Therefore, blade guards should be worn when walking around in ice skates on any other surface except ice and rubber flooring.<\/p>\n

The good news is that most ice rinks use rubber flooring in most key areas, so typically within the rink area you’ll be walking on rubber. The bad news is that even on the rubber surfaces, especially in the busier public areas, dirt accumulates. Grit and dirt from outside is carried in on shoes, and stepping on that\u2014even on top of rubber\u2014can\u00a0dull or chip\u00a0the blades.<\/p>\n

The best advice therefore is that blade guards should be worn from when the skates are put on, right up to the edge of the ice. As a more general rule, the less you walk in skates off the ice, the better.<\/p>\n

Are There Different Sizes?<\/h1>\n

Yes, because blades are different lengths, but the guards I’ve seen are one size fits all<\/q> and either have an adjustable locking mechanism, or can be cut to size to fit the blade. There are two main types I typically see:<\/p>\n