Newbies Skating Chat & Questions

[robin]

17 hours ago, Coquelicot said:

Should I rent skates for a while or buy skates right off the bat?  I've read that rentals can hold you back, but you should only buy if you're committed.

 

Yes, skates are quite a commitment and as an adult skater my recommendation is not to loose any time with lower level skates and be ready to invest 300 eur/usd (?) and upwards (probably more.) My first skates were half that price but also only really served me for 2-3 months, the rest of the time was pain and torture and then injury and more pain. 

 

Rentals are usually ok to measure if you’re ready to commit? But they are nothing like a good pair of figure skating skates and can be a waste of time  

 

So if you know you want to go for it, go all in. That‘ll save you money and time in the long run! 

[shanshani]

15 hours ago, Coquelicot said:

Wasn't sure where else to post this, so I'm reviving this thread!     I'm seriously considering starting skating, but I'm not quite sure how to start.  Some questions:

 

If you're starting from scratch (like me), is it best to take group classes?

Should I rent skates for a while or buy skates right off the bat?  I've read that rentals can hold you back, but you should only buy if you're committed.

How much do private lessons generally cost?  I'm thinking I would do that after Adult 1-6.

About how much should I expect to budget overall for skating?

 

I'm thinking about starting a class this fall and seeing how it goes.  Unfortunately I'd probably only be able to go on the weekends, but I might be able to fit in a couple of extra days here and there.  

 

Thanks for your help!  
 

Other people addressed these questions well, but as a relatively new skater I’ll share my experiences too.

 

I actually didn’t have any group classes available to me when I signed up (also starting from scratch), so I’ve been doing private coaching from the beginning. I think my coach and I click pretty well and I’ve been making good progress, so that’s also an option if for whatever reason group classes don’t work out for you. You’ll probably learn faster, but at the cost of more money. Mine cost US$35ish for 30 minutes once a week? But prices will vary a lot depending on location.

 

I would rent skates for a couple of sessions just to make sure you like it. Some people get on the ice and immediately hate it because it’s quite scary when you start out. You feel like you can barely move without falling. But if you can get over that, it’s really fun!

 

Once you’ve decided that you like it, I would just go and buy skates immediately (rentals do really suck) as long as you have the money available. It makes everything a lot easier, your feet will hurt less as long as you are fitted well, and you won’t have to adjust to new skates every time. I went straight for a boot in the $300+ range on the theory that I would save money in the long term by buying something longer lasting—I think it’s worked out well so far (the main risk is if your fitter doesn’t know what they’re doing and you get a boot that doesn’t fit you). It depends on your rate of progress though—if you’re happy to take it slow, you might get away with something cheaper. 

 

I think I have regular expenses of about $200 US a month between coaching and ice time, but that will vary a lot based on where you’re located. That’s not including equipment related expenses, which is are a bit irregular. So it’s expensive, but it’s not out-of-this-world expensive, at least for me (YMMV). Given that skating is the only thing that gets my butt out of my chair/bed and gets me exercising, I think it’s worth it! 

[Coquelicot]

Thanks to everyone for your advice!!  So I think my plan is to sign up for the group classes in the fall, but before that, I’ll dabble with a couple of private lessons to try out skating and see how it goes.  I’ll probably invest in a good pair of skates after the first few lessons and after knowing that I want to stick with it. 

 

So I actually did take a couple of lessons when I was really little, but I only remember learning how to fall and to skate “fishies."  So in any case, hopefully my falling skills will be slightly above par.  

 

I’m getting really excited about going now.  I’ll keep you updated with my progress!

[Dreamer]

Bravo 👏 And kudos to all of you!

i find ice skating very scary so not for me personally