by Mr.
Klister
The Joys of Klister
Spring brings with it some of the best skiing of the year,
featuring long, sunny, warm days and fast corn snow. It
can also make grip waxing so frustrating for some that
they give up skiing well before the season is over. The
source of this frustration tends to be due to not getting
enough grip using hard waxes (the waxes in the little
metal tins). The solution to this problem is klister.
Klister is a sticky, toothpaste like wax that comes in
a tube. It is especially formulated to work in wet and
icy conditions and nothing else works as well. There are
several types of klister, color-coded for temperature
like the hard waxes, but for most skiers a universal klister
that will work both above and below freezing is probably
the best choice. The other possible choice is silver klister,
which has properties that help it repel dirt and other
debris. If you know you are going to be skiing where there
are leaves, bark and other types of material on the trail,
go with silver.
The interesting thing about klister is that it works
so well you don't need much of it, only about a foot to
a foot-and-a-half, right under your foot. Make sure you
put it on thin. Don't apply it to your ski like you put
toothpaste onto a toothbrush. Rather, hold the tube almost
perpendicular to one side of the ski's bottom and squeeze
out only a thin strip of klister as you slide the tube
down the ski. Run a strip of klister down the base of
the ski on each side of the center groove. Then, go back
and use the spatula-like scraper that comes with a tube
of klister to mash each strip of klister out into a thin
film, so that the ski's base is covered on both sides
of the groove. Apply klister indoors, if you can, to a
warm ski. Then, put the ski outside for a while to cool
before you use it.
Klister has a habit of getting all over everything, so
clean it off your skis as soon as you are done skiing.
Never transport a set of skis with klister on them, or
you will soon find everything you own stuck to them. Carry
a rag soaked in wax remover in a plastic bag so that you
can clean up as soon as you leave the trail. Always store
klister wrapped in tinfoil inside a plastic bag. Store
the klister spreader the same way. If you carry klister
on the trail, never carry it in a pocket where you might
fall on it and rupture the tube.
Klister is amazing stuff. It gives you incredible grip
with hardly any drag. Use it on wet corn snow and icy
tracks. Give klister a try and experience the almost effortless
sense of quietly gliding over granulated snow. Your friends
on waxless skis will wonder how you do it as they slog
along on the flats and listen to their skis grind to a
halt half-way down every hill.
