Ice Skates, What is the Difference?

When you think of ice skates, what is the first thingIce hockey skates are typically made from a molded
that comes to your mind?plastic, leather (usually synthetic), and ballistic nylon. To
Is it the pair of blades that glide across the frozenincrease mobility on the ice, hockey ice skates often
pond in town or the skates that trudge throughavoid using molded plastic for the upper portion of the
competitors during an NHL hockey game?boot. All of the skates used during a hockey game are
There are numerous reasons why people buy andconstructed with safety blades so that injury does not
wear ice skates, from the Olympic ice dancer to thecome to the opponent. The exception to this regulation
recreational user. While various kinds of skates exist,is the goalie's skates, which is designed in a different
an assortment of factors separates the skates frommanner.
one another, in terms of shape, maintenance, andThe skates used for racing are often referred to as
purpose.speed skates, which have longer blades than other
Ice skates are really just a pair of boots with bladesselections. In this category, a racer may use a clapper
placed on the bottom. After properly securing this sortskate, which presents a shoe attached to a blade
of footwear, the ability to glide across a surface mademade with a hinge. For those entering long distance
from ice is possible. What we use today are a far cryskating, longer blades are placed on the boot with the
from the first attempts to move across the ice. It ishelp of bindings. This type of ice skates is called touring
believed that early man tied leather bands on their feetskates (as well as Nordic skates).
and then took to the ice. The first official ice skatesThe blades of touring skates are about 50 centimeters
made in history are thought to have come from animallong and have a rocker that measures close to 25
bones like ox and reindeer.meters and 1 millimeter wide. It is the length of these
Different Types of Ice Skatesthat allows more stability for walking on untouched ice
There are four main kinds of ice skates that individualsthat naturally presents uneven distribution. The blades
use today to achieve a variety of accomplishments,are also easily removable, which proves a
such as professional sports to holiday recreation.convenience.
Figure skates that are used to compete in the sportFor the recreational skater, there is a wide range of
by the same name are often fashioned from stableinexpensive to higher-end options with a variety of
and very strong metal. Toe picks are placed on thebright colors and fancy decoration to choose from.
front of the blade to allow the skater to performOften, these types of ice skates are much similar to
jumps. The boot that makes up this type of skatethe molded plastic boot associated with inline skates.
consists of stiff leather that provides protection for theDepending on where you purchase your pair, they
ankle during jumps and other figure skating tricks.may resemble figure skates or hockey skates.