Hockey skate Countouring

Hockey skate Countouring

Often referred to as the profile or outline of your skate blade, these terms all refer to the curvature of your blade skate from heel to toe. Similar to the radius at the bottom of the blade of your skate, the profile is also measured by the radius, this radius is significantly larger and measured in feet instead of fractions of an inch. For example, the skate profiles of hockey players can range from 7′ to 13′ the most popular being 9′ and 11′, while the goalie pads are usually around a 28′ profile. Typically, only 60% of the blade is contoured, centered around the balance point of the skate, which can be placed in the center of the blade or also modified towards the toe or heel of the blade for different skating styles. The 20% very front of the skate blade on the tip and the 20% very back on the heel are a lot
more rounded to allow starts, stops and a full extension of the skating stride.

A smaller profile (7′) will have less contact with ice than a taller profile (13′). Less contact with ice (7′) allows greater handling and acceleration, but also sinks deeper into the ice than a wider profile (13′), this which means top speeds slower and increased fatigue.
More contact with the ice (13′) offers top speed and increased stability, but reduced agility and maneuverability. Similar to the hollow radius on your blade skate, there is no right or bad profile, it all depends on your personal preferences and your skating style.

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Being a skate specialist starts with skate sharpening. With more than 35 years of experience in skate sharpening we set the standard. We sharpen all type of skates, from speed skates to hockey skates, figure skates to nordic blades we provide you with a professionel result all the time. We use a Blademaster sharpening machine for hockey, figure skating & recreational skates as speed skating blades are sharpened by hands using a sharpening jig. The speed skating blades are profiled with a Twinrocker rockering machine, the most reliable and precise rockering machine available right now. Bring your skates to our shop for the most professional sharpening experience!

Learn more about countouring here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE4_4JCTiiE