Most people are best off going to the experts to fit and make their boots,
and to modify them as needed. This document is best used if the available
experts have done the best they can, and there is still pain and discomfort.
Most people are best off going to the experts to fit and make their boots,
and to modify them as needed. This document is best used if the available
experts have done the best they can, and there is still pain and discomfort.
If at all possible, go to the factory and get yourself fit by the master bootmaker, and let that person make subsequent modifications. He (or she, henceforth omitted for brevity) is a well qualified individual at the very top of his profession who has learned over the course of a lifetime how to fit people with a wide variety of feet, and who best understands what his boots are capable of doing. For the most part, no lessor fitter has nearly the skill. That also allows you to tell him of your special requirements, and it makes him much more willing to make whatever modifications are required. The skate bootmakers I know of that let you do this are:
Don Klingbeil in New York City, NY, USA
SP Teri in San Francisco, CA, USA
Harlick in San Carlos, CA, USA
Many people, including me, have had problems with custom fit boots that were fit by lessor bootfitters. I honestly think most of those would not have problems if they had went to the master bootmaker in the first place.
Even the best experts will not always produce ideal results, and you will find many people who have very strong feelings about the skills of one or the other.
I have spoken with Don Klingbeil, in connection with my own boots, and feel certain that he is well qualified to do almost anything. I have no reason to assume anything else of the others.
There are a few bootfitters who are acknowledged experts in their fields. The ones I know of are all local to my area, Maryland (USA):
1. Don Giese, of Don Giese Skates, formerly head of Caravan Skate Shop, USA. is now mostly retired in Bowie, MD. He can do major modification and rebuilding of new or used skates, skates himself, has coached speed and inline skaters, and has the equipment to stretch more parts of the boot than anyone I know outside a factory. He is the only person to successfully put me in boots that fit my feet.
2. Mike Cunningham, of Skater's Paradise, in Waldorf, MD, USA. One of the best known fitters on the east coast, he has trained many other fitters and sometimes travels to regional and national competitions to do fits.
3. Chuck of Blades of Bowie and Ice Magic. He is well recommended, and he travels a lot too.
4. Tim Burt, of the Pro Shops at Ashburn and Kettler. I don't know him, but have heard very good reports from others.
These are the certified medical experts in the field of shoefitting. Podiatrists all work in this area, and some Orthopedic Surgeons do too. They can also analyze a host of medical conditions associated with these issues.
However, they mostly do not specialize in skates. For example, they try to compensate for walking and running gate problems by taking advantage of the fact that shoes flatten to form a local planar surface, which gravity tends to force flat to the ground. They shape orthotics to place differential pressure on parts of the foot to make it move the way the shoe is forced to. This does not work at all with skates, because only one small part of the blade is in contact with the ice at any one time. (Well coached skaters use athletic training techniques to achieve correct body part alignment.) Further, skating requires that you deliberately use almost all possible body positions, including edged feet. Be sure that they understand the difference, because there is some widely referenced professional material that ignores this. They must also understand that the need to control the edge requires extremely tight boot fits.
If you prefer to have the work done by a professional, I suggest you ask around the local skating rinks to see who has the highest success rates.
Here are some pages from the world wide web, which I provide without review.
Reidell's fitting instructions
More Reidell boot
fitting info
Jamskater's fit and heat molding
instructions for Reidell's (roller) boots
SP Teri's boot fit comments
Jackson Skates Maintenance,
Selection, Fitting, Breaking in, Care and maintenance
Harlick detailed fitting
instructions
MK Blade Mounting
Instructions
Rainbo's boot
fitting and heat molding instructions
Tognar
Toolworks [Ski & Snowboard] boot fitting tips not fully applicable to skates
Great
Outdoors (hiking) Boot Fitting Guide - not fully applicable to skates
Mounting
Blades to New Boots - well worth a look, especially if you want to do your own
initial mount.
ca.geocities.com/[email protected]/faq.html
says coaches who spend most of their time on two feet may want different centering
than skaters.
www.informationalhealing.com/skateinj.pdf
says mount position should vary for people with foot abnormalitys such as pronation or
supination.