Winter came and as usual in this time of year, most of us put skates away in the closet, to take them out in the spring.
This time of year have it’s own rules. Out of sudden, we feel the urge to dress up in warm (often hideously ugly) sweater, drink hot beverage with spices, cover in blanket and not movefrom the couch for months.
It’s time when we desperately try to avoid that cursed Mariah Carrey song (this challenge should be included in Squid Game), hang colourful decorations all over the house, watch burning logs in fireplace – or rather, watch 10 hours long recording of fireplace on YouTube, sit with family and friends by the table and take out dusty board games.
To put it simply, we are desperately trying to forget that our planet has changed it’s position in relation to the sun in a way which is less optimal for our latitude and that all which defends us from doom by the hand of nature is a fragile shell of civilisation.
Out of sudden, a message pops up on a phone. It’s him. Lets call him Mark. It’s winter again and just like sleeping volcano, he becomes active.
It is the same guy you couldn’t reach back in summer because he was traveling all over the globe, to places where you wouldn’t go even if someone would pay you a fortune for it. You know it, because he posted pictures on Instagram. There he was, with a big smile, spiders crawling all over him, snake biting his ankle and some shady dudes with machetes in background.
He is a titan of exercise. One who takes people for bouldering and says “yeah, go ahead, you should manage on these black holds just fine” – the same no one even dares to touch. He takes his coworker for a session of squash at 6 A.M., gives them such hell of a workout they are on a verge of heart attack and then, just like that, drinks isotonic soft drink, hops on his bike and cycles 20 km to the office. Uphill. After work, he cycles back home, but using a different route, because he still wants it to be uphill. At home, he devours high protein meal and runs off to the gym. Literally, runs.
It is this guy who miraculously have energy for anything more ambitious than a pub crawl even when there’s horrible weather outside (temperatures hovering near 0 C, wet snow and strong wind).
So, this guy, Mark, asks you a question:
How about going for some ice skating?
These words ring in your head like a doombell. They make you sweat down your neck – or maybe it is because you are sitting in a sweater, under a blanket and drink hot beverage even though there’s like 22 C degrees in the room, as your family had enough of cold and ramped up heating.
You are in such shock, you are losing a grip on your phone (and very likely, on reality too). It falls down to the floor.
What to do now? Ignore? No chance, there’s no running away, he already saw that you’ve seen the message.
Out of sudden, you find yourself in an internal struggle. After all, Mark is a cool guy and it is worth to be buddies with him. One time, he got your sister a job in company he works in, now she is a high level manager of whateverthatis. He drove you to a hospital, when your ankle has refused to function after a “minor” accident on skates. He helped you in bathroom renovation and even laid the tiles like it’s all he’s been doing since being born. He cooks so good and sometimes invite you for a dinner, always recommends great movies and shows. His uncle owns bee-garden and sells honeydew honey (the best kind!) at low prices. Last but not least, mark is cool enough to let his guests win in a match of FIFA, even though he can easily destroy them playing with just one hand.
On the other hand, you are getting trauma flavoured flashback of your last visit to the rink. Back when you needed to rent a pair of skates and got hockey ones which were suspiciously moist and also cracked in the ankle area. Staff also made you to wear plastic bags over your socks. After that, you needed to came up with an excuse why you cannot go to your friend’s house for a couple of drinks, as perspective of taking off your shoes at her place filled you with anxiety and dread.
The time has come. This is the moment when there’s only one rightful thing to do.
It is time to buy your very own pair of ice skates.
After all, you do not want to let Mark down.
Bauer ice hockey (and other) skates at Bladeville.
Seeing that we have just convinced you to buy a pair of ice skates, let’s talk business.
Here at Bladeville, we are gradually broadening our ice skates offering, season after season. We are also working more closely with Bauer brand distributor. There’s no denying that it is the most important player in hockey skates market. We would even say that they make best skates of this kind, but we do not want to offend devoted fans of CCM. You know, accidents happen, especially on ice rink – one can fall and some stray blade can run over their fingers. It’s better to not take the risk.
What we offer this season is targeted at casual skaters, beginners and more experienced amateurs. You will find a list of available models below. It is worth to note that we have some last pairs of skates released in earlier season – they usually come with small or big sizes, but you may find something interesting at lower price, so be sure to check out our whole Bauer stock.
Before we get to the point, there’s a brief explanation of two things that may confuse people who never bought Bauer skates in their life:
What YTH, JR, INT and SR by the name of skate mean?
Bauer offers these four (in some cases, less) boot variants as they have very slight differences in shape and flex, taking anatomical differences between children, teenagers and adults into account. The sizing is as follows:
- SR – skates designed for people over age of 13 years old and with boot size EU40.5 or bigger.
- INT – intermediate models, designed for older children and young teenagers, who wear boot sizes between EU37.5 and EU41. They are usually stronger built than JR variants, so they are a better pick for kids with high level of skill or young hockey players.
- JR – skates for children, coming in size range from EU33.5 to EU39.
- YTH – skates for the youngest, with size range from EU23.5 to EU33.
Supreme of Vapor?
To make things easier, we’ll describe Supreme and Vapor models together. This is because they are mostly the same in specs and differ in fit and visuals.
Supreme is a “regular” boot, designed to fit medium width feet and medium instep height. It usually works well for people with larger feet after heat-moulding. Vapor are sleeker and made for people with slimmer feet and lower instep.
