Klister?

[lowangle al]

I just got some universal klister that came with a wax kit that I bought for the blue extra it contained. The label says it's good for wet corn snow and frozen corn snow. I kinda remember using it on regular icy conditions. What other conditions, if any, is it good for?

[Eärendil]

As, the label says, it works above and below freezing in old snow that have thawed and been refrozen multiple times. Whenever the regular waxes no longer works then is the time to use klister. The fact that universal klister works both in icy and wet conditions is very useful since you rarely have to rewax/reklister your skis. Only if it gets even more slushy, you might have to use red klister as well. Other than that universal klister is, well, universal.

//Rickard//

[lowangle al]

Thanks Rickard, we get a lot of freeze and thaw around here but I haven't seen classic corn. Either the night time temps don't get cold enough or there isn't enough of a snow pack. I'm hoping it works on any old refrozen snow.

[lowangle al]

I applied some universal klister to single camber ski yesterday and within about ten minutes most of it wore off on the crusty snow. I cleaned my bases and applied it pretty thin but it was still a little spreadable. I left the skis in the house for about 20 minutes and then placed outside for another half hour in 25F before I used them. The klister never got hard and still seemed spreadable. It went from grabby to slipping in that ten minutes and most of it had worn off.

I thought it was supposed to work on refrozen crust, so what was the problem? Was it the single camber? I doubt it because even with dbl camber I loose wax from abrasive snow. Would it have made a difference if I applied it the night before and let it harden at room temperature?

[fisheater]

Allan, I have cold blue klister, and wet red klister. I actually want to buy some universal silver klister. I have not used klister on fat skis. I find blue to stay on my skis in very abrasive snow, however it doesn’t work as good approaching 32 F, it starts to slip. It still provides okay grip, but I really like the excellent grip and glide I get from klister. When I use blue, it seems to set hard right after I smooth it with the klister scraper. In warmer temps when I use red klister it does not always seem to set hard after smoothing with the klister scraper.
I always have at least a base coat of polar corked in, but the last time I used blue klister I had a base of polar, three layers of blue special which still slipped, and then three layers of violet which had worked for the first time! When I went out I knew it was a klister day, and decided all that wax might just make end of day klister scraping easier. I was cold and blue klister set hard. I skied 7 miles on icy, fast, death defying snow. I did a couple sitzmarks where I missed the turn do to frozen moon crater snow. Blue klister stayed on for the whole tour. I think the wax build up below helped it scrape off easier.
I still want to get my hands on some universal silver klister. Seems like the ideal for those below freezing mornings going into above freezing afternoons.
I guess my long reply doesn’t help your issue Allan, but it is my limited experience with klister. I really just started using it on a more regular basis this season.

[lowangle al]

Thanks for that input Bob. It seemed like it never had time to set up. Maybe I'll try again, put it on now and use it tomorrow.

[fisheater]

Allan, I found a “safe” way to store skis with klister on the base. I sat them with the tips down, and leaned them against the fence in my yard. I set them tips down because I didn’t want the klister to roll past the heel. It worked well, and I got a second use out of gooey red klister.
Don’t lay them down flat and bases up, klister drips all over like pine sap!

[Stephen]

Al, maybe the klister needs a base wax or base klister to stay on the skis?
I have limited recent experience with klister.
The only one I have used is Swix Universal klister.
I was surprised at how liquid it is.
My memory of klister is that it was thicker, and stayed in place better, but that was the 70s.
Maybe I always put it on outside, where it would naturally be thick...
I could be wrong, but I don’t think klister “sets up” — once it gets cold, that’s as firm as it’s going to get.
Blind leading the blind here — we need expert advice!

[lowangle al]

I corked in some polar as a base and reapplied the klister. I think you are right Stephen about it not setting up but I'll see as I'm going to let them sit for a day or two. If it doesn't set up and stays soft I think it's a good bet that it would rub off again on abrasive snow. Maybe the crust I skied wasn't old enough and wasn't rounded off like typical corn which should be less abrasive. I'll probably wait for wet snow to take them out again.

Bob, I've got them leaned against the wall tails down but I don't expect much movement as it's on pretty thin. Oh yeah I didn't try it on my powder boards I put it on an old pair of Rossi Hellgates at around 68UF.

[John_XCD]

Blue for ice, Violet for cold corn, Red for wet corn seems like a reasonable starting point. Universal tends to be more like violet/red around freezing point.

Klister may bind OK to polar(?, never used this) but you would get more distance using a dedicated klister binder or base klister directly to the base for highly abrasive snow. Chola (don't really know what this is but smells tarry good) or blue work for this. Generally these are applied with a torch or heat gun. Let it harden for a few minutes and then add the softer violet or red on top for wet transformed snow.

Silver can be added into the mix (literally just do 1/2 and 1/2 before spreading) to repel dirt and prevent icing (usually this is more with a violet or red as a non issue on sheet ice). Some klisters have silver already mixed in (if it looks silver).

Hard wax can be applied over the top of klister if for example there are a few patches of untransformed snow in the shade or if it starts snowing cold powder on a klister day. This also works if hardwax is kicking OK but the snow is terribly abrasive and you want a klister binder for durability. Klister over hardwax is not really a move I know about intentionally doing for any reason.