She’s never owned a pair of ice skates, because getting kids winter sports equipment isn’t worthwhile: As soon as December arrives, last-year’s almost unused equipment is nothing but a tiny version of what’s needed. Even with the best intentions, a six-year-old’s feet don’t fit the ski boots of a five-year-old. Having accepted this, we’ve got our kids new ski equipment every year. But it’s never been worth getting ice skates for those few times we visit an ice rink. So we’ve always rented skates.
My daughter’s modest wishes for Christmas made me change my mind about this matter. «Daddy, I only want two things for Christmas,» she told me. «Slimy – and mummy to take me ice skating.» If that’s all she’s asking for, I thought, we’ll give her a pair of ice skates, too. Her feet are just about large enough to fit the Bladerunner Micro Ice. These ice skates feature size adjustment at the touch of a button. They grow in sync with my daughter’s feet, so to speak. The smallest available version fits shoe sizes 29 to 33. My little one’s favourite ice rink charges six francs to rent ice skates. This means, if we go ice skating ten times in the next few years, it’s been worth the investment. With this in mind, I don’t wait for Christmas and order the white model. With its pink and blue patterns and snowflakes, this version is aimed at girls.
My daughter loves her skates from day one. «The snow flake is beautiful and blue is my favourite colour,» she says. Although the scale on the skates makes no sense to me, it’s really easy to adjust the size. Press the button, stretch or push together the skate and lock it in place. That’s it. Plus, these ice hockey skates look robust and my daughter finds them comfortable. With laces, Velcro and tension lock, it’s easy to make them fit any foot. That’s all I expect from ice skates for kids – and my daughter is happily skating over the ice.
«I really like them,» my daughter concludes. I agree. Having the mechanism to adjust the size is really handy and makes sure it’s worthwhile getting these skates. I also like the design of the Bladerunner Micro Ice skates. They’re pretty without looking too childish nor too grown-up. What I’d like even more is to see a version that’s not so obviously aimed at either girls or boys. At this stage, my son wouldn’t mind, but I’m not sure if he’d want to wear ice skates with flowers on them once he’s reached the age of six. If not, I’ll have to get the black version, too.
