Small Town Natural: What are Nordic Skates? How are they different from hockey skates? What equipment do I need to get started?
Disclaimer: Small Town Natural is NOT liable if you injure yourself or fall through the ice! We stress that every person who participates in wild ice sports must understand that anytime you venture out onto ice on a frozen lake/river/pond or wild ice of any kind you are putting your life in danger! If you accept the risk be smart about safety gear for best chances of survival if the unthinkable happens and you end up falling through the ice.
Hockey skates are also great for wild ice (lake/river/pond) skating but they have been designed for arena ice use. This means that Hockey skates are not designed to absorb shock from ice imperfections and most especially bumpy ice. Hockey skates are ideal for perfectly smooth ice surfaces. Ice that has been flooded is best for Hockey skates. The shorter blade contact with ice surface is why they are so very agile and maneuverable but is also the reason they do not react well to ice imperfections and bumps. Nordic blades have a much longer blade to ice contact ratio. This allows the Nordic skater to feel a lot less vibration underfoot while they glide across bumpy or imperfect ice surfaces. They also cut through crusty air pockets easier than Hockey skate blades (although long patches of crusty air pocketed ice results in sudden stops on Nordic blades too. They have their limits.)
Above is the profile photo of a Nordic skate and boot. Notice the boot is a skate ski boot? This is great for cross sport use! You can use the same boots for nordic skating as you can for skate skiing! The bindings for the nordic blades are ski bindings. See the photo below:
Personally, due to proximity I use my nordic blades more on local lakes than I do on skating ovals and the Rideau Canal. I skate on lakes that I have checked ice depth and am familiar with as having no moving water or open water areas of which to beware.
This is how nordic blades look when you wear them (see photo below)
Like cross country skiing your boot heel lifts off of the back of the binding as you move the skate that is in the rear to the front position. In the photo above the skater is stopping. You use Nordic skates much the same way as you do hockey skates except that the boot on a Nordic skate lifts and the blade itself never leaves the ice unless you lift a lot.
I have never been able nor have I seen anyone who can do cross overs with Nordic blades. Nor can you skate backwards. Skating backwards is never really necessary on Nordic blades because these skates are designed for much much much larger skate surfaces than a hockey rink or an arena.
To understand the true difference between nordic blades and hockey skate blades we need to compare and discuss: blade length difference.
Blade lengths for nordic blades vs. hockey skate blades:
Nordic blade lengths=45cm skater height 5ft to 5ft7", 50cm skater height 5ft8" to 6ft2", 55cm skater height over 6ft2" (Note* Also take into account what you need your skates for. If you need agility and maneuverability you will want a shorter blade but you will be trading off smoother glides. The longer the blade the smoother your skating will be (especially if skating on wild/lake ice) as the longer blade allows you to feel the bumps and imperfections in the ice a lot less. With longer blades you will also be able to cruise through crusty patches better and experience the sudden stop less often.
Our Outdoorsy Miss Adventures bought her 1st Nordic Blades from Fresh Air Experience in Ottawa in 2016. Their staff are very knowledgeable and friendly! We have not been paid to advertise for Fresh Air Experience. We choose to tell our readers about their store because it is one of the very few you can physically visit to purchase Nordic Blades. Typically you can only find Nordic Blades for sale online. If you have never used them before it is a good idea to speak with someone who has before buying. https://www.freshairexp.com/product/isvidda-nordic-skate-blades-5411.htm
Hockey skate blade lengths=
(Above photo: "Put me in coach!" LOL Outdoorsy Miss Adventures discovered the lake she was skating on had quite a cold breeze and scooted back to the car for extra layers of gaiter and puffer vest)
(Above photo: Outdoorsy Miss Adventures demonstrates the snow plough stop) Notice the very light blue patches on the ice? These are air pockets of water that didn't freeze well. These are just 1cm deep. Enough to slow down a skater and cause a nasty noise similar to breaking glass or finger nails on a chalkboard. If you are skating at high speed and hit a small pocket you will not notice it but on these larger sections it can cause a sudden decrease in speed that can end up in a fall. Beware different colours in the ice surface mean different things. Some colours are danger zones to be avoided at all costs due to thin ice. Nobody wants to polar bear dip unwillingly.
Choosing the right gear:
Beginner equipment (this is needed in addition to the Intermediate Nordic Skater equipment listed below): Lots of padding! Knee pads, elbow pads, maybe even tailbone and hip pads, as a beginner maybe a helmet that has jawbone protection like a hockey helmet or winter sport helmet or cycling helmet.
Intermediate Nordic Skating equipment:
Snow sport or cycling or hockey helmet. It is important to protect your head. Concussions can be lethal!
Skate ski length poles. Many skaters prefer to go without wrist loops. These are generally cross country ski poles that are tall enough to reach your nose or ear lobes when wearing shoes/boots. Try to get a set of poles that are fairly firm with very little flex. These are needed to help with pushing off and stabilizing through crunchy air pockets. They also help beginners with balance.
Nordic blades and skate ski boots. I do NOT recommend classic ski boots because they lack the ankle support. For your health and safety be sure you have skate ski boots.
