PIC vs. Triax Skate Frames - by Marion Ennis Curtis

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Artistic Inline Skate Frames: PIC vs. Traix
by Marion Ennis Curtis

Marion Ennis Curtis shares her opinions how about how the PIC artistic inline skate frame compares to the Triax frame.

On the surface it appears that the PIC skate is preferred by ice skaters, and the quad skaters hail the Triax alternative. In reality, in-line figure skating is in a class all its own, therefore we must choose the equipment necessary to achieve optimum results. A new paradigm in the way we think about technique is needed before we can honestly evaluate the differences in the two skates.

In-line technique, in my opinion, must be defined without a bias toward roller skating or ice skating. For instance, will a skate allow us to perform innovative and difficult moves that require edge control and fluidity, making an apparently difficult move look easy? Can it help make the move look beautiful, capture excitement, with landings performed in near silence? After all, these are the qualities that make skating the envy of all other sports. So now, to the equipment:

My personal experience with the PIC Skate has been illuminating. I have found that I am able to hold edges quietly, attempt edge jumps with relative ease, and land jumps softly due to the rockered frame and the front-mounted pick. Rockered wheels also allow greater security. There is no sense of instability or threat of falling off my back wheel. The pick seems to provide a safety net when landing too far forward on jumps or spinning too far forward on my toe, naturally correcting for any tendencies toward landing and centering problems. Spread Eagles are great fun; I can lean way back and let centrifugal force keep me from falling! I believe that the PIC skate design has lots of reserve capability, allowing more interesting and exciting inline skating moves to develop as the sport evolves.

About the Author: Marion Ennis Curtis has been a figure skater since 1965, and she is a United States Figure Skating Association double silver medalist. She has been an instructor for 17 years and currently teaches on a pair of PIC skates at a rink near her home in Los Osos California. Marion contributed several chapters to Jo Ansn Farris' recent book, How to Jump and Spin on In-line Skates. As an advocate for the development and recognition of in-line figure skating, she is currently working for the International Inline Figure Skating Association, and she moderates the InlineJumpSpinners email group list.

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