If you play ice hockey and have not heard of synthetic ice, you must live under a rock or something. Over the last couple of years, ice panels have been growing continually in popularity, especially for the people that have been stuck in their homes due to the pandemic. 

There might have been much speculation over the quality of the ice skating experience for ice skaters, but once many of them actually tried it and saw how awesome it was, they loved it. Is it exactly like skating on frozen water? Not quite. However, it is pretty close.

Skating on Frozen Water Ice

When ice skaters skate on ice rinks it is hard to not notice how slick and smooth the skating is once you get going. Skating on ice, with a good pair of skates, is easy going with very little resistance from the skates as they drift across the surface. The reason for this is that when the skates move upon the ice they cause a little bit of heat. The heat is not enough to melt completely through the ice, but it is enough to deliver a slight film of melted water where the skates make contact and give them a natural lubricating essence. As the skates continue to cause friction against the frozen water, they create a pathway made out of a tiny film of water.

Skating on Synthetic Ice Panels

Skating on synthetic ice is much like skating on frozen ice, but there are quite a few differences. When synthetic ice is manufactured it is done so by using plastic polymers that make up the matter of the plastic. What this means is that developers can infuse different agents in the molecular structure of the flooring so that it can have elements such a slickness and ultraviolet ray protection.

When you skate across the ice you cause heat that melts the ice. When you skate across the synthetic ice flooring you bring a tiny amount of lubricant to the surface by the pressure that you put on the flooring. The lubricant that is infused within the polymer plastic acts in the same manner as water might. It creates a pathway for the skates to glide across.

There is a bit of a difference in the resistance of the skating experience. You will notice that it takes a little bit more energy to force your way across the surface than it does on frozen ice. This is because scientists are going to have to do a bit more training before they will successfully mimic the way ice reacts to friction.

Although there is a slight difference in the resistance, it is not enough to hinder the skater unable to skate. The drag becomes second nature after just a little while of skating. In fact, the extra resistance can help to build stronger muscles and longer-lasting stamina. When you get back to a traditional ice rink, you will be able to glide across the surface like a superhero.

Slick Synthetic Ice?

If you were to walk across a synthetic ice rink in your tennis shoes you would not slip and slide the same way that you would if you were walking on frozen water. Although the flooring is slick enough for people to successfully ice skate across it, and even play hockey games or practice with a hockey passer, it is not slick in the sense that real ice is. 

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