Nordic equipment test #2: Almgrens skates
David Dermott
major Nordic countries:
Skis- Norway- Madhus Voss
*Skates- Sweden- Almgrens Sweskate
Spark (kicksled) - Finland- ESLA Kickspark
Not a full equipment review but a few thoughts that some people
might find useful.
The Swedish entry on my new Nordic equipment is the Almgrens Sweskate
ice blades, bought from Nordic Skater in Vermont:
"http://www.nordicskater.com/ice/sweskate.html"
They were on sale for $US 99 , not including bindings. Sorry, I think
the sale is over.
Previously I have been using the Dutch Zandstra blades.
Comparison of the two blades.
Platform:
Zandstra has a wood platform, one can drill the holes for mounting
either the NNN-2 or Salomon SNS binding. Almgrens has a thin aluminum
platform, with pre-drilled holes for both NNN-2 and SNS. The blades were
supplied with mounting screws, nuts and washers.
Blade clearance:
Probably the biggest difference- the Zandstra blade is only 16 mm tall
(from ice to bottom of platform). The Almgrens is 35 mm. This should allow
the skate to pass better through snow on the ice.
The Almgrens has a longer curved up tip. In theory this allows the blade
to clear bumps in the ice. The Almgrens total length is 50 cm, the Zandstra
is 45 cm, but the on-ice part of the blade is about the same.
The blades are the same thickness, about 1 mm. The weight seems about
the same. Since the Almgrens has a thin platform, the overall height from
boot sole to ice is about the same - 40 mm.
I use low-cut classic touring NNN-2 boots, because that's what I have,
and they work OK.
How will these compare in practice? I took them both for a spin
around the local hockey rink and didn't notice much difference, I didn't
expect to. I tried them out very briefly on some very poor lake ice-
course surface with patches of crusty snow and neither worked well.
It looks like I will not be using the skates soon, it snowed
15 cm last night. But I can't complain - I'll going skiing instead.
- Oops! now rain is forecast for the weekend!
--
David Dermott , Wolfville Ridge, Nova Scotia, Canada
email: der...@ns.sympatico.ca
WWW pages: http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/dermott/
Andrew Bolger
I don't know what you are talking about! Could you explain please? It sounds
like you are using nordic ski boots and bindings to clip into ice skates.
kul! but why? Please tell
andy b
feeling very behind the times over here
P.S. I thibnk I understand kick sleds now thanks to all those posters who
explained.
Next ? has any one ever tried onbe in the Uk?
David Dermott
> David,
> I don't know what you are talking about! Could you explain please? It sounds
> like you are using nordic ski boots and bindings to clip into ice skates.
> kul! but why? Please tell
> andy b
> feeling very behind the times over here
Sorry if I didn't explain it well. The nordicskater site explains it.
"http://www.nordicskater.com/ice/sweskate.html"
Also Timo in Finland explain these skates:
"http://www.uwasa.fi/~ts/info/timonice.html"
Yes. they are ice skate blades that clip on to nordic ski boots. Why?
Because they work! They are much better suited for long distance skating
on lakes than hockey skates. They are warm and comfortable. They are
very popular in Sweden and Finland, especially in the areas lacking
snow. Some winters here are better for skating than skiing, ie. no snow
but lakes frozen. I wish I had found these skates 20 years ago!
We are behind the times here too! Hardly anyone in Canada or USA has
heard of these skates! Jamie Hess, who owns Nordic Skater, is the
big expert in North America. More info from Jamie at:
"http://members.valley.net/~ice/skate/myframes.html"
and
"http://www.webskater.org/"
> P.S. I think I understand kick sleds now thanks to all those posters who
> explained.
> Next ? has any one ever tried one in the Uk?
A kick-sled in UK? Several summers ago when I was cycling through Geilo,
Norway, I met a Englishman who was living there. He said his
sister had taken a kick-sled back to the UK and actually used it there.
David Dermott
is now selling the Almgrens Nordic skate blades:
"http://www.skiandcycleworks.com/"
Price listed is $CDN 125, not including bindings.
Peter Tregunno
Rideau Canal is (well, will be) filled with people skating on the
nordic blades. They've been strapped to skiier's feet for a number of
years now - they really got going after the first Winterlude tri
(skate, ski, run)
Of course, hockey skates rule the roost...
David Dermott <der...@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote in message
Kevin Miller
>
> We are behind the times here too! Hardly anyone in Canada or USA has
> heard of these skates! Jamie Hess, who owns Nordic Skater, is the
> big expert in North America.
peter.d....@alcatel.com (Peter Tregunno) replied:
>
> Hardly anyone in Canada, outside of the Ottawa area... Here, the
> Rideau Canal is (well, will be) filled with people skating on the
> nordic blades. They've been strapped to skiier's feet for a number of
> years now - they really got going after the first Winterlude tri
> (skate, ski, run)
Seven Manitoba Masters Ski Club members own either Almgrens, Zandstra, or
home-made clip-ons. I mail-ordered my 55cm Almgrens from Jamie, and I really
like them. One ski shop here now sells them.
Our ice trail on the Red and Assiniboine rivers at The Forks isn't quite in the
Rideau Canal's league, but it's expanding every year. Our Snowman Triathlon
(http:www.triathlon.mb.ca/triple_threat/events.htm) probably isn't in the
Winterlude Tri's league either, but we're trying. And all our nearby ski trails
put together aren't quite like the Gatineau Hills. Then there's the fact that
Winnipeg is, on average, over 5C colder than Ottawa. (Hmmm ... I'm starting to
wonder why I live here. :-)
Kevin Miller <mailto:k.a.m...@mb.sympatico.ca>
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
"Is your life about material success? ... or significance?" Ralph Nader
David Dermott
>
> Seven Manitoba Masters Ski Club members own either Almgrens, Zandstra, or
> home-made clip-ons. I mail-ordered my 55cm Almgrens from Jamie, and I really
> like them. One ski shop here now sells them.
>
It looks like it's becoming easier to find "nordic skates" now
than when I started looking 5 years ago- I eventually found my Zandstras
by phoning a skate store in Ottawa.
There are also a few pictures of them being used in the Edmonton triathlon:
"http://www.edmontonspeedskating.ca/Events/EWT/Photos/photos_2002.shtml"
It says they are sold at:
Fast Trax. (7208-101 Ave. Edmonton ph. 469-9292)
> Our ice trail on the Red and Assiniboine rivers at The Forks isn't
> quite in the Rideau Canal's league, but it's expanding every year.
I was looking at the map of Winnipeg and wondering what the Red River
floodway would be like for skating/kicksledding! Probably drained in
winter?
Nordic skating (cross-country skating, long-distance skating, tour
skating, ... ??, the Swedish word is Långfärdsskridsko) (and
kicksledding of course!!) opens up new possibilities in snowless, but
cold winters. As far as I know, this is what happened in central
Sweden (Stockholm latitude). There had been a lot less snow in the last
10 or so years, so a lot of frustrated Swedish XC skiers have discovered
long-distance skating. The sport seems to have really expanded in the
last decades with dozens of clubs, many of them have great WWW sites.
Looks like I'll be using my skates (or my sister's kicksled) when I go
to Alberta next week! No snow there. I discovered a 25 km irrigation canal
linking some lakes near my sister's farm.