Glice founder Viktor Meier was dismayed by the enormous amounts of energy and water required for conventional ice production. On the other hand, as an athlete, he knew that only a truly revolutionary advance in the field of synthetic ice would convince top hockey players and figure skaters to truly accept artificial ice as a real alternative to frozen ice.
Therefore, a team of athletes and scientists was formed to achieve this ambitious goal. The result was Glice, which soon became the world’s best-selling synthetic ice product.
Viktor Meier, CEO & Co-Founder GLICE
Just as fascinating as the product itself—ice that isn’t ice—is the story of the company and the organizational culture behind it. Bored with his 9-to-5 job, Glice co-founder and CEO Viktor Meier first saw his partner, engineer and former hockey player Toni Vera, in a BBC documentary and contacted him immediately. In just five years, the startup had exported its revolutionary Eco-Ice to 80 countries on five continents thanks to an innovative organizational structure based on home offices and real-time cloud-based communication. Viktor explains the technological leap and unconventional organizational culture that drive Glice‘s success.
To date, Glice has completed more than 1,000 installations, from classic winter sports countries to the tropics. Glice was present at the Olympic Games in Rio and PyeongChang and will replace the world’s largest refrigerated ice rink in 2019. Co-founder and CEO Viktor Meier sums up the Swiss technology as follows: “Glice looks like ice, glides like ice, but it’s not ice.”
Glice ice rinks are installed in many luxury hotels and resorts such as the Four Seasons Hotel, Fairmont, Kempinski, including the Jumeirah Resort in the Maldives! What’s more, skating is one of the most noble and prestigious sports. Luxury brands such as Chanel, for example, have also used Glice for their promotions.
Maison Chanel
How did you get this positive inspiration to create synthetic thread, and what was the path to making it a reality?
I’ve cared about climate change and protecting our planet for as long as I can remember. Skating has always been a part of my life, and I kept thinking: why should the joy of ice be limited to places with cold winters or big refrigeration systems? That curiosity turned into a mission — to make true ice-like glide available everywhere, in a way that’s sustainable. The path was a mix of stubborn tinkering and a lot of listening: researching materials, building and testing prototypes, running athlete trials, improving the feel and durability, and then proving it in real installs. Alongside the tech work we built a commercial approach — pilots with partners, iterations from feedback, and scaling manufacturing so this could be a reliable, beautiful experience anywhere.
Grand Hotel Heiligendamm
You’ve told me about Schönbrunn, the boat in Paris, Chanel, and the shopping mall in South Korea. These are undoubtedly luxury locations where the goal of offering sustainable service without energy or water increases the value of these places. What did these brands and companies think when you presented them with the proposal to introduce Glice to their customers?
Luxury partners want something memorable and impeccably presented. At first there’s always a little curiosity — “Synthetic ice?” — and sometimes hesitation. But the moment someone sets foot on Glice and feels the glide, that changes. They appreciate the quality, the elegance of the installations, and the sustainability story. The fact that we can create a high-end skating experience without water or refrigeration is a huge part of the appeal.
Jumeirah Resort Maldives
I would like you to explain a little about the manufacturing process and the uses it can have.
I love talking about how we make Glice — it’s where engineering meets craft. We start with precise Swiss design and produce our sheets in a climate-controlled facility. The heart of the process is sintering: pellets are crushed under high pressure and heat, and self-lubricating pellets are mixed throughout each sheet to create a dense, durable surface with glide closest to real ice. We use high-quality raw materials from a single supplier, control molecular weight for impact and abrasion resistance, and follow a strict heating/cooling recipe plus multiple QC checks so every panel performs the same. That precision gives us a reusable, low-maintenance rink that works for training, events, luxury activations — anywhere you want real ice feel without refrigeration.
Common and high-value uses: temporary and permanent rinks for events, hotel/resort installations, training surfaces for hockey/figure skating, urban plazas seeking experiential attractions, and community or school installations in regions that lack natural ice. The product’s modularity and independence from refrigeration make it ideal for year-round and off-grid applications.
Sol Beach Namhae
What makes your product considered luxurious and exclusive, and what sets it apart from other offerings?
Luxury is about attention to detail. We combine athlete-approved performance with bespoke aesthetics and white-glove service. Our StellarGlide technology is a good example — it lifts the glide and consistency to a level that serious skaters and brands notice. We keep innovating, hold to the highest production standards, and offer custom finishes and operations support so each installation feels unique and premium.
Ce-la-Vie Tokyo
Where do you think would be the ideal places to install Glice?
Honestly — the sky’s the limit. Any venue that wants to create an experience, draw foot traffic, or get noticed. Historic sites and palaces, flagship retail stores and luxury malls, hotels and resorts, cruise ships, and plazas, arenas, festivals, and community centers. We design for many industries and countries — if you want to make a moment, Glice works.
Vale-Rink NYC
Which project have you been most excited to develop?
A few standouts: the rink in Mexico City and the Schönbrunn Castle installation. Schönbrunn was especially meaningful — it’s back for a second year in 2025, which is a lovely validation of the experience we created there.
Claremont Hotel
And which one would you love to develop that you haven’t done yet?
Bringing skating to more countries where ice rinks are not traditionally present— opening up year-round skating, training and community programs in countries that historically haven’t had access. That would be hugely rewarding, both socially and culturally.
Glice Eislaufplatz Weihnachtsmarkt Schloss Schönbrunn
The most prestigious luxury gurus have predicted a significant shift towards sustainability and a return to high-quality raw materials. Do you agree with them? How do you see the sector, and above all, how does this apply to your product?
Absolutely — I do. Luxury is moving toward real sustainability and a return to high-quality, long-lasting materials, and that’s exactly the direction I want Glice to lead in.
At a product level we already live that truth: we use top-tier materials, hold to strict production standards, and design for durability and repairability so our rinks last longer and create less waste. And because our system doesn’t need water or refrigeration, installations have a much smaller operational footprint than traditional ice. On top of that, we ensure to give back with our “Skate for the Planet” program. With each panel, we plant a tree and end-of-cycle panels are donated to housing opportunities.
With such creative ideas, I’m sure you’re already thinking about something else for the future. Do you have any new projects in mind?
Always. We’re constantly improving StellarGlide, exploring new geographies and verticals, and lining up partnerships that expand accessibility. I like to keep a few things under wraps, so — you’ll have to wait and see.