Highlights Ice skate friction studied by in-situ surface topography measurement on several length scales. No evidence of global melt water layer to fully lubricate the contact. Wear track is a negative of skate blade profile. µ increases as a function of sweeps, opposite to ice-ice and rubber ice friction. Abstract Skating on ice is possible due to the low friction coefficient between ice and steel, which is thought to result from a lubricating water film formed through frictional melting. Although the phenomenon has been studied through various models and experiments, few studies report direct observations of the wear tracks on the ice surface. Here we use white light interferometry to accurately measure the surface topography on multiple length scales immediately after an ice skate slides over it. We find signs of surface melting only on short length scales as refrozen meltwater droplets, but no evidence of a global melt layer. Repeatedly sweeping over the same ice track results in an increasing friction coefficient, which we link to an increase in the contact area. We also consider the effect that the surface profile of the ice skate blade has on friction by using two different blades.
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