Our story
Blade Science was founded in 2022, but the story stretches back to 2015, to a surgery on both knees of the former Swedish figure skating champion and founder of Blade Science, Ondrej Spiegl. Ondrej, like 90% of skaters , dealt with injuries during his skating career caused by many hours spent on the ice and repeated landing impacts. The knee injury that kept Ondrej from skating for over a year also sparked his curiosity about the biomechanics of landing impacts and skates. 'This was originally a research project, not a business idea,' says Ondrej. 'I did not want others to experience the same pain during skating and being out from the sport.'
In 2017, Ondrej initiated research at the University of GIH, Stockholm, Sweden, focusing on landing impacts and injury prevention of figure skaters. It attracted attention from coaches, biomechanics experts, and sports technology specialists, leading to several grants from different universities and research organizations.
Early in the project, the team realized that current figure skating blades and boots were not designed for the demands of today’s jumping and landing, as the equipment originated from an era when skaters performed jumps occasionally, with skating patterns on ice being the main focus. Jumping became an added feature over time by adding toe picks to the blade and making the boot stiffer; however, optimization for landing was neglected, lacking the shock-absorbing capability of today's athletic footwear with shock-absorbing soles for long-distance runners, high jumpers, basketball players, etc.
In 2019, Ondrej and his colleagues at GIH published their initial findings in the Footwear Science journal , detailing the effects of different figure skates on landing impact loads. Armed with this data, the design of the first shock-absorbing blade could begin!
Did you know that the first "shock-absorbing" blade was patented in 1867? Despite numerous patented inventions for shock-absorbing blades and boots over the years, why were they still not available in 2022? The answer lies in the monumental complexity of designing and developing a "functional" shock-absorbing figure skating blade.
The complexity of designing such a blade involved overcoming numerous hurdles, including creating durable elastic shock absorbers capable of withstanding elite performance, fitting them into standard blade dimensions, ensuring robust construction, offering various blade profiles, easy-to-replace components, and most importantly, reducing landing impacts for skaters of different weights. Additionally, the blade needed to be lightweight, cost-effective, producible at scale, and environmentally friendly. This required extensive research and development efforts to achieve a balance between functionality and practicality.
After five years of research and development, countless prototypes, and months spent in the laboratory and on the ice, we achieved the impossible. We created the world's first functional blade with shock-absorbing capability. This accomplishment was made possible thanks to a team with diverse expertise and the support from universities and research organizations. Along the way, we published several papers in scientific journals , providing open access to our data for others to build upon our success. This commitment to transparency and knowledge sharing reflects our dedication to advancing figure skating equipment for the benefit of all skaters.
As a newcomer to the market, Blade Science is thriving. Within the first three months of sales, skaters from 24 different countries have acquired the cushioned blade and love it! "All skaters who have tried the cushioned blades reported experiencing softer landings, improved comfort, and reduced pain," says Ondrej. "Our ultimate goal for sustainable figure skating is on its way." Blade Science's headquarters are in the Czech Republic and feature a strong team supported by experts from around the world. With crucial input from users, ongoing research and testing, and the implementation of modern solutions, our team continues to innovate and disrupt the industry. Blade Science has received several awards and grants in Sweden and the Czech Republic for its innovative business idea that has the potential to ‘change the world’.
At Blade Science, our vision is to provide high-tech and innovative equipment designed to enhance comfort and reduce injuries in figure skating, ultimately making the sport more sustainable by prolonging the careers of skaters and creating environmentally friendly blade solutions.
The foundation of our current and future products will always be science, proper testing, and data availability for transparency. While most manufacturers claim various functions of their sports equipment, they often fail to provide any supporting data. We take pride in the fact that, in addition to typical on-ice tests with skaters, our product has undergone over 1,000 laboratory trials, collecting accurate data on landing loads and motion. Our research paper delves into the details and demonstrates the functionality and efficacy of our cushioning concept, while also benchmarking against current popular figure skating blades available on the market today.
Our True Cushioning Technology TM offers a solution for the most common injuries directly under the feet of skaters, significantly reducing the load and empowering skaters to focus on their performance.
We are committed to leading research in the field and working diligently to introduce new technological advancements into figure skating equipment. Together with you, we aim to set new standards and revolutionize the skating landscape.