Apparel: Choose to dress in layers. To start you will be cold so I suggest the thin to thick layering of clothing. Start with a thin material sweat wicking and warm base layer/ long johns. I prefer 100% Merino Wool both on bottom and top with high wool content socks. Then a wind proof shell jacket and shell pant (with zippered vents if possible). I wish there were such things in natural fibre fabrics but not that I have found as of yet; so I use a high nylon content wind proof shell pant and jacket. Then if it is a windy or very cold day I will have a neck warmer/ gaitor/ balaclava and Goggles / cycling or sport glasses. I always wear a thin hat under my helmet. I prefer the 100% Merino Wool beanie by Wool Love (you can purchase this beanie at www.smalltownnatural.ca ). I have a small head so I can pull this beanie down to cover my ears (for wind protection) and over the top of my cycling glasses to prevent wind.
On windy or cold days I also wear a puffer vest for added core warmth and so I can easily remove it and leave it on shore when I have warmed up.
Hands: Be sure to wear gloves or mitts (depending on your cold tolerance level) that have gripper beads so they are not slipping while gripping your ski poles.
Safety tips: IMPORTANT! ALWAYS measure ice thickness before heading out to skate! Start by checking at the shoreline then, IF ice thickness is at the very least 4 inches, walk out several metres and check ice thickness again. If thickness is still over 4 inches walk several more metres and check again. At this point if ice is 4 inches thick or more it is strong enough to support one person. Between 6 and 8 inches can support a small group of people (Please keep in mind the average adult male weighs 84.6kg or 187 lbs if you weigh more than this ice will need to be thicker to support your weight) Please watch this video by Canadian Red Cross https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUpp2ZjsK1s
Safety Gear: Note* Anytime you venture out onto ice on a frozen lake you are putting your life in danger! If you accept the risk be smart about safety gear for survival if the unthinkable happens and you end up falling through the ice.
- Ice screw (often referred to as a climber's screw) approx 7 inches long this tool is by far the easiest way to check ice depth. As you turn the screw with it's handle the ice is pushed up the centre and out the opening on top. If by the time the screw is firmly against surface of ice and you can no longer screw it in and ice has continuously come up out of centre then it is probably safe to walk or skate on for 2 people. Check the ice several metres apart in several sections. Also check for ice colour. Blue ice is usually the thickest, Grey ice may not be thick enough to skate on, Black ice is too thin to support the weight of a human.
- Ice picks (usually worn on a long cord around your neck) Ice picks that are hanging around your neck on the outside of your outer clothing will increase your chances of being able to use them if you fall through the ice. These ice picks are designed with handles so you can grasp them after you stab the ice with them. These are used one pick in each hand to help you pull up out of the hole in the ice to the surface and use the picks to pull your body across the ice to where ice is thicker and safer to stand up.
-Skate ski poles that are firm. Meaning they do not bow or bend much when you push down hard on them. If you fall through the ice while holding ski poles you may have enough time to position the poles across your body horizontally to stop you from completely falling thru ice. If poles are longer than the width of the hole in the ice. Of course this is not always possible nor is the width of the hole guaranteed to be smaller than the poles but this equipment serves dual purpose. On safe ice it is nice to have poles to help through the rough patches of air pockets on ice surface and can be a life saver if circumstances are right if you fall through the ice.
-Inflatable PDF: If you are not sure if ice is thick enough or need a little more security you will want to wear a personal flotation device or life jacket if you have one that will fit over your clothing.
- Go with a skating buddy or partner so you can be there for one another if one of you ends up in danger.
-Cell phone in a waterproof bag. (I double up freezer ziploc bags)
-Put an emergency blanket in your boot on shore or backpack so you can quickly access it if someone falls through ice and needs quick warth after they are rescued.
-Tell someone where you are going and what you will be doing and for how long you expect to be out on the ice. Tell that someone that you will text or call them when you are off the ice. If they don't hear from you to get to the location where you said you would be or call 911
-Keep a towel and spare clothing in your vehicle, as well as a first aid kit and lighter or matches for campfire if needed.
How to care for your nordic blades:
- Wipe your blades off after each use. Use an old facecloth for best results
- Take your Nordic blades to be sharpened by a pro after 50 km of use on wild ice or 60 or 70 km of use on machine groomed ice
Again Fresh Air Experience in Ottawa, ON, Canada is the only place I know of that does Nordic blade sharpening. Note* you may have to wait for them to have several pairs to sharpen before you can pick yours up. Call them if you have questions and especially if it is the beginning or end of skating season.
-Store your Nordic blades in a dry place every time you use them and when the season is over. Moisture is not good for the blades.
-Most Nordic blades will come with plastic clips to hold them together for easy storage. Be sure your blades are very dry before clipping them together or you will find rust under those clips when you take them out to start the next season.
These clips have 2 lips. One lip hooks onto one blade then slide the 2nd blade into the 2nd lip to clip blades together so the sharp blades are not exposed to surfaces that can render them dull.
Outdoorsy Miss Adventures has thoroughly enjoyed the use of Nordic blades over the years! We truly hope that you will love them too! Play Hard! Play often! Stay safe!
