Graf Skates Make My Feet Numbingly Cold

[91]

Hey guys,

I have had my Grafs for about a year now and I dont think I have put them on once without having my feet numbingly cold. Has anyone else experienced this? What have you done to combat it? I have tried those feet warmers that you attached to a sock and that was OK but I wonder if it is just poor circulation in my feet although I barely tie my skates that tight. I am at my wits end and might consider selling them to move back to Bauer if I can't find a way to make my feet comfortable.

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[Jarick]

Do they fit pretty tight? What kind of socks do you wear?

 

[91]

They are a perfect fit. I have a bit of a wider foot but I got the wide version in my size. I wear the sport socks but I found my feet are actually slightly less cold when I go barefoot which is weird to me...

 

[BlackDog13]

They are a perfect fit. I have a bit of a wider foot but I got the wide version in my size. I wear the sport socks but I found my feet are actually slightly less cold when I go barefoot which is weird to me...

By virtue of the fact your feet are warmer without socks, it sounds like your skates are too tight. The thickness of the socks are contributing to constriction of the blood vessels which is why your feet are cold. I'd suggest having them stretched.

 

[blueberrydanish]

By virtue of the fact your feet are warmer without socks, it sounds like your skates are too tight. The thickness of the socks are contributing to constriction of the blood vessels which is why your feet are cold. I'd suggest having them stretched.

Thats what Id go with, seems to be a very common thing and solves alot of peoples problems that have similar issue.

 

[The Tikkanen]

If that doesn't work I'd also look at your whole body insulation. I've had teammates who had to switch to the full body under armor-type thing to keep their toes warm. First thing that goes cold in your body when it faces cold temperatures are your outer extremities. But, if you didn't have that problem in your previous skates and switched brands you probably should switch back. Perfect fit in skates usually means sticking with that brand.

 

[kingscourt26]

They are a perfect fit. I have a bit of a wider foot but I got the wide version in my size. I wear the sport socks but I found my feet are actually slightly less cold when I go barefoot which is weird to me...

I had a similar problem which was due to the sock absorbing water the getting cold. I don't know if that's what you may be experiencing but it's worth a shot.

 

[Jarick]

It sounds like the skates themselves are a bit small. You could try getting them baked, or have them stretched, that might help. It's a lot cheaper than new skates. It's always better to have slightly small skates and have them stretched out wider than to have slightly large skates and not be able to fix them!

 

[ponder]

Agreed with the other posters, cold feet are almost always due to overly tight skates, take them to a good hockey shop (preferably the one where you bought them, if it was at a good shop) and they should be able to help you out with some stretching/baking.

 

[91]

I did get them baked when I bought them. I bought them at the Pro Hockey Life store. I was messing around with them last night and I noticed that even then I thought they were loose because I was using wax laces and have like no give in them once you tie them even slightly tight you are locked in. I tried some non-waxed laces and felt immediate relief. I didnt think my skates were that tight until I tried the different laces... how odd is that. I have a game tonight so I am hoping for the best! Can you imagine that after like a year and a half all I had to do was buy new laces?!?!

 

[gintonic]

I don't think this issue is just a Graf issue, it can happen in any skate, and as most have said, it's usually from tightness in that you're cutting the circulation off in the foot. This used to happen to me often until I was more careful when tying the skate not to make it too tight. It's a careful balance I think. You can't have it too lose as that will affect your control on the ice, but if it's too tight you'll get the foot pain/numbness issue.

 

[Jarick]

You found the same thing I did at first! I was in Bauers and used wax laces because they Bauers were stiff and the waxed ones held them tight. The Grafs on the other hand are softer so the wax laces were digging in to my feet and causing pain and pressure. I switched to Bauer cloth laces as they are wide and soft and the problem went away. Now I'm back to waxed but I barely tighten them until the ankle.

 

[91]

Yeah the regular cloth laces did the trick! my feet were cold but not anywhere near as cold as they were before. everyone gets cold feet in the rink we play in but i could feel them all game! cant believe it was just laces! thanks guys

 

[BlackDog13]

Expect our collective bills in the mail.

Glad they're working out for you, it'd been a shame to give up on a pair of Grafs.

 

[The Tikkanen]

Yeah the regular cloth laces did the trick! my feet were cold but not anywhere near as cold as they were before. everyone gets cold feet in the rink we play in but i could feel them all game! cant believe it was just laces! thanks guys

I think changing laces regularly is probably more important than most of us realize. Once they start to get tangled I've been changing them out as I've been experiencing ankle bone pain or lace bite after never having a problem with my feet or skates.

 

[91]

Expect our collective bills in the mail.

Glad they're working out for you, it'd been a shame to give up on a pair of Grafs.

Yeah, I think i have determined that these skates actually fit my foot so perfectly that the waxed laces even when tied loosely created too much of a restrictive hold on my feet causing my foot to not be able to move at all. Playing on feet that aren't numb is such a huge difference its not even funny!