Boot fitters/FS shops unavailable here | Golden Skate

Boot fitters/FS shops unavailable here

strawberrycheeks

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 17, 2019
[Statistics]
Country: China
Level: Absolute beginner
Goal: Just learning for fun

I live in China and I'm so surprised that they actually do not have any figure skating boot fitters or shops. They usually have everything!

I've just skated for about 2 hours yesterday and the rental boots were so stiff my ankles hurt, they still kind of hurt actually. Which made me think of getting my own boots and some lessons in the coming months, so I looked it up, but there aren't any shops to get my boots professionally fitted.

I noticed that many people buy theirs online but the prices seem too low and I have no idea if I can actually fit them. There are Jackson's selling for a 100 dollars and while even that is out of my budget, I don't think they're that cheap? And there are boots selling for as low as 40 dollars!

How would I go about buying boots?

TL; DR
There are no figure skating boot shops or fitters here and the boots online seem to cheap to be genuine pairs.
 

illogicalskittle

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 9, 2018
There are fitters in China but you'll have to ask around depending on which province you're in.

Jacksons boots are pretty cheap on sites like Taobao and they are actually genuine! I got my first pair there and it comes with LOTS of freebies. As long as you get them from a reputable store, you should be fine. That's the biggest rule of thumb when it comes to shopping in China, after all.

Edit: some online stores do have physical stores as well and if you're near one, you should consider going down as well. The more reputable stores also have a return policy incase your skates don't fit.
 

strawberrycheeks

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 17, 2019
There are fitters in China but you'll have to ask around depending on which province you're in.

Jacksons boots are pretty cheap on sites like Taobao and they are actually genuine! I got my first pair there and it comes with LOTS of freebies. As long as you get them from a reputable store, you should be fine. That's the biggest rule of thumb when it comes to shopping in China, after all.

Edit: some online stores do have physical stores as well and if you're near one, you should consider going down as well. The more reputable stores also have a return policy incase your skates don't fit.

Wow, I didn't know that, that's really good to hear! Do you live in China? I've looked online on Bing and baidu and didn't come across any physical stores or fitters, how did you find any?

Perhaps I should ask someone at an ice rink?
 

illogicalskittle

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 9, 2018
Asking someone at the rink yeah would be a good option, especially for figure skates. There seems to be more hockey skate fitters but if you're just skating for fun, perhaps consider those as well.

I don't live in China but I do live in South East Asia. My friend who was living in Beijing for 6 months told me the information on how to find fitters.
 

strawberrycheeks

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 17, 2019
Asking someone at the rink yeah would be a good option, especially for figure skates. There seems to be more hockey skate fitters but if you're just skating for fun, perhaps consider those as well.

I don't live in China but I do live in South East Asia. My friend who was living in Beijing for 6 months told me the information on how to find fitters.

Thank you! I'll look into it.

Also, what should I look for in a pair of skates if I'm just planning to learn the basics?
 

illogicalskittle

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 9, 2018
Thank you! I'll look into it.

Also, what should I look for in a pair of skates if I'm just planning to learn the basics?
Mmm it really depends. When you mean for fun, do you just mean for beginner lessons and then spending once a week fooling around at the rink? Nothing wrong with that, in fact I'm in that category of recreational skaters aha.

Since I fall into that category, I personally look for a pair that would support my weak ankles and can last me at least a year if not more. It can't be too stiff since that would impede my fun and I'm not doing jumps but it also can't be too soft or I'll injure my ankle.

The cheaper $40 skates you see from brands like Baud or Heilong are recreational pairs for just skating circles around the rink. They have slightly more support for your ankle than your average rental skates but probably won't last you more than 4 months if you skate every week. Not a bad choice for the price since its super cheap but you're better off saving the money and investing on a pair that will last you at least a year and will be safer for you. If you just want to try out skating and aren't sure if you want to do it weekly, this is probably the way to go

Since you've mentioned basic lessons and I'm assuming you're an adult, I would suggest the Jackson Artistes or equivalent (depending on what the fitter says, it should be Riedell Diamond, Edea Overture, Risport Antares). Skip the Excels entirely. A bit more expensive than recreational skates but the stiffness and the support you'll get is worth the price. The stock blade has larger toe picks than the lower end skates but definitely no where near as big as more high level blades.

However if you do buy your skates on Taobao, the Artistes are a *bit* hard to find. The Jackson Mystiques are by far the number one skates you'll find on Taobao and they're only a step lower than the Artistes. Not a bad choice either but personally, I find the Artistes a much better investment.

That being said, please get fitted for skates before doing anything! You'll definitely find a fitter in your province.
 

