Serious skaters know how important a sharp blade is to accomplish maneuvers at the highest level. Good skates are also expensive, and your interest in keeping them in great shape is our top priority. In this article we’ll look at how your precious skates will hold up to gliding on Glice synthetic ice.

(Spoiler alert: you’ll be happy!)

We’ll also explain what synthetic ice is like to skate on, why it won’t ruin your skates or blades, how the surface improves over time and why proper installation is key to a good skating experience. Let’s dive (or skate) right in.

Does Synthetic Ice Ruin Skates?

The all important question: is synthetic ice bad for skates? The short answer is no. A far more important consideration is proper maintenance. Whether you skate on traditional ice or synthetic, the care you put into your skates is the biggest factor in keeping them in great shape. This includes regularly cleaning the blades and boots, sharpening the blades, and drying and storing them properly.

Sayonara Rusting!

A major part of skate maintenance is keeping them dry after use to prevent rusting. With Glice synthetic ice, you’ll never have to worry about residual rusting from skating on our rinks. No water content means no rusting of metal.

How Do the Blade Holders Hold Up?

There is no difference on the impact on your blade holders after skating on Glice. Over time, those all important connections joining metal blades to leather will respond the same on Glice’s artificial ice as they do on a traditional ice-rink. If anything, you’ll get more wear since there is no moisture affecting the rivets-to-boot contacts.

What About Your Boots?

No water means longer lasting leather boots. Period. A quick wipe down and regular maintenance is all that is needed after skating on Glice artificial ice. Internal boot moisture from foot sweat is the only moisture you’ll have to be concerned about. Air them out as usual and keep the leather conditioned with polish/conditioners to keep your boots supple and in tip-top condition.

Blades: Keeping Them Sharp

The big question everyone always asks: How often do you need to sharpen your blades after skating on Glice synthetic ice?

Everyone skates differently, so it depends on your weight, maneuvers, drills practiced, how your personal skating style affects your blades, how long or how often you skate, and so on. For example, a young skater will dull their blades at a much slower rate than an adult, due to their weight and leg strength.

Some synthetic ice companies may skirt around the issue, telling you there is no difference to your blades when skating on synthetic ice compared to skating on real ice. Synthetic ice (particularly cheap synthetic ice) actually creates about 5-15% more friction than skating on natural ice.

We are proud to report that Glice’s high quality self-lubricating synthetic ice creates less resistance than all the other artificial rinks out there. Glice’s scientific studies took over eight years of research and testing to design our exceptional product. Every detail was developed with the most responsive, self-conditioning, and durable construction possible. Glice’s visionary product won’t put a damper on your speed or maneuvers, allowing you to quickly adapt to the new surface within minutes.

As with all synthetic rinks, skates will naturally dull 20-30% faster than if you skate on refrigerated ice. The solution? Check your skates regularly and sharpen accordingly. High-use skaters are known to sharpen their blades everyday, no matter what type of ice they skate on. As a regular skater, you should be doing the same daily check every time you get off the ice.

Do You Need Special Skates?

A lot of people want to know if you can use ice skates on synthetic ice. Just like real ice, synthetic ice is not biased towards the quality of your skates. You can use hockey, figure, or even leisure “buckle up” skates, it doesn’t matter. Whatever skates you choose, Glice synthetic ice will react to your preferred blade just like real ice.

However, it is important to note that when you first try it, the glide and feel of synthetic ice might seem quite different from real ice. You may need to make some adjustments to your technique, but it won’t take you long at all to get the hang of it.

What Is Synthetic Ice Like to Skate On?

Synthetic ice has an amazing likeness to a real ice-skating experience. The new technology of using a hybrid polyethylene polymer to create a skating surface has come a long way since the idea was first developed in the 1960s.

Today, synthetic ice has advanced to such an amazing level that skaters adapt quickly to the minor difference apparent in the friction between real and synthetic ice. Skaters the world over prefer the glide, grip, texture, and higher quality of product from Glice synthetic ice when compared to other manufacturers.

This is largely because of our high-tech and brilliant design and the reason why thousands of ice-rink facilities around the globe have chosen to install Glice over other brands. Simply put, it’s the smart investment that keeps everyone happily skating.

Though nothing can replace the experience of skating on cold, hard ice, Glice rinks are clearly known as being the ultimate choice in synthetic ice products. Professional hockey players and figure skaters who skate on Glice use their rinks daily for practice and maneuvers. Ice-rink owners in 85+ countries have chosen Glice over any other synthetic rinks in the world.

That includes trusted clients like CCM, Pure Hockey, Barneys New York, Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts, Coca-Cola and more! Glice is the proven choice that has been vetted by companies who built their brand on fine quality products.