Universal acclaim for K22N klister

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sardog1

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If it ain't snowin' there, we ain't goin' there.
I have a love/hate relationship with klister waxes for nordic skis. On the one hand, the need for them signals (at least at these lower elevations and more southerly latitudes) the looming advent of the end of the season. On the other hand, sometimes they're an absolutely amazing solution to a seemingly intractable grip-and-glide problem: Snow that is well on its way to becoming liquid water.

Today was one of the amazing days, thanks to Swix's K22N VM UNIVERSAL klister.

Sometimes it was sunny on the snow surface, and sometimes it was not:
IMG_0047.jpg
.
IMG_0048.jpg

Oftentimes this is a nightmare for waxing, but Universal Klister mastered it with ease. I had probably the best grip and glide combination I experienced this winter. Even the organic detritus didn't cause me problems, although I avoided it when possible.

It was the kind of day when the miles roll by seemingly without effort, the sun shines pleasantly, and one thinks, "Hmm, maybe I just won't go back."


IMG_0053.jpg


Eventually all ski tours come to an end. This is when I had the biggest surprise of the day. I turned the skis over and was amazed to see what was embedded in the klister, without me being aware of it at all:


IMG_0055.jpg

For those who don't know, this wax is clear when it goes on. For nordic skiers, this is kind of like finding out that George Kennedy slipped a six pack in your pack for your training climb. (Well, a cold beer would have tasted even better than the Orangina I slugged down afterward.)

Damn, those Norwegians know their ski wax. Mange takk for turen!
 
A nice trick for klister is to lay down a strip of duct tape on your ski bases, put the klister on the tape, and at the end of the day just peel it off and throw it away. Lots less cleanup.
 
A nice trick for klister is to lay down a strip of duct tape on your ski bases, put the klister on the tape, and at the end of the day just peel it off and throw it away. Lots less cleanup.

The horror, the horror . . . Have you any idea what has been done to make these bases ready for waxing, and the effect on them and my psyche of seeing duct tape residue? :eek: I might as well just slap a pair of skins on them. ;)
 
The horror, the horror . . . Have you any idea what has been done to make these bases ready for waxing, and the effect on them and my psyche of seeing duct tape residue? :eek: I might as well just slap a pair of skins on them. ;)
Both duct tape residue and klister can be cleaned off with solvents...

I've also read of melting parrafin (available from a grocery or hardware store) into the klister and then scraping it off. Supposedly comes off as a relatively non-messy ball of wax.

I'll admit that I generally use waxless skis in these conditions rather than klister to avoid the horror...

Doug
 
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