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Figure Skating · Level 8: Expert · Sub-level 8.1

Equipment in Depth

2 tests · 20 facts · updated 20 October 2026 · markdown

Matching boot and blade, blade sizing and mounting.

Each test below is ten questions on Insporta. The list under a test is what the questions check: one fact per question, with the source it was written from. Read it before the test, or come back from a wrong answer.

Test 1Boot and blade as a pairTake a test

  1. The guide's four factors are the skating discipline, the skating level, the measurements and personal preference.

    Source: Riedell, Boot & Blade Guide: 4 Factors for the Perfect Match · recall

  2. Ice dance and synchronized skaters are told to pick boots and blades made for their discipline.

    Source: Riedell, Boot & Blade Guide: 4 Factors for the Perfect Match · recall

  3. Blades for advanced skaters have a larger toe pick, for higher jumps, faster spins and intricate footwork.

    Source: Riedell, Boot & Blade Guide: 4 Factors for the Perfect Match · recall

  4. The guide quotes Rainbo Sports: a blade a quarter inch shorter than the heel-to-toe sole measurement.

    Source: Riedell, Boot & Blade Guide: 4 Factors for the Perfect Match · recall

  5. Boots should support the ankle for stability but let the foot move enough to control the edges and weight.

    Source: Riedell, Boot & Blade Guide: 4 Factors for the Perfect Match · recall

  6. Edea measures blades in inches: thirds for starter blades and quarters for high-level blades.

    Source: Edea, Blade mounting (edeaskates.com) · recall

  7. Edea's soles are shaped so that they need a slightly shorter blade size than traditional boots.

    Source: Edea, Blade mounting (edeaskates.com) · recall

  8. Discipline first, then level, then measurements, and finally the pairing that feels best.

    Source: Riedell, Boot & Blade Guide: 4 Factors for the Perfect Match · applied

  9. The sole is measured in inches, the blade is a quarter inch shorter, and a technician makes the final adjustments.

    Source: Riedell, Boot & Blade Guide: 4 Factors for the Perfect Match · applied

  10. B's blade is a quarter inch shorter than the sole. A is longer, C a full inch shorter, D the same length.

    Source: Riedell, Boot & Blade Guide: 4 Factors for the Perfect Match · applied

Test 2Mounting the bladeTake a test

  1. He uses the widest part of the heel and the ball of the boot, marks the centre of each and joins them with a straight edge.

    Source: Fred Bartick (skate technician), Mounting Blades, iCoachSkating · recall

  2. It is the part of the blade engaging the ice that should be centred; the plates may sit slightly differently.

    Source: Fred Bartick (skate technician), Mounting Blades, iCoachSkating · recall

  3. Some skaters need a special mounting, but most do well with the standard centre mount.

    Source: Fred Bartick (skate technician), Mounting Blades, iCoachSkating · recall

  4. Slotted holes allow a temporary mounting for final positioning and testing on the ice before the permanent mount.

    Source: Fred Bartick (skate technician), Mounting Blades, iCoachSkating · recall

  5. Unused fresh sole helps if the mount must change later or holes strip, which is more common in leather soles.

    Source: Fred Bartick (skate technician), Mounting Blades, iCoachSkating · recall

  6. Edea's guidance: the rocker with the ball of the foot and the centre of the heel blade with the heel.

    Source: Edea, Blade mounting (edeaskates.com) · recall

  7. Edea insists on its own supplied screws, with a high-low double helix thread and flattened tips.

    Source: Edea, Blade mounting (edeaskates.com) · recall

  8. Centres and line first, a temporary mount on the slots, an on-ice test, then the permanent mount.

    Source: Fred Bartick (skate technician), Mounting Blades, iCoachSkating · applied

  9. The technician checks the alignment, the security of the hardware and the evenness of the edges.

    Source: Edea, Blade mounting (edeaskates.com) · applied

  10. A's blade lies along the dashed line. B and D sit off to one side, C is angled across it.

    Source: Fred Bartick (skate technician), Mounting Blades, iCoachSkating · applied

Sources

Riedell, Boot & Blade Guide and Testing Structure; Edea, Blade mounting; Fred Bartick, Mounting Blades; Special Olympics Figure Skating Coaching Guide (2021), 1.1-1.3 and 4; U.S. Figure Skating, Adult Testing; ISU, Grand Prix explained (2026); Skate Canada, 2026-27 Grand Prix guide; ISU Constitution and General Regulations. Original questions authored, nothing reproduced. Eligibility, entries and age rules belong to General Rules.

  • Riedell, Boot & Blade Guide: 4 Factors for the Perfect Match8
  • Fred Bartick (skate technician), Mounting Blades, iCoachSkating7
  • Edea, Blade mounting (edeaskates.com)5