Skating Fridays

New Boots

Earlier this summer, I made the decision to get new boots. My old boots are almost 4 years old, and they were starting to feel a bit worn. Some jump landings felt shakier than normal, and my edges didn’t feel secure.

I loved my existing boots (Edea Ice Flys) and didn’t want to get anything different. The hesitation I had was with the price tag. After some internet searches, I found a vendor in Italy that had them for about half the price of what I would pay in the USA. It made sense, since Edea is an Italian brand and manufacturer. As an added bonus, this particular store also sold inline frames. If I bought both a new pair of boots plus the inline frames (and wheels), it would still cost less than a new pair of boots if I bought them in the USA.

So I bit the bullet. Since inventory was low, I waited about 2 months for everything to arrive. My plan was to mount the new boots on my existing blades and then the old boots onto the inline frames.

My skate tech temporarily mounted my blades onto the new boots (which I happily blinged out, as you can see). I felt like a beginner during my first session on the ice and could barely do inside edges. A coach at my rink even laughed at me as I slowly trudged by. After 10-15 minutes, I was feeling almost back to normal. Yes, I had a blister, but the boots felt good.

I am excited about my new equipment! I guess I can’t blame equipment issues for any mistakes I make now. Sigh.