Hi Betis, I've been ice skating before (just for recreational purposes--nothing fancy!), but I'm not sure if there are any particular inline skates that are best for an ice skater to adjust to.
I guess you could call me a recreational skater. If you're interested in extreme/street/vert/aggressive skating, sorry, I can't help you there *LOL* (they require different wheels, not to mention attitudes :-). But here's my general opinion on rec skating if that'd help:
I think the K2 and Rollerblade brands are good ones (I haven't tried any others). A decent pair will cost you at least $150 to $250 since they usually have faster bearings, more shock absorption, etc. compared to cheapo skates. It's standard for recreational skates to come with rubber heel stops--my guess is this is perhaps the hardest thing to get used to for ice skaters besides the friction factor--but you can also do T-stops if you don't like that (tho' this may be the foot-dragging you're talking about).
There are also speed skates which are fitted with 5 wheels instead of the usual 4. I've also heard there are really high-end skates that can cost you a bunch if you want a custom-made boot and design. I've never tried either.
I've found the hardest thing about this sport is finding good, unobstructed roads, sidewalks, uncrowded asphalt/concrete expanses to skate. No doubt conditions and opportunities vary based on locale.
Cool thanks. I'll check out that level of blade. I'm looking at it as exercise rather than any extreme stuff. I've had enough broken bones without anymore. I live right near paved foot/blade/bike path which leads to a series of paved trails near the SF Bay, so I have plenty of areas to go w/o worrying about crazy car drivers.
Yes the foot-dragging I guess would be called T-stops for bladers, but T-stops on ice involve a very different technique, so I wasn't sure if the term was used the same way. The back skate is snug up against the forward skate in a 'T', and you lean backwards slightly to get the *outside* edge of the back skate to dig into the ice. It's unnerving till you get the hang of it. :D
I'm used to doing hockey stops, but have bladed before, so I think the regular brakes will work just fine.