Yes, the whole lack of brakes thing scares me. My husbands roller skis are set with a high resistance so he doesn't glide that far, but I think a real emergency brake would require him to just fall over.

I never asked if you wanted them as ski training or just for fun. Rollerblading (without the poles) is very popular here just for recreation. With poles it tends to be refered to as "nordic blading" - anything nordic is quite trendy.

I really, really recommend using a full set of pads and a helmet, especially if you are a beginner, falling on asphalt hurts.