Random thought, and hopefully not too niche: Does anyone here do ballet (in particular pointe), besides skating? If so, I'd be interested to know your pointe shoe and skate boot model/s, and how they correlate.
Skate and pointe shoes both fit snugly and their fit is crucial to performance. Of course, there are differences - ankle and instep flexibility and toe length are critical in ballet for determining the right shank strength and vamp length to allow toe articulation and to reach full pointe, while skating doesn't require such a large range of ankle motion except in ice dance (in which the free foot is pointed rather than the weightbearing foot, and toe articulation isn't applicable in a rigid boot). However, toe box shape and ball/heel width are critical, whether to prevent the heel from sliding up and down in the boot or the toes from sinking into the floor while en pointe. Arch/instep height (as an absolute parameter) are relevant in skating, but for different reasons than for ballet (more about finding the right footbed/heel height to prevent foot cramps or pronation).
For the record, I now wear a Jackson split width (on the wide side) with orthotics, after a long boot saga as described in another thread. For ballet I usually wear Russian Pointe Brava (narrow heel, slightly tapered box) in a wide width, medium vamp (for average toe length) and flexible medium-strength shank. I've also been making do with Freed Studio Pro width E as a back-up pair to rotate with.
It's a little frustrating that skate manufacturers don't offer as much variety in their stock range as pointe shoes, though understandable given the much higher production cost per unit and smaller customer base. I still find pointe shoes a lot more comfortable than skates Hope it won't be too much of a shock to step back on the ice when the rink eventually re-opens...
Skate and pointe shoes both fit snugly and their fit is crucial to performance. Of course, there are differences - ankle and instep flexibility and toe length are critical in ballet for determining the right shank strength and vamp length to allow toe articulation and to reach full pointe, while skating doesn't require such a large range of ankle motion except in ice dance (in which the free foot is pointed rather than the weightbearing foot, and toe articulation isn't applicable in a rigid boot). However, toe box shape and ball/heel width are critical, whether to prevent the heel from sliding up and down in the boot or the toes from sinking into the floor while en pointe. Arch/instep height (as an absolute parameter) are relevant in skating, but for different reasons than for ballet (more about finding the right footbed/heel height to prevent foot cramps or pronation).
For the record, I now wear a Jackson split width (on the wide side) with orthotics, after a long boot saga as described in another thread. For ballet I usually wear Russian Pointe Brava (narrow heel, slightly tapered box) in a wide width, medium vamp (for average toe length) and flexible medium-strength shank. I've also been making do with Freed Studio Pro width E as a back-up pair to rotate with.
It's a little frustrating that skate manufacturers don't offer as much variety in their stock range as pointe shoes, though understandable given the much higher production cost per unit and smaller customer base. I still find pointe shoes a lot more comfortable than skates Hope it won't be too much of a shock to step back on the ice when the rink eventually re-opens...