For years, hockey players have taken to backyard rinks and frozen ponds in the winter to play and practice when they couldn’t be at the rink. Nowadays though, hockey is a year-round sport and is played all over North America and Europe in every type of climate. Because of this, hockey enthusiasts had to come up with a new way to replicate real hockey conditions to play on when ice time is not available. So, what is the answer hockey people came up with? Synthetic Ice!
What is Synthetic Ice?
Synthetic ice tiles are an interlocking flooring system that is made from a proprietary High Density Polyethylene material which is self-lubricated and designed to be skated on using normal hockey skates. Sniper’s Synthetic Ice provides a super-fast glide surface for an incredibly realistic ice experience. It is the perfect formulation to enhance the skaters' experience like never before. It is also self-lubricating so it is easy to maintain with no messy sprays or enhancements needed, ever.
Why All Hockey Players Should Use It
There are many benefits to using and training on synthetic ice. Here are some of the biggest benefits synthetic ice provides for hockey players:
- Saves Time and Money – As we all know, renting ice time is extremely expensive and ponds aren’t always available for a variety of reasons. Most markets average $200 - $300/hr. In some markets like CA and NY, rinks can charge in excess of $500/hr. due to such limited supply of available ice! By the math, investing in one pack of Synthetic Ice is essentially equivalent to the cost of an hour of ice, only it’s yours to keep and use for years to come! Keep in mind, Synthetic ice is like Lego’s® in that you can always add on over time! Synthetic ice truly is an effective solution that allows you to create a skating and training surface that is simple to maintain, flexible, and cost-effective.
- Can be Installed Almost Anywhere – The interlocking panels are quick and easy to install and you can cover as much or as little floor space as you’d like. Each panel is about 2’ x 4’ and each pack covers roughly 30 Square feet. That means with only 12 packs you can create 1 full zone of a regulation ice hockey rink.
- It is Harder than Regular Skating – One of the reasons synthetic ice is such a great training surface is because it is slower and takes a little more effort to skate on than regular ice. This helps build the muscles you need for skating and, like swinging with a weighted bat in baseball, makes it feel much easier to skate once you get back on the ice.
You Can Use Real Skates and Pucks – Dryland training in sneakers and with specially-designed off-ice balls or pucks is great. However, the more you can train on your skates with a real, regulation puck, the more effective your training will be and the more comfortable you will be translating it to the ice.
- Won’t Damage Your Skates– Synthetic ice has been around for a while now in a few different forms. Older versions were tougher and less technologically advanced. This meant they could damage your expensive skates. High-quality synthetic ice-like Snipers Edge Hockey’s Synthetic Ice is much easier on your skate blades.
Conclusion
Create a real hockey skating experience in your own home with Sniper’s Synthetic Ice. It will create a realistic and fun hockey training atmosphere for all your hockey-playing friends and family…..not to mention, by installing a rink at home, you’ll be the hit of the neighborhood!
