Synthetic ice made its debut this month in Chicago at the John Hancock Center, 875 N. Michigan Ave., introducing the city to a new indoor experience called Skating in the Sky. But there is some skepticism from industry professionals about how well the installation operates.

On Jan. 11, the rink on the 94th floor of the Hancock Observatory was covered in scratches and sprinkled with shavings and dirt from the plastic polymer material that constitutes synthetic ice. With dozens of manufacturers, each one claiming it has the best formula, it is debatable as to which business truly has the best.

“It’s not as glide-y as normal ice, but it’s the closest thing,” said Daniel Thomas, general manager of the observatory inside the center. “It just takes a bit of adjusting.”

The idea behind synthetic ice is it saves time, energy and money because real ice requires constant refrigeration and regular resurfacing by a Zamboni.

The company behind the Hancock rink is XTRAICE—founded in 2003 by a team of scientists and professional hockey players—which boasts more than 130 installations worldwide and was chosen from dozens of competitors as the company for the Chicago location.

Eric Schneider, an associate at Sport Surface Chicago in East Dundee, Ill., a company that works with XTRAICE, said the observatory has been overwhelmed with a high volume of visitors to the rink, and it is hurting the quality of the material. At peak hours, the rink can be filled with 20 to 25 people.

Chris Ebbert, one of the observatory skating guards, said the rink is resurfaced every two to three days.

“Just like a regular ice sheet, the surface gets dirty,” Schneider said. “The surface is meant to be easier to maintain than real ice, but it requires daily cleaning. I was up there last [week and] … I could tell the blades that were brand new were [already] dulled.”

Schneider attributed this to a poorly maintained surface.

XTRAICE Marketing Director Viktor Meier explained the resurfacing procedure includes daily vacuuming, spraying the rink once a week with a machine-propelled water-based solution and applying a silicone gel to the surface.

“I’ve noticed the skate blades are catching,” Ebbert said. “You veer off wherever [the ice] wants to take you.”

Another problem people have found with the synthetic surface is the wear on skate blades.

According to Perry Boskus, president of Global Synthetic Ice, it may be more than poor maintenance contributing to the less-than-favorable conditions in the Hancock installation, which include dust, dirt, shavings and rough grooves on the material.

Bishin Her, 20, was at the center visiting from Australia and tried out the rink.

“It hurts more to fall on this than it does on real ice,” Her said. “And I had a hard time making turns.”

Boskus is the inventor of a product called Super-Glide, which he said most effectively simulates ice skating. Boskus, a recreational figure skater and hockey player, said he has seen skaters do triple jumps on his synthetic ice.

Boskus has been skating on various synthetic surfaces since the 1980s. In 2000, his team created a new type of synthetic material that does not require a silicone spray.

This silicone-free synthetic ice is something XTRAICE is in the process of developing, Meier said.

XTRAICE is made from a hard polymer plastic, which prevents skate blades from seeping into the material, and makes turning on edges a challenge for skaters, according to Boskus.

“What they purchase is just a plastic anybody can purchase,” Boskus said of XTRAICE.

The decision to use XTRAICE at the Chicago location was largely influenced by the endorsement of the product by companies, including Walt Disney Resorts and the Florida Panthers hockey team, Thomas said.

“[XTRAICE] does all this marketing and people fall for it,” Boskus said. “It gives [synthetic ice] a bad name. It really hurts our overall business.”

Thomas stands by the quality of the Hancock rink. He said it has been easy to manage and has surpassed expectations.

To try skating on synthetic ice, visit The John Hancock Observatory, on the 94th floor, 875 N. Michigan Ave. Skating in the Sky is open daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. through March 31. Twenty-five minutes of ice time costs $5 and skates can be rented for $1.