For your first few weeks you need very little: warm, stretchy layers, gloves and rental skates, plus a helmet or some padding if it helps you relax. Buy your own figure skates once you know you're sticking with it, and get them fitted. When you do, add hard guards, soakers and a towel to look after the blades, and let most other gear wait.
Key takeaways
- You can start with rental skates, warm stretchy clothes and gloves. Gloves are the one thing not to skip.
- Padded shorts, knee pads, wrist guards and helmets are all normal for adult beginners. Wear whatever helps you relax and learn.
- Your own skates are the first big purchase. Get fitted, and choose a boot-and-blade set from a figure skating brand.
- Hard guards, soakers and a towel come with your own skates. Most other gear can wait.
Skating gear can look like a long shopping list when you're starting out. The good news is that you need very little for your first few weeks, and most of it is probably in your closet already. This guide goes through what to wear, what's worth buying and when, so you can spread the cost and buy things as you need them.
What you need for your first sessions
Most rinks rent skates, and rental figure skates are fine for your first few weeks of classes or public sessions. Lace them snugly, and ask for a different pair if your heel lifts, your toes are squashed or the boots feel soft and worn. Swapping is normal, so don't feel shy about it.
Apart from skates, your first sessions need warm clothes you can move in and a pair of gloves. The table below shows what most adult beginners end up with, and roughly when each thing earns its place. Our first lesson checklist covers everything else to sort out before your first class.
| Item | When you need it | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Gloves | From your first session | Your hands touch the ice when you fall or get up. |
| Warm, stretchy layers | From your first session | You need to bend your knees and stay warm on cold ice. |
| Thin socks or tights | From your first session | One thin pair, taller than the boot, so nothing rubs. |
| Helmet | While you're learning | Protects your head, mostly on backward falls. |
| Padded shorts or knee pads | Optional, in your first months | Take the sting out of falls while you learn. |
| Your own figure skates | Once you're sticking with it | A fitted pair supports you in a way rental skates rarely do. |
| Hard guards, soakers and a towel | With your own skates | They protect the blades off the ice and keep them dry. |
| A bag | With your own skates | Any gym bag or backpack works to start. |
Clothes, gloves and socks
Wear warm, stretchy layers you can bend your knees in, like leggings or athletic pants, a fitted long-sleeved top and a light jacket or fleece you can take off as you warm up. Leave the jeans at home, because they're stiff, and cold once they get wet. Our guide to what to wear ice skating has more ideas.
Gloves are the one thing not to forget. Your hands will touch the ice when you fall or push yourself back up, and other skaters' blades are sharp. Any warm pair that lets you grip the boards is fine to start, and padded skating gloves add some cushioning on the palm.
For your feet, wear one thin pair of socks or tights that comes up higher than the top of the boot. Thick socks, or two pairs, change how the boot fits and are more likely to bunch up and rub. If your feet go numb, your laces are usually too tight, and our fitting guide shows how to lace up.
Padding and helmets
Plenty of adults wear some padding for their first months, and nobody at the rink will think twice about it. Padded shorts protect your hips and tailbone and fit under your leggings, where they don't show. Knee pads help with forward falls, and thin, flexible ones fit under leggings better than bulky ones. Wear whatever helps you stop worrying, and leave it at home once you don't need it.
Wrist guards are a backup while you learn, but the best protection for your wrists is keeping your hands in when you fall. Our guide to falling safely shows how. If you'd like padded shorts made for skating, we carry CRS Cross padded figure skating shorts, with foam pads over the hips and tailbone.
A helmet is worth wearing while you're learning, adults included, and it matters most for backward falls. It should sit level on your head rather than tipped back, with the chin strap buckled so it can't shift. Some rinks have their own helmet rules for classes, so ask yours.
When to buy your own skates
Your own skates are the first big purchase, and the one that makes the most difference. Many adults buy a pair once they know they're sticking with skating, often after a few weeks of classes. A pair that fits properly supports your ankles in a way most rental skates can't, and you get used to one pair instead of a different rental each time.
For lessons, choose figure skates rather than soft recreational skates, and buy a boot-and-blade set from a figure skating brand, not a cheap pair from a department store. Match the stiffness to what you're doing now rather than what you hope to do in a few years. Our guide to the best figure skates for adult beginners compares starter sets, and our boot guide explains stiffness.
Get fitted in person if you can, at a skate shop or your rink's pro shop. Skate sizes usually run smaller than street shoes and vary by maker, so your shoe size is only a starting point, and a fitter can check your width, arch and heel too. If you're thinking about a secondhand pair, our guide to new vs used figure skates covers what to check.
Guards, soakers and a towel
Once you have your own skates, you need three small things to look after the blades. Hard guards go on whenever you walk anywhere off the ice, because concrete, tile and grit can nick or dull a blade quickly. Take them off right before you step onto the ice, and put them back on as soon as you step off.
After skating, dry the blades with a towel, including the sides and around the screws, then put soft soakers on before the skates go in your bag. Don't store skates in hard guards, because they trap moisture against the steel and cause rust. Our guide to guards and soakers explains the difference, and we carry a CRS Cross guards, soakers and towel set if you'd like all three together.
New blades usually come with a factory finish rather than a proper edge, so they need sharpening before you skate on them. Ask the shop that sells or mounts your skates about it. Our sharpening guide covers how to tell when they need it again.
A bag and the small extras
You don't need a special skate bag to start. A gym bag or backpack works, as long as your skates fit comfortably and the bag isn't sealed tight, because damp skates need some air. When you get home, take the skates out so they can dry.
A few small things are worth keeping in the bag once you skate regularly: spare laces, blister pads, tissues, water and a snack. Our skating bag checklist has the full list for practice, lessons and test days.
What can wait
Most other gear can wait until your coach suggests it or your skating calls for it. Separate boots and blades, upgraded blades and custom boots are for later levels, and the blade that comes on a beginner set is fine while you learn the basics. Our blade guide explains when an upgrade starts to make sense.
Off-ice gear like a spinner is handy once you're working on spins, but you can start off-ice training with sneakers and a sturdy chair. Our off-ice training guide has exercises to begin with. Test and competition outfits can wait until you have a date on the calendar.
This is general advice from adult skaters. Your coach and your skate shop know your rink and your skating, so if their advice differs from this page, go with theirs.
