Information on Figure Skating Blades

First a fun fact - Did you know when you figure skate, you are actually skating on a thin film of water, not ice? As your blade glides over the ice, it melts the ice because of the pressure created between the blade and the ice. Once the blade has moved, the ice freezes again.

There are two main brands of figure skating blades today: Wilson MK (a household name in skating) and Paramount. Paramount has emerged within the last few years as a lighter, more precise blade that will hold sharpenings longer. They also come in an array of fun colors. Wilson MK is holding their own with the parabolic design, which is a blade that narrows in the middle, promising easier edges and quicker turns. I own Phantom Parabolic blades myself and love them.

There are a few main things to consider when purchasing a figure skating blade:

The radius or rocker - The radius of a blade is the amount of curvature from the point where the blade is no longer flat to the tip of the blade. In fact, the radius of the blade is the radius the circle that would be created on the ice if the blade made a complete circle. The most common radius is 7  or 8 feet. The larger the radius, the more blade is on the ice at any given time.

The Hollow or ROH – There are two edges to a figure skate blade: inside edges and outside edges. Between these edges is the hollow. A hollow can be shallow or deep and  narrower blades require a smaller ROH. What ROH is right for you? It could be as simple as personal preference.  I prefer a deeper hollow; it helps me grip edges better. With a deep hollow you may also be able to go longer in between skate sharpenings. Beginning skaters might prefer a shallow hollow.

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Wednesday on Ask the Expert:

Chris Bartlett of Skaters Landing - Figure Skate Blade Sharpening

Today on Rinkformation:

SynchroMom.net: Synch Blade Sharpening

IceMom.net: Website Review: SkatersLandingTV.com

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Toe pick style & configuration - There are two parts of the toe pick: the bottom toe picks (drag teeth), and the part that sticks out in front (master pick). The drag teeth are the last thing to leave the ice and the first thing to touch on a jump and its landing. The bottom picks also barely touch the ice on most spins. Toe pick style depends on the skater’s needs. Beginning skaters need a minimal toe pick. More accomplished skaters require larger teeth on the toe pick in order to bite the ice. Toe jumps require “bite” on the takeoff. The greater the elevation of the jump, the greater the bite required.

Dance Blades - Dance blades are different becasue the tail of an ice dancing blade is shorter than the tail of a freestyle blade to keep ice dance partners from stepping on one another’s blades during intricate footwork.

What kinds of blades do you own? Do you prefer a shallow or deep hollow?  How often do you get your blades sharpened?

Photo Credit:

Numbers: nacu on MorgueFile.com

First day of spring skates: fryed_photos on Flickr.com Creative Commons