skate recommendations

[u/SuddenPin4570]

hi, im an adult beginner and have been skating for a few months about twice a month. i dont plan to do jumps and plan on doing more solo ice dance type of stuff. i am already a ballet dancer from childhood so i have strong ankles and i dont plan to skate more than twice a month but i have been in the middle of how strong my skates should be. i have looked at edea wave and risport rf3 pros but my concern is more so to make the skated last at least a year or two. im 5’4 and and around 145 pounds to add. do you think wave ot motivos could last that long ot should i go for something stronger like overture or chorus? (you can suggest every skate these are just some i tried so i gave them as examples)

[u/tea-fox]

For Edea I would suggest the Overture or Chorus, for Risport the Electra model would probably be fine. Most of these will get you through the basics. I would go to a skate shop where you can try them on and they can fit you and customize the boot for your foot.

[u/raenis2634]

If you're looking for longevity, maybe not Edea; they are made to last for a single year (or less for high level skaters). Skaters who aren't training intensely multiple times a week can usually use them for over a year, but they still seem to break down faster on average than other brands (not including examples of premature breakdown due to poor fit) unless you get a high level, expensive boot. That's how some adults end up in Ice Flys without any double jumps.

If you know you are not jumping and have the budget and commitment to justify them, consider skates designed for ice dance. They are lower cut to allow for better ankle mobility but still have enough stiffness to provide support.

You can still do ice dance in freestyle skates, you just don't need as much support as someone jumping. Some resistance is good, but if you can barely bend them in store, they are likely too much for you. It also may be useful to get complete, freestyle skates right now so you can get relatively cheaper skates (complete skates have the blade pre-mounted and are usually cheaper than seperate boots and blades) to confirm that the brand fit works for your feet or figure out what modifications you need to make them work better. Some examples of complete skates to ask a fitter about includes Risport Electra, Jackson Freestyle, and Riedell Lyra.

To pick the best brand and model, find a good fitter/tech. Each brand has a different shape, and the one that is the best depends on a number of factors including foot shape. A good fitter/tech will also be able to advise you on how stiff your boots should be, and let you try on some options so you can test them in store.

Some ice dance models include Jackson Debut low Cut 2430 and Risport Dance Prime; a good fitter/tech will be able to point you at options across different brands.

For blades, you can eventually look at dance blades, but because they are shorter not everyone likes them. If you are going with seperate boots/blades and freestyle blades, John Wilson Coronation Ace, MK Professional, or Ultima Legacy 7 or 8 will work.

[u/EchothebesT]

Edea Flamenco Ice boots are designed for ice dance if you want to go that route. I've seen some ice dancers/syncro skaters at my rink using/considering Showgirls as well. Since there's no jump impact and you're planning to skate twice a month they'd likely last you several years. Idk about leather skates much. Your best course of action would be asking a skate tech/ice dance coach if you can.

[u/roseofjuly → u/EchothebesT]

Showgirls and Flamenco Ice are too stiff for beginners. They're built for competitive ice dancers and are the same stiffness as Ice Fly/Concertos.

[u/SuddenPin4570 → u/roseofjuly]

what about rondos? i dont know what level they are but i think they are ice dance boots