The days of 5 a.m. hockey practices and fighting for ice time may soon be gone if the distributors of XTRAICE have their way. This artificial ice surface is earning points for its adaptability and ease of maintenance. It can be installed anywhere: in a basement, in a backyard, in a hotel and in amusement parks and best of all, it doesn’t have to be kept in a cold environment.

“Kids have a hard time getting ice time so using this ice as a practice surface or for recreation in your back yard or even skating in the moonlight is something that’s achievable,” explained Dave Demelo of AGL in Stoney Creek. “It’s UV-protected so it can be used in the summer; rain doesn’t affect it, snow doesn’t affect it -- it’s a multi-season skating surface used all year round.

Developed and manufactured in Spain, the compressed plastic product comes in panels and uses tongue and groove construction, making it rigid and properly levelled. It’s also easy to maintain. The surface can be cleaned as needed using only an industrial vacuum -- there can be dust and shavings after the first few exposures. The surface also needs to be coated with a glide solution every 7 to 10 days, depending on use, that enhances the surface to simulate real ice.

“As people fight for more ice time, community centres are looking seriously at this product,” Demelo added. “And hopefully the residential community will try it in their back yards.”

The product is non-toxic and recyclable. It’s an excellent practice surface and safer than real ice due to its high degree of fall-absorption. And there is no wet or cold sections as in real ice.

XTRAICE ecological rinks have been installed all over the world, in 17 different countries including Japan, France, Italy, Greece, Poland, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Serbia United Arab Emirates and Mexico, among others.

Artificial Grass & Landscaping Inc. (AGL) in Stoney Creek provides artificial grass solutions for a wide variety of applications including residential, commercial, playgrounds, daycares, rooftops and resorts. AGL is the exclusive distributor of XTRAICE for North America.

For more information, visit www.xtricebyagl.com