New boots, new blades
Breaking in new boots -
On Friday two weeks ago, I decided to mount my new blades on my new boots - Riedell 1500HLS and Gold Star blades. These have been sitting around for over a year now, as I just haven't been skating enough to warrant breaking a new pair of skates.
Now, 2 weeks later, they feel mostly comfortable (though the boots still feel very very snug). I managed to put in one hour in them, without any blisters.
However, having used Riedell Royals and Pattern99 blades for... over 8 years, this new combination is taking some getting used to. So, what is different?
This blade rocks!!! Literally. It has more rocker just under the picks, making it harder to control (is that why my feet ache?) but spins are wonderful once I got the sweet spot. However, the "instability" has messed with the timing for my jumps, and thrown my Axel for a loop (forgive the pun).
This blade rocks!!! Figuratively too. Jumps seem easier, spins are faster, and hey, I can now hold a backsit (and maybe I can finally get it lower). I suppose there's something to be said for high-level blades :-)
Well, I'm still in the process of getting used to it all, but I suspect I will soon be abandoning my old skates...
