EGC Skates

It’s been a long winter so far, so I have a long post.  Over the past several years, we’ve been able to skate deep into the autumn and early winter, but this year has been a bit of an exception.  The snow started to fall early and the mercury dropped much quicker than expected.  It’s been much colder this winter and as a result it has been harder to train outdoors.

I went to the Great EsSkate

It was fortunate, that back in the fall, I booked my flight to Florida for the Great EsSkate (GES).  I have to admit, that my expectations were not very high.  I had read about the event and wasn’t sure if I’d get to maximize mileage vs. cost for this trip.  For years I’ve been trying to find a mid-winter locale for a 4 or 5 day skating/training camp, but with no real luck (I’m not a great traveler.)   My last attempt was planned around the Pinnellas Trail (also in Florida.)

Cost was a big deal for me, since I’m not into “touristy” things and not that big into the night-club scene.  The GES schedule seemed a little short on the skating and high on the partying.  For the $800+ that I was about to spend on this trip, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I decided that this was going to be a “fun” trip, though deep down inside – I was already planning out my Long Steady (LSD) Distance sessions along the beach trails and side roads.  Google’s street level mapping software gave me a good idea of what the place looked like.

I’m a strong believer in aerobic base training (aka LSD) so I was hoping to get some longer skates at a steady pace.

When my plane arrived, I met up with a few of the Toronto skaters (only later did I realize there were about 15 of us there.) Outside the hotel (Royal Palm) was a Lamborghini with Ontario plates.  Lol.  I  think it was a Gallardo, probably from Toronto.

Immediately, my plan was to go for a skate.  I was a bit disappointed by the the road conditions and available places to skate, but I was more annoyed by the cool temperatures.  The sunlight though, was very nice.

Lunch was on our menu, so that came first.   A couple of interesting things about Miami: the food is expensive, the food portions are huge!

As the day wore on, the temperatures climbed and by nightfall it was finally warm enough to venture out.  The traffic was also a little better so a small group of us hit Ocean Drive for a short 5 miler

Over the next several days we ended up skating in excess of 100 miles.  It wasn’t all group/planned outings, some of them were unplanned “word of mouth” or un-escorted jaunts through the city in the middle of the night.  If you’re like me and looking for a mid-winter training adventure to supplement off season training, this is it!  I’ll be there next year for sure.

Tips:

• Ensure you’ve logged at least 60 to 70 percent of your planned LSD hours prior to attending GES.  This way, you can use the trip to “test” your fitness and progress.
• Bring a combination of soft wheels, the roads in Miami are very rough
• If you plan to venture out on your own, bring a GPS
• You can’t skate very fast on the beach front trail/boardwalk (we tried though)
• The beach front trail/boardwalk isn’t that smooth (tiles & stones) and isn’t that long either.
• You can’t skate on the wooden sections of the beach front trail, it’s not allowed.
• Ocean Drive makes for a nice warm up.
• We found a quarter-mile track, suitable for some extra training – examine the google maps for more info (I can’t remember where exactly the track was, but it wasn’t that far from the hotel.)

Boot Making 101: The feedback is coming…

I’m still working on the lasts,  as it appears to remain my biggest challenge.  The assembly aspect is getting easier, but the sanding and shaping is still tricky.  A recent discovery has me thinking about the lower leg instead of just the foot.  There is still a problem with the cuff of the boot, but this time, it’s not the design, it’s the shape.  In my next boot, I’ll be sanding above the ankle in an attempt to tighten the boot cuff.  In theory, it seems to make sense, but we’ll see how this goes.  This will be Version 6.

Boot Making 2009: To make or not to make

A few readers have been waiting patiently for me to start production, but I still have a long road ahead.  I’m just going to re-iterate, that this is my hobby, not my profession.  The work is very labor intensive and trying to meet deadlines can be extremely stressful.   To date, I’ve made about 9 prototypes with three or four still left on my workbench.

I have already made the decision, NOT to go into production.  As I mentioned elsewhere, I’m not abandoning it entirely either, and will continue to make them, but don’t expect a lot of them to come out of my shop.  Things will operate at a hobby pace.  Sorry.

If you want a pair, it will depend on a lot of things like my skating/training schedule, my day job and the time of year.  To be completely fair I will start a waiting list, beginning at 9AM on April 30th, 2009.  To get on the list, just send me an email.  All requests received after 9AM EST will be added to the list.  It won’t cost anything to be on it and there is no obligation to commit.  It’s just a list of interested individuals.  When I’m ready to make your boot, I’ll contact you.  There are no promised delivery dates and no estimates however, you can guage it based on an estimate of 2 to 3 months per pair.

Please NOTE: preference will be given to local, then Canadian residents. If I’ve already spoken to you regarding sales outside of Canada, our agreement will take precedence. Import and Export paperwork is tricky so I’d rather not have to go there if I don’t need to.

Good luck to those interested!

On a more positive note, by the time 2009 is done, there is probably going to be enough information (articles, photos, videos) on my blog for you to start your own boot making project.  Then, you won’t have to wait for me :)

Shoe Making 101

Well, if skating, training and sleeping doesn’t delay my boot making exploits, certainly one of my other hobbies will!  I’m still experimenting with printing shirts and shoe making. I think my designs are starting to get to the stage where I can actually make something usable.  Stay tuned for some flashy looking shirts & shoes (fingers crossed.)