I'm an adult beginner and I bought these for outdoor skating in Minnesota. They are very warm! I was out in (-2) degrees temp last night and I skated for over an hour. My feet and toes were toasty warm. I could've kept going but my legs were giving out. The sizing charts were confusing. I wear a size 6 shoe, ordered a size 6, and they fit perfectly. The stripes on the sides are very cool. They look white in photos but are more of a reflective silver. Be aware these are low profile which I knew when I ordered them. I've only used them twice and I haven't decided if I prefer low profile to the higher profile traditional figure skates. My main purpose was having a pair of solid outdoor skates for Minnesota freezing temps and these fit my criteria. I gave a 3 for softness because these are pretty stiff right out of the box which isn't a bad thing. You want some stiffness for support.