Best figure skating tights (+ leggings) – competition & practice

Let's discuss the criteria to choose the best figure skating tights or leggings for you: shape, material, color... For competition or practice, there is a large choice of ice skating tights and leggings. Below are my tips to help you choose the best ones for your needs, and how to take care of them.

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Best figure skating tights & leggings - competition & training

Tights and leggings are an essential part of the figure skater outfits. Let's have a look at the main criteria to consider and some of the top products.

Best figure skating tights for competition

The most important criteria to choose tights for competition are:

• Texture and color - the aspect of the leg on the ice is often the most important aspect for competition - you want the legs to look beautiful
• Overboot / footed - the other important aspect of your competition costume is the use of boot covers or not. Tights with over boot covers make legs look longer.
• Comfortable - they should not be annoying during any movement
• Note: make sure to check how to take care of your tights, at the end of this article.

So, here are my top choices for competition:

Best figure skating leggings and tights for training

The most important criteria to choose tights or leggings for training are:

• Warmth - training is longer that competition and you want to keep warm. They are often thicker.
• Durability - they are being used, washed and reused many times, so you want something that can resist.
• Design - you can often express more freely your personality at practice with your leggings.
• Comfortable

So, here are my top choices for practice:

And my collection of fun leggings on the ice skating theme: for figure skaters and synchronized skaters

Don't miss the tips to take care of them at the end of the article!

Notes on plus size and dark skins tights

Let's be honest. Figure skating is sadly not the most inclusive sport there is.

When they create darker colors of tights, they tend to be more orangy.
There is starting to be movement to have more shades of skin, but progress is limited.
However for competition, you can buy normal pantyhose made of dark skin. They are not made for ice skating, but if you don't take something too thin, it should be good.

Same thing for plus size skaters, the current solution is to purchase classic tights or dance tights (some are developing plus size ranges). But they will be thin too.

Why should you wear tights as a figure skater?

To better choose a pair of tights or leggings, one must first understand why figure skaters wear tights

1. To keep warm without hindering the movement

Well, that seems obvious but let's still state the fact: ice rinks are cold. You want to wear something on your legs to keep them warm.
However, you don't want to wear pants that would be bulky and maybe stiff. You want warmth but at the same time, something which will maintain your agility.

2. To protect your legs in case of falls

Well, figure skaters tend to fall a lot. Especially at practice when repeating news skills such as jumps or spins.
So you want something that protects a minimum against the impact and friction with the ice.
Plus you want a material that does not absorb too much the water, because it would get cold and be really uncomfortable.

3. For appearance

Finally, you want to wear something on the legs that is pretty and shows the beautiful lines created. It creates uniformity on the legs.
Something that does not hide the movements made by the legs.
Especially in competition, they can complement the costume for an overall impression.

Criteria to choose ice skating tights

The questions to ask yourself

• Will the tights be used in competition or at practice? 
• How often with they be used?
• Is the rink very cold or kind of warm? Yes, there are differences. I remember one rink where I had a yearly competition and we all had to wear 3 pairs of tights because it was so cold!!!
• What is my style?
• What will I wear with it - some wear just leggings, some have shorts over them, or a leotard with a small skirt...?

Your answers will help you choose the right tights for you based on the following criteria.

Color, thickness and texture

• Figure skating tights are traditionally in skin color tones (though sometimes awkward orangy colors) - it is often not very easy to find a color that does not clash with the color of your arms and face, but it is getting better, I think.
• You can find different textures that will catch the light in different ways and create different styles: smooth, sleek, transparent, with shimmer or thicker, matt, high shine... Some look more elegant while other blend better with your skin tone. The trends vary. Just choose what you prefer.
• The thicker ones are often preferred for practice. They are normally matt.
• You can find designs with rhinestones, but always read the comments to make sure they are well attached - you don't want them to drop on the ice and make someone fall!
• However, practice leggings come in a variety of colors and designs

Material

You want the fabric to be

• stretchable,
• breathable (to allow sweat to pass through),
• drying fast (in case your fall),
• holding the shape around your leg (no sagging)

There are several materials used to manufacture figure skating tights:

• nylon, polymer allowing for very thin garments
• micro-fibers - they are considered high performance fibers for sport clothes (medium thickness)
• bamboo - natural fiber, very breathable fabric (thicker tights)

To those, spandex, lycra or elastane are added, for their flexibility, elasticity and strength.

