Ice skating in a wheelchair - with the ice glider

A glittering winter day, fresh air in your face, the feeling of flying, smiling and happy people, Christmas music in your ears. And all this on a smooth surface of ice, with skates on your feet - or a wheelchair ice glider under your wheels.

Ice skating for wheelchair users

A few years ago, in my hometown of Ulbroka, Latvia, I saw a boy from my school skating with his girlfriend. In winter, the lake is usually frozen over and the reeds are covered with hoar frost. What was unusual for me was that his girlfriend was in a wheelchair on the ice. A few years ago, it would have been impossible for her to skate in a wheelchair. Now she can, and in the most amazing way - with an ice glider.

Almost like flying: barrier-free winter fun with the ice glider. (Source: © Cerebral Foundation)

In January 2014, the Weyermannshaus ice rink in Bern became the first in Switzerland to inaugurate an ice glider for people in wheelchairs. Although ten years have passed since then, many people are still unfamiliar with the ice glider.

In this news video (in German) you can see the ice glider in action.

How does the wheelchair ice glider work?

The Cerebral Foundation's wheelchair ice glider consists of a platform with skids. The wheelchair is pushed onto the platform via an attachable ramp and fixed in place, depending on the distance between the wheels, to prevent it from slipping.

The wheelchair is pushed onto the ice glider via a ramp. (Source: © Cerebral Foundation)

The ice glider is compatible with most standard wheelchairs. However, power wheelchairs do not always fit on the platform and weight is also an issue.

Here are the technical specifications of the ice glider:

• Own weight: 16 kg
• load capacity: 150 kg
• track width (wheelchair): 76 cm
• track width (wheelchair): 36 cm

The Cerebral Foundation's ice glider is designed primarily for manual wheelchairs. (Source: © Cerebral Foundation)

Going to the ice rink with friends or family is always fun and there is always someone to push you around. However, the ice glider can also be maneuvered independently using a pair of sticks with an ice pick attached.

Olympic champion Hans Rinn developed the ice glider

Who else would you expect to be behind this luge-like device but a former luge legend? Hans Rinn, former German top athlete, double Olympic champion and bronze medalist in the singles, now works as a luge judge and builds various gliding and sliding devices with his company. He designed the ice glider together with his colleagues Karin Schorbach and Gerhard Kirchner.

94 ice rinks in Switzerland are equipped with the ice glider

The Cerebral Foundation's “Ice skating for wheelchair users” project aims to enable wheelchair users and their families to enjoy this leisure activity. It has already equipped 94 ice rinks in Switzerland with ice gliders. You can find a list of all the ice rinks with wheelchair ice gliders here or as a map on the “Cerebral Map”.

The Foundation commissions the production of the ice gliders, with the cost of CHF 2,400 per glider covered entirely by donations. Use of the gliders is free of charge.

As a result, more and more ice rinks are providing wheelchair users with their own “steel wings” to glide over the ice. Hopefully, more and more countries will allow wheelchair users to enjoy this experience. Who knows, maybe soon there will be many spectators at the ice rink admiring the pirouettes of wheelchair users perfecting their gliding technique?

Have you tried ice gliding or are you thinking of trying it? Tell us about your experiences.