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The buyer's guide

How to choose synthetic ice

Most buyers judge synthetic ice on price, because it is the one number they are given. These are the questions that actually separate a surface that works from one that does not, in the order worth asking them.

Use this buyer's checklist to compare synthetic ice suppliers on measurable skating performance, panel engineering, manufacturing, installation, maintenance, service, references, warranties, and total project fit.

Glice is a Swiss-engineered synthetic ice rink system that delivers a real skating experience on regular ice skates, with no water and no electricity. Its solid polymer panels showed 52% less friction than the next-best synthetic ice in standardized Fraunhofer Institute testing, and are now installed in more than 3,000 rinks across 100+ countries.

Reviewed by Viktor Meier, Co-Founder & CEO, Glice AG · Last reviewed: August 2026

Start from the outcome, not the price

The instinct is to reduce risk by reducing price. It is the wrong instinct, because the surface is the one part of a rink you cannot fix later without replacing it. So start somewhere else. Picture the perfect outcome: imagine sitting down with your team, your investor or whoever cares about this project at the end of the season, looking back. What does a successful season look like, in detail? Then ask the opposite question, what do you want to avoid at any price? That is your benchmark. Measure every answer a supplier gives you against that perfect outcome.

The questions to ask any supplier

Ask these in order. The answers, and how willing a supplier is to give them, tell you most of what you need to know.

  1. What is your friction, indentation and abrasion, relative to competitors, and how was it measured? If they have no comparative measurement, ask them why. A number without conditions and a comparison is not evidence.
  2. Do you guarantee the additives are chemically stable and will not yellow? UV stabilisation should be standard, but yellowing is often an additive-quality problem, so ask about it directly.
  3. Which joint system do you use, and to which ISO standard are the panels machined? Anything commercial or outdoor needs a connection that locks both horizontally and vertically, and panels machined consistently to a defined standard are what make installation smooth. This matters doubly if you install and tear the rink down regularly.
  4. Will you assess our site from a photo? Whether a supplier bothers to look at your ground tells you whether they care about the result or just the sale.
  5. How is installation guided, and will you send a supervisor?
  6. Do you have a maintenance programme and staff training? Whether they take this seriously is a strong signal; if you sense they have no structured approach, that is a red flag.
  7. What happens when our staff change, and how are new people trained, and to what standard? Ask this straight after the last question; a supplier serious about maintenance has an answer for turnover.
  8. Can we speak with happy clients, visit a site, and skate it ourselves, including trying a skate for comfort?
  9. How do the dasher boards look, and can they adjust to uneven ground? Have them explain the mechanism, not just show you a photo.
  10. Do you provide a storage system for a pop-up rink? Have them explain how it works.
  11. Do you have a local team in our region and market, and what does support look like?
  12. What do we need to do to make this project a success? Check whether they talk only about the rink or go beyond it, because many things decide success. The answer reveals whether a supplier understands success at all, and one who genuinely cares that you succeed will know, and will tell you.
Synthetic ice buyer’s checklist

What good answers look like

A supplier worth choosing answers the measurement question with conditions and a comparison, not a bare number; treats maintenance and training as central, not optional; is happy to put you in front of clients and onto a rink; and talks about your success, not just their product. Evasion on any of these is itself an answer.

In short

Choosing synthetic ice is not about finding the lowest price; it is about testing whether a surface and a supplier will deliver a rink people enjoy. Ask for measured, comparative performance; probe additive stability, the joint system and maintenance; insist on references, a site visit and a test skate; and judge how seriously a supplier takes your success. The willingness to answer is as revealing as the answers.

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Frequently asked questions

Start by defining what a successful season would look like and what you need to avoid. Then compare suppliers against that outcome: measured surface performance, installation guidance, maintenance, training and local support. Ask for operator references and assess how clearly each supplier explains what your team must do to succeed.

Ask for comparative measurements of friction, indentation and abrasion, together with the test conditions and an explanation of what each result means. A bare number does not establish how one surface compares with another. Keep these material properties separate, and ask suppliers to explain the limitations as well as the findings.

Ask which joint system the supplier uses, whether it locks horizontally and vertically, and to which machining standard the panels are made. Explain whether your rink will be outdoors or repeatedly installed and removed. Request a site assessment, installation guidance and details of any supervisor support before choosing the system.

Yes. Ask to speak with operators, visit an installed rink and skate on it yourself, including trying the rental skates for comfort. Use the visit to understand the experience your customers will have. Combine that firsthand impression with comparative measurements and questions about maintenance, installation and ongoing support.

Ask for a structured maintenance programme, staff training and a clear plan for training replacements when your team changes. Establish who provides support in your region and what that support includes. For a pop-up rink, also ask how storage works and what your staff will need to manage between seasons.

Ask how friction, indentation and abrasion were measured; which production generation the sample represents; how panels are cooled and kept flat; how joints resist vertical movement; what maintenance is required; how often operators sharpen; and who supports installation and daily operations. Request evidence and references for every material claim.

The article distinguishes UV stabilisation from the quality and stability of other additives. It recommends asking directly whether those additives are chemically stable and will resist yellowing. Treat that as a supplier-evidence question, not a property you can establish from a photograph or a brief skating test.

The article links panels machined to a defined standard with smooth installation. It says this matters especially when a rink is repeatedly assembled and removed. Ask the supplier to explain the machining standard and joint system together, including how the connection resists both horizontal and vertical movement.

A site photograph gives the supplier an opportunity to look at the ground and discuss installation rather than treating the order as a panel sale alone. The article recommends asking whether the supplier will assess the site, how installation is guided and whether a supervisor can support it.

An operating plan has to survive changes in the team. The article recommends asking how new staff are trained and to what standard, immediately after discussing maintenance training. A supplier with a structured approach should explain how turnover is handled rather than assuming the original trained staff will always remain.

Ask both how the boards look and whether they can adjust to uneven ground. The article recommends having the supplier explain the mechanism rather than simply show a photograph. That question connects the intended appearance with the practical installation conditions at your rink site.

Ask whether the supplier provides a dedicated storage system and have them explain how it works. The article treats that as one of the questions to ask before buying. Consider it with installation and support so you understand what your team will manage when the rink is packed away between uses.

Key facts

  • Fraunhofer IWM measured Glice friction matching freshly resurfaced real ice at lower speed
  • 52% less friction and 45% less blade indentation than the next-best synthetic ice competitor
  • Operating in 100+ countries with 3,000+ installations
  • Swiss-engineered panels manufactured in Germany under exclusivity

Last updated: June 2026