Ice skate

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Modern amateur ice hockey skates

Touring skate on ice

Modern recreational skates

Ice skates are boots with blades attached to the bottom, used in ice skating to propel oneself across ice surfaces.

There are four main types of ice skates:

Figure skates are used in the sport of figure skating. They have toe picks on the front of the blade, which are used for jumping. Figure skating boots are typically made of several layers of leather and are very stiff to provide ankle support for jumps.
Hockey skates are used for playing the game of ice hockey. The boot is generally made of molded plastic, leather (often synthetic), and ballistic nylon. Skates used in competitive hockey rarely use molded plastic for the upper boot, as this results in limited mobility. All hockey skates (excepting goaltender's skates) are designed such that they will not cause injury to an opponent, and are fitted with safety blades.
Racing skates have long blades and are used for speed skating. A clap skate (or clapper skate) is a type of skate where the shoe is connected to the blade using a hinge.
Touring skates (or Nordic skates) are long blades that can be attached to hiking or cross-country ski boots and are used for tour skating or long distance skating on natural ice. The blades are approximately 50 cm long with a radius of curvature (or rocker) of about 25 m. The blades are about 1 mm wide, with a flat cross-section. Although mainly used for non-competitive touring, they are sometimes used in marathon speed skating races on natural ice.

Inexpensive skates for recreational skaters usually resemble either figure skates or hockey skates, but recreational ice skates resembling inline skates with a molded plastic boot are also available.

The steel ice skate was invented in 1867 by John Forbes, foreman at the Starr Manufacturing Company, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. It was a clip-on design. Their Acme brand became famous worldwide.

Modern ice skate blades are not shaped like knives. The bottom of the blade has a crescent-shaped hollow, creating two parallel sharp edges on each skate. The skater uses these edges in different combinations in order to maneuver. When ice skates are sharpened the blade is ground against a template that restores the hollow.

Ice skate

See also