What is a Blade Hollow

The ‘hollow’ refers to the concave groove ground into the bottom surface of the skate blade, see example figure below.

The smaller the radius of the hollow the deeper the groove. The deeper the groove the more bite on the ice surface versus a shallower groove which provides less bite resulting in more glide.

In most cases, a 1/2" hollow is the best all-around profile giving more than adequate grip for quick starts, stops, turns and good glide. Skaters may develop individual hollow preferences over time based on their age, weight, skating and playing style.

For goalies, 1/2" is also typical, but younger / novice goalies might want a shallower cut like 3/4" to avoid getting caught up during transitions.

Please contact us if you have further questions.