Choose Bauer skates for yourself.
To make decision easier, we are giving you some intel on the skates on offer. Pick wise and have fun!
Bauer Expedition, Whistler and Colorado.
We’ll start with non-hockey skates, dedicated for people who to skate for recreation and who like to do it outdoors. They are based around a concept of full plastic shell with a warm liner inside.
All three models are basically the same skate, differing in minor details and looks. Expedition is the basic model, while other two come with upgraded looks and lace hooks in top of the cuff, instead of eyelets.
From our perspective, these are perfect for inline skaters who are not into how hockey skates feel on feet. Their rigid shell provides excellent ankle support, while liner is highly comfortable and warm. As a whole, the boot does excellent job at locking your heel in place. The blade profile is also flatter than in hockey skates and thus, more stable.
You may ask: why do I need these skates when I can simply buy something like Powerslide Ice Sabres? There are several reasons:
First of all, these skates are made out of material which can withstand cold without any issues, so you can skate outdoors on frozen lakes and so on. Thing is, plastics used in inline skates, especially the ones of harder kind, can become brittle in very low temperatures. This applies especially to parts which are put under more strain during skating, like cuffs and buckles. So, if you want to skate a frozen lake when there’s a -15 C degrees outside, it’s better to pick up ice skates designed for the job.
Second thing – their shell is fully enclosed, without any vent holes and liner is made out of insulating materials. This is a very different principle to how inline skates are built, where even in hardboots, “breathability” plays a key role. There are no ventilation holes here and liner is made with insulation in mind, so warmth is kept inside and moisture cannot get in. It is crucial especially when we skate outside.
Below are links to skates:
- Bauer Expedition SR
- Bauer Expedition JR
- Bauer Whistler SR
- Bauer Whistler JR
- Bauer Colorado SR
- Bauer Colorado JR
Bauer X-LS
These are designed as bare minimum option to get a taste of using a real hockey skate. Fit for recreational play and cheap enough so it makes sense to get them instead of renting skates if you visit the rink a dozen of times per season.
As all lower-end Bauer hockey skates, they have polycarbonate quarter package. It provides enough of support, but flexes to some degreee to be more forgiving to newcomers and their imperfect technique. Padding is thicker than usual, with microfiber lining – this also applies to tongue. This makes these skates less efficient at energy transfer and precise, but they are not designed for professionals, after all. Comfort comes first here.
Like in most Bauer skaters targeted at beginners, the blade have flatter profile, which gives more stability during skating at the expense of reduction in agility.
Links below:
Bauer X-LP
These are basically a subtle upgrade over X-LS.
The differences boil down to better quality finish, fleece lining which does better job at moisture absorption and reinforced tongue, increasing protection of your foot from hits of hockey sticks. The rest is the same.
X-LP are fit for beginner amateur players. Relatively cheap, comfy, forgiving, doing a good job at protecting your feet.
Bauer Supreme M1 and Vapor X3.5
Both skates are very similar and choosing between them comes down to whether you need a regular (Supreme) or slim (Vapor) fit boot.
These skates are what you can call an entry-level, true hockey skate, where performance matters more than comfort. They have thinner padding than lower end models, made out of memory foam. Much like in cheaper X-LP, there’s a reinforced tongue.
Skates still use polycarbonate quarter package. The skates have decent flex, once again making them more forgiving for beginner players.
Apart from the boot volume, these skates differ when it comes to blade. Supreme M1 still have one with flatter profile, same as in X-LS and X-LP. That’s because M1 is picked by newcomers much more often than X3.5, serving as entry level skate which helps people deciding whether they need slimmer fitting boot and go for Vapor or stick to the Supreme line. It is also widespread in rental services.
Vapor X3.5 have a blade of regular hockey profile. This, in addition to tighter fitting boot, makes them a popular low budget choice among freestyle ice skating enthusiasts.
List below:
- Bauer Supreme M1 SR
- Bauer Supreme M1 INT
- Bauer Supreme M1 JR
- Bauer Vapor X3.5 SR
- Bauer Vapor X3.5 INT
- Bauer Vapor X3.5 JR
Bauer Supreme M3 and Vapor X3.7
Once again these are siblings. Both have a reputation of being the best bang for your buck choices in their respective lines.
There’s a major upgrade over lower end models in form of Digi Comp quarter package. What is that?
Bauer keeps their cards close and doesn’t go into details of what this composite is exactly made of, but difference is very perceivable – it is both more rigid and longer lasting than polycarbonate. Plus, it is way more heat-mouldable. Skates are also lighter thanks to it
At the same time, they are not as “hardcore” as top tier boots, so beginner players and those who value (relative) comfort shouldn’t have issues skating them. Compared to lower tier models, their tongue is made out of thicker felt, the padding is made out of lighter memory foams and does better job at moisture absorption.
Another big upgrade is LS Edge blade holder, which allows you to swap blades with a push of a single button. This is a must have for those who like to have several different blade pairs with different profiles and swap them depending on use. Replaceable blades also mean that skates will last longer.
What else?
Seeing that you have decided to grab a pair of skates, it is worth to buy yourself several pairs of excellent Bauer socks. Fairly speaking, even if you won’t buy skates, it is worth to get them as they work excellent with inline skates and rollerskates, too! Also, you may want to add blade protector into your cart.
Happy shopping!