, for your next pair you can kind of go all in. There are lots of adults at my rink doing singles or MIF in Ice Flies, but keep in mind that you'll definitely want to be fitted for them if you consider them, because they are much more heavily padded than Edea's lower-level boots. People sometimes don't go from Edea's lower level boots to their higher level ones as easily as they might expect because of the shaping. Choruses would absolutely be sufficient for you. I encourage you to try them both on, as well as other options, and make that decision in the context of your training only when the time comes.

Good luck!
 

vlaurend

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
If you're in the Overtures now and working on the lutz, I'd move up to the Chorus when your current pair of boots starts breaking down.
When your current pair of blades have been sharpened down to the point where the rocker is flattened and/or you don't have sharpenable steel left, I'd suggest replacing them with Ultima Legacy or Legacy 8. Do not get the Legacy 7, since your Mark IV blades have an 8' rocker and a 7' rocker might feel unstable to you after getting used to an 8' rocker.
 
Top