Question: How Often Should I Sharpen My Ice Skates?

Do I need to sharpen my skates every year?

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I SHARPEN MY HOCKEY SKATES? If you skate every day, you’ll find your skates need to be sharpened more often than someone who is on the ice only once a week for an hour. Some players sharpen their skates before every game and others may drop their skates for sharpening only once or twice a year.

Do I need to sharpen my ice skates?

Skate blades need edges to be able to dig into the ice. New skates are not sharpened, so you will need to get them sharpened by a trained sharpener, and then re-sharpened every 15-20 hours of ice time – to keep them in tip top condition by removing knicks and deformaties in the metal edge.

Can ice skates be too sharp?

While your skates can never be too sharp, they can certainly be too dull and that can take a whole lot of fun out of the game. For those skaters who do feel their skates are too sharp at times, we recommend reviewing our post on selecting an ROH. You should experiment with a slightly shallower radius.

Can you skate with unsharpened skates?

No one should ever skate on dull or unsharpened blades. Your skating edge will help you turn and maneuver, as well as keep your balance. The second is that people with weak ankles cannot skate. Keep them sharp — but not too sharp: A sharp blade grabs the ice better than a dull one.

Is it bad to skate on dull skates?

It’s really a personal preference. Basically, get them sharpened when they feel too dull for you, or you lose an edge on one side of the skate or you have nicks in the blade. As a rule of thumb, an average hockeyplayer will lose somewhere between 5 and 10 % of the skates edge per hour of skating.

How can I sharpen my skates without a machine?

Use your flat file and begin at the toe or heel and move it across the blade in a diagonal motion. The file should always remain perpendicular to the blade when sharpening. Run the flat file across a blade in one direction 15 to 20 times and then repeat in the opposite direction. Do the same for the other skate.

How do you know when you need new skates?

Hockey skates should firmly cradle your feet and provide support up through the ankles, similar to ski boots. If your skates don’t support your foot and ankle, it’s time for a new pair. Also, check the steel blades on your hockey skates. If they’re pitted, rusted, or worn, they might need sharpening—or replacing.

Do skates get dull over time?

Blades which have been poorly sharpened often leave a weak or rolled edge that quickly breaks down leaving the skates dull. To protect your blades in your bag and while carrying them use SKATE GUARDS. NOTE: plastic skate guards are good, but the blade slot becomes impregnated with dirt and should be washed often.

How long should ice skates last?

At best, figure skates last about 20 to 25 hours on the ice before they need sharpening — less if a skater likes her blades particularly sharp, or if something goes wrong. During the regular season that’s usually not a problem; events last a few days and then skaters disperse to their home shops.

How do you break in sharpened skates?

The only way to “break in” the sharpening is to skate more and stop more. The sharp blade catches the ice much better than a dull blade, including when you stop, which is why you trip. Try doing all the skills you know on the ice to help dull down the blades a little.

Do NHL players sharpen their skates between periods?

Most players do not get their skates sharpened every period. In the NHL, players will have freshly sharpened skates for every game, but not in between periods. That is a ton of weight to wear for an entire game.