An angular dependent X-ray absorption spectroscopy study of the surface of thin ice films grown on Pt(1 1 1) is presented. Using different probing depths together with spectral calculations based on density functional theory, the spectra are interpreted in terms of the structure of surface, subsurface and bulk regions. It is shown that the crystalline ice is terminated with a large abundance of isotropically distributed free O-H groups and a distorted subsurface. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.