Sibelius

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
At the PSA conference last year (held in the USA) a Chinese boot company had a booth. The name of the company is Golden Horse. They had many boot offerings and they looked pretty good. Perhaps you can contact them for more information.

Here's are a couple links: http://en.jmskates.com/products.aspx?TypeId=67&fid=t3:67:3

http://en.jmskates.com/sv_complex.aspx?Fid=n8:8:8


I saw those boots at Sp-Teri a couple of weeks ago. They've worked with that company on some products in the past and agreed to keep a couple of boots on hand for show. Knock offs of Edea, really light, might be easier to come by in China.
 

strawberrycheeks

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 17, 2019
Mmm it really depends. When you mean for fun, do you just mean for beginner...

Yes! Once a week or twice a month depending on whether or not I get a membership. Love to skate but I'm not planning to be serious or competitive. I'm not young enough for that anyway!

I'm not sure if I have weak ankles like yours, can you elaborate on that? I plan on learning crossovers and simple spins at most, so I think I have the same specifications as yours.

Thank you very much for the suggestions! I'll check all of them out and look for a fitter too. Also, why do you prefer the Artistes?
 

illogicalskittle

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 9, 2018
Yes! Once a week or twice a month depending on whether or not I get a membership. Love to skate but I'm not planning to be serious or competitive. I'm not young enough for that anyway!

I'm not sure if I have weak ankles like yours, can you elaborate on that? I plan on learning crossovers and simple spins at most, so I think I have the same specifications as yours.

Thank you very much for the suggestions! I'll check all of them out and look for a fitter too. Also, why do you prefer the Artistes?
My ankles are weak in the sense my right one has had two previous injuries so its slightly weaker than my left and prone to reinjury. I could use the Mystiques but the Artistes are way more beneficial to me.l because of the stiffness. The transition from recreational to Artistes was amazing and it didn't feel like my ankle was going to snap in half when I try to do a crossover.

My friend who skates at the same level as me has the Mystiques instead of the Artistes because she couldn't find her size. Her boots ended up breaking down faster than mine, despite getting it later than me.
 

Sibelius

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
You're welcome. As far as the Artiste's, my daughter started in those (well, after 2 pairs of rec. skates) and her fitter was pretty high on them as a good, solid beginner skate and blade for not much money. They'll take you through the basics, she used them until Flip and Lutz, but she was small and light. I wouldn't recommend them for adults jumping though. The Jackson Elle is MUCH better, and not much more (here in the U.S., Artiste's are $180, Elle Fusions are $250 and worth every penny over the Artistes). They are heat moldable for fit, come with a better blade, and much nicer construction. She broke a lace hook on the Artistes (and she's 10, and small) which Jackson replaced under warranty. In fact the replacement pair is sitting in the box untouched since we bought a pair of Elle's because she couldn't be without skates while waiting on the replacement pair from Jackson.

Best of luck, get fitted somewhere if you can. It's THE most important thing you can do.
 

sandraskates

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 31, 2006
Country
United-States
I saw those boots at Sp-Teri a couple of weeks ago. They've worked with that company on some products in the past and agreed to keep a couple of boots on hand for show. Knock offs of Edea, really light, might be easier to come by in China.

Interesting about the SP-Teri aspect of those boots! In all my years around the sport I'd never heard of Golden Horse.
Yes, they do look a lot like Edea.
 

strawberrycheeks

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 17, 2019
Update: I've emailed golden horse, they haven't replied yet but I've also messaged them on taobao and I'm looking into that right now.

The problem I'm having is that all the online stores I've checked with keep telling me to buy skates the same size as my regular shoes/exercise shoes. I've heard that proper figure skates, unlike rentals, are slightly bigger or smaller than regular shoe sizes.

I'm still searching for fitters here in Guangzhou.
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
Update: I've emailed golden horse, they haven't replied yet but I've also messaged them on taobao and I'm looking into that right now.

The problem I'm having is that all the online stores I've checked with keep telling me to buy skates the same size as my regular shoes/exercise shoes. I've heard that proper figure skates, unlike rentals, are slightly bigger or smaller than regular shoe sizes.

I'm still searching for fitters here in Guangzhou.

Don't buy your shoe size.
 

tstop4me

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 2, 2015
Country
United-States
The problem I'm having is that all the online stores I've checked with keep telling me to buy skates the same size as my regular shoes/exercise shoes. I've heard that proper figure skates, unlike rentals, are slightly bigger or smaller than regular shoe sizes.
Your skate size will depend on the manufacturer; and, even for a given manufacturer, your skate size may depend on the particular model.
 
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