What does ice skate sharpening do?
The skate sharpener uses a rotating grinding wheel to renew the edges of the skate blade by removing a small amount of metal from the blade. Sharper edges help the skate grip the ice; duller blades will feel like they are sliding sideways. How often should skates be sharpened? This is a matter of personal preference. As your child becomes a more accomplished skater, he or she will be able to determine what works best. If the skate blades look or feel dull or damaged, or like they are not secure (they are slipping sideways), that’s a good indication that they could use sharpening. Your child should make a point of noticing how freshly sharpened skates feel and trying to remember that feeling—so that when it goes away, she knows it’s time for sharpening. Brand-new figure blades are sharpened at the factory, but may still need a touch-up before they are used. A player/skater can usually skate about 8-12 hours in between sharpenings, depending on how hard they skate and how sharp of a blad
