Solomon Active 9 and skating

The entry date for next years Viking ice-skating race from Uppsala -
Stockholm(Vikingarännet) is fast approaching and i am looking what
skates to use.

I am thinking of using 'Swedish skates' as opposed to Dutch speed
skates. This mainly because ice-conditions are likely to be rough and
might require walking to cross open places or bad ice.
One combination i have been recommended is to use Solomon Active 9
cross country shoes and a skating blade with matching bindings.
Has anyone used their Solomon Active 9 - or similar - shoes for ice
skating? Is this a compromise solution or does the combination perform
well on ice? Also the solomon shoes - are they suitable for both
skating and classic cross country skiing style or are they for skating
style only...?

Thanks

Wout

On 1 Sep 2004, Wout Davidse wrote:

The entry date for next years Viking ice-skating race from Uppsala -
Stockholm(Vikingarännet) is fast approaching and i am looking what
skates to use.

I am thinking of using 'Swedish skates' as opposed to Dutch speed
skates. This mainly because ice-conditions are likely to be rough and
might require walking to cross open places or bad ice.
One combination i have been recommended is to use Solomon Active 9
cross country shoes and a skating blade with matching bindings.
Has anyone used their Solomon Active 9 - or similar - shoes for ice
skating? Is this a compromise solution or does the combination perform
well on ice? Also the solomon shoes - are they suitable for both
skating and classic cross country skiing style or are they for skating
style only...?

Sept 1 and people are thinking about ice already!? The VR is still 5
months away!! I was just looking at a trip report (in Swedish) and
a few pictures of last years VR:
"http://goto.glocalnet.net/roland.hedblom/04-02-08.htm"

(note the picture of the Dutch guy on speed skates who is carrying spare
running shoes)

I've noticed pictures of a lot of Dutch marathon skaters using
Salomon ski-skate boots and Swedish blades. There is a Netherlands
company making blades similar to the Swedish ones:

http://www.free-skate.com/
(can't seem to access it right now)

I use classic touring boots with my skate blades. I haven't used
them much yet because of poor skating conditions (ie too much snow)
in the last few winters. Picture at:

"http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/dermott/ski/almgrens.jpg"

I also have the cheaper wood platform blades, made by Zandstra
in Netherlands. I don't think they make them anymore. Jamie
Hess (www.nordicskater.com) was selling old stock of these last winter.

"http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/dermott/ski/zandstra.jpg"

It seems that most Swedish non-racing skaters prefer "Back Country"
type boots, like the Salomon X-adventure because the soles are
better for walking in. Ski-skating boots tend to have hard soles
which aren't very good for extensive walking on slippery trails.
For a race with just short walking sections, skating boots would
be OK.

If you can read Swedish, there is a discussion forum at:

"http://www.utsidan.se/vb_forum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=12"

Boots are a common topic, there are some using home-made
binding systems with running shoes.

Leaving the original question, I have a few theories and questions
about skating boots.
Ski-skating boots have high sides for improved ankle support. But is
this really needed for ice-skating? Speed skates, including klapps, are
usually low-cut.
My theory is that there is a lot less torque (force x moment arm) on
the boot/foot with skate blades (length 50 cm vs 200 cm skis)
Also the skate blade is lined up along the centre-line of the foot,
vs the ski edge which is off-set with respect to centre-line. So
there is less lateral torque also.
I've been using low-cut classic boots for ice-skating and it seems OK,
but then I've never tried anything else. Maybe skating boots would give
slightly more ankle support but is it worth it?
"if the shoe fits , wear it" :-)

--

David Dermott , Wolfville Ridge, Nova Scotia, Canada
email:
WWW pages: http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/dermott/

On 1 Sep 2004, Wout Davidse wrote:

The entry date for next years Viking ice-skating race from Uppsala -
Stockholm(Vikingarännet) is fast approaching and i am looking what
skates to use.

There was mention of the Vikingarännet ice skating race, 80
km, from Uppsala to Stockholm. I found a few more links:

James Norminton from Ottawa skated it in 2004 and has a collection
of photos :

"http://members.rogers.com/james.norminton/Viking/vikingarannet.html"

Al, an Australian now living in Uppsala, skated VR in 2003 and 2004 and has
trip reports and photos:

"http://xray.bmc.uu.se/~alasdair/sport/ice/SKATING/index.html"

--

David Dermott , Wolfville Ridge, Nova Scotia, Canada
email:
WWW pages: http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/dermott/