Chris Bretoi only tried inline skating once prior to losing his leg, and it didn’t go well. “I fell and nearly killed myself,” he laughs. So when his prosthetist suggested that Bretoi give it another try after becoming an amputee, he scoffed: “Yeah sure, like I’m gonna get up and do that on a prosthetic leg.” Against his better judgment, Bretoi gave it a shot—and he’s never looked back. Gliding along on single-file wheels provides a sense of speed, grace, and freedom of movement that’s hard for anyone to find, let alone a below-knee amputee in his late 60s.
For Bretoi, who lives in Minnesota, one of the biggest hurdles to inline skating is the weather. It’s usually too wet and cold to get out there until mid to late May. He stays in shape over the long winter by playing pickleball, among other things (you might recognize Bretoi’s name from this 2022 Amplitude article on the subject), and spreading the gospel of Selkirk pickleball gear.
Until fairly recently, Bretoi regularly skated marathons, including the fabled NorthShore Inline Marathon in Duluth. This year he’ll “only” be doing a half-marathon at NorthShore, which takes place in September—he’s still recovering from a fractured tibia on his prosthetic side. But he made it through an 11-mile Human Powered Health skate last month, so he’s working his way back. “I would have hoped I’d have gotten around the course a lot quicker,” he says, “but I was more preoccupied about getting around the course safely than I was about watching my time.”
That’s a big part of Bretoi’s message to other amputees who want to try inline skating: Find your comfort level and keep it safe. You don’t have to log mileage in bulk to have a good time. Here are his top tips for easing your way into the sport.
1. Armor up
Bretoi never skates without a helmet, and you shouldn’t either. He’s partial to Rudy Project helmets, which are light and aerodynamic, but a standard bicycle helmet will suffice. That’s the most essential piece of protective wear in an amputee skater’s kit, but Bretoi also advises that you wear knee and elbow pads. “I’ve gone down any number of times,” he says, “so risk protection is really important.” He also wears hand guards to keep his palms from getting torn up in a fall. And he recommends wrist braces for novice skaters, who are prone to falling backwards and reflexively throwing their arms behind them to absorb the impact. Wrist guards will protect the delicate bones in that joint.
2. Stabilize the knee
“I would encourage anyone to work with their prosthetist to make sure you don’t put too much stress on your knee,” Bretoi says. That’s particularly true for anyone with a short tibia (ie, less than six inches). You don’t need costly or extensive interventions, he adds. Bretoi and his clinician just started with an off-the-shelf knee brace (he’s wearing it in the photo above) and added some Velcro straps to keep the device securely attached to his socket. “You need to do something about medial / lateral instability,” he says. “Otherwise you can wreck your knee.”
3. Choose a proper skating location
A common mistake that turns off many first-time skaters (both amputees and nondisabled) is choosing the wrong track for their maiden skate. Choose something that’s level, smooth, and protected from cars, scooters, and other motorized vehicles. “Most communities have bike trails that are fairly well maintained,” Bretoi observes. Dormant parking lots (say, for schools that are closed during summer) may also offer favorable conditions. The surface itself should be as silky as possible; rough asphalt makes it harder for beginners to maintain balance and establish a fluid, effective skating gait.
4. Consider a more rigid liner
“I skate with a three-millimeter liner that’s got a fairly rigid matrix,” says Bretoi. “I think you’re gonna have better luck with that for a number of different reasons.” First and foremost, he says, a stiffer liner absorbs more shear force and reduces stress and friction on the residual limb. It also makes for slightly more efficient energy transfer, and when you’re just learning to stay balanced and keep your wheels under you, every bit of energy counts. As with knee bracing, liner selection is a good subject to take up with your prosthetist.
5. Learn proper technique
If you know somebody who inline skates, start with them. At the very least, they can probably offer common-sense tips about posture, balance, weight transfer, braking, and speed control. If there’s an inline-skating club in your town, see if they offer informal (or even formal) lessons for beginners. And of course there’s always good ol’ YouTube. A quick search on “learn to inline skate,” “inline skate tutorial,” or “beginner inline skating” will yield a bunch of videos with practical tips to help you get off to a strong start.
6. Easy does it
Bretoi advises new skaters to limit their practice sessions to 15 or 20 minutes. “If you can stay upright that long, that’s a big win,” he says. That type of interval is short enough to help you build stamina and confidence, but long enough to give you a taste of the sheer joy this type of mobility can offer. It doesn’t take a big monetary investment to get started, Bretoi adds. Inline skate clubs, and even some adaptive sports clubs, may have loaners available that you can use on a trial basis. “You can get started without going out and making a big investment in a new pair of skates right off the bat,” he says.