Design: Footed / Footless / Over the boot

You can find 3 different types of designs for figure skating tights:

• Footless Design - often preferred for practice
  + you can choose your socks to wear in the skating boot, or to go barefoot
  + more resistant than the footed ones because they are less stretched by the foot movements and don't have friction in the boot
• Footed tights - classic tights with a foot included
  + no need for socks
  + no seam at the ankle level where the boot rubs your skin the most
• Over the boot tights - they attach under the boot with Velcro or hooks
  + create a beautiful line with the leg with one color, elongate the skater
  + protect your skating book from scratches (like boot covers, but looking less heavy)

There is no perfect option. There are trends. When I was skating competitively, over the boot were in fashion.
Just choose what you feel the most comfortable with what you find the most pleasant to look at.

Quality / brand / price

The 2 most famous brands for ice skating tights: Mondor and Capezio.
But they can become expensive for training.
Other good brands are also developing and trying to crack the market such as ChloeNoel (skating focus) and Body Wrappers (coming from dance)...

Make sure to read reviews for durability. But otherwise, this is your choice in terms of what you feel more comfortable in.

Tights can be expensive, especially if you wear them in training. This is why I recommend leggings for practice, as they will last longer.

For competitions, always bring back ups.

Best tights for figure skating competition

What you want for competition tights

Well, the 2 main things you are looking for in competition tights are: COMFORT and APPEARANCE.
You need tights that:

• don't annoy during any movements
• make your leg look beautiful (length, color of your skin, over the boot or not, embellishment)
• look good with your costume

Below are some good classic choices to consider if they fit your need.

Review of Mondor Classic figure skating tights over the boot

Review of ChloeNoel over the boot figure skating tights

Review of Mondor classic footed tights with shimmer

Best figure skater leggings for practice

What you want for practice tights or leggings

Well, the 4 main things you are looking for in practice tights are: COMFORT, WARMTH, DURABILITY and APPEARANCE.
You need tights that:

• don't annoy during any movements
• keep you warm, however long your stay at practice
• are strong enough to withstand the falls, the moves, the frictions... for many practices
• show your personality

So, here are some options that could be good:

Review of 

Review of 

Review of 

The ice skating passion collection of leggings

But if you want something a little different, to stand out on the ice at practice, check out my collection of leggings with figure skating designs and synchronized skating designs.
Features

• Spandex blend
• Medium weight
• Sturdy, don't lose shape
• Breathable

Cons

• Not a specific shape for figure skating (does not go over the boot)
• Not as warm as heavy weight - so it depends how cold you feel when practicing (however, you can also show your passion outside the rink!)

6 Tips to take care of your tights

Below are a few tips to

• Make your tights last longer
• Keep your tights in good shape
• Manage damage to your tights

#1 Don't leave them in your bag

This is an obvious one, but life gets busy, and things get missed...
After practice or competition, tights should at least be dried out outside of the bag. Sweat and ice have most probably accumulated on them.

#2 Washing

Prefer washing your tights by hand with a gentle detergent or simply a Marseille soap. 
Don't use too hot water (as they could shrink).
Some add fabric softener (so that they remain softer when drying) but I think that the less chemicals, the better.

#3 Drying

Do not place them directly on a radiator, set them up on a chair or on a drying laundry rack facing a radiator.

#6 Carry safety pins

If you have opted for over-the-boot tights, make sure you also carry safety pins in your bags.
I had that happen too when the Velcro or the hook under the boot broke. You still need you boot cover to attached under it. Safety pins are you saviors. 

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