Need help with new skates

[funster]

My old skates were Salomon FSK Deemax 2, and for almost a decade I skated almost every day. I wore them very loosely - virtually sans ankle support because they felt like an extension of my feet.

Sadly the boots ultimately fell apart at around 2012, and I picked up Sebas (can't recall the model now - think it was FR1s?). Even after 18 months I could not get used to them, and simple slalom tricks felt "wrong" no matter how many times I attempted them.

I'm ready to move on to completely new skates and need some help narrowing my choices. Obviously it's all very subjective, but can anyone help point me in the right direction? I'm on the verge of just giving up - it's been months since I skated.

- I managed to keep the Deemax frames (243mm, US8.5), so I'm wondering if anyone knows any UFS boots that are very close to Deemax/Crossmax boots.

- Wondering if Mission DS5s might be an appropriate choice. I'm not planning to do pure slalom, but a mix of slalom and freeskating. Never tried hockey skates but since they are designed to be maneuverable, I'm thinking if they might fit my needs.

- I did want to try Missions, but the one place I went "does not do demos" which was a disappointment.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[Joey]

Originally Posted by funster

My old skates were Salomon FSK Deemax 2, and for almost a decade I skated almost every day. I wore them very loosely - virtually sans ankle support because they felt like an extension of my feet.

Sadly the boots ultimately fell apart at around 2012, and I picked up Sebas (can't recall the model now - think it was FR1s?). Even after 18 months I could not get used to them, and simple slalom tricks felt "wrong" no matter how many times I attempted them.

I'm ready to move on to completely new skates and need some help narrowing my choices. Obviously it's all very subjective, but can anyone help point me in the right direction? I'm on the verge of just giving up - it's been months since I skated.

- I managed to keep the Deemax frames (243mm, US8.5), so I'm wondering if anyone knows any UFS boots that are very close to Deemax/Crossmax boots.

- Wondering if Mission DS5s might be an appropriate choice. I'm not planning to do pure slalom, but a mix of slalom and freeskating. Never tried hockey skates but since they are designed to be maneuverable, I'm thinking if they might fit my needs.

- I did want to try Missions, but the one place I went "does not do demos" which was a disappointment.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

All I have to offer is last summer 2015 i got a new pair of Powerslide Hardcore EVO slalom skates. They killed me for two months, I baked them in the oven three times, then had to take a month off to let my feet recover. Probably the first 2-3 months were hell and thought about giving up. Finally, they broke in. They feel like bedroom slippers on my feet, and like you I don't even ratchet the top ankle buckle at all and only ratchet the middle buckle one or two clicks. I can skate 30 miles in them as rec skates or dodge cones for hours with zero issues or maybe something very minor.

Hope this helps somehow.