Waxing cross country skis for wet or icy conditionsby Scott Elliot
Klister can be used without a base, but in very icy or wet conditions it will wear off quite quickly. To avoid this, clean all the hard wax off your kick zone, rough up the base with some sand paper and apply a very thin layer of klister that is colder than the current conditions. Often a green or blue klister is used for this purpose or Rode Chola which is similar to green but has a pine tar scent. The important thing is to get the base klister on very thin, then iron it or heat it in with a heat gun and spread it with your thumb. The klister of the day is then applied. It can often be spread with a plastic spatula, but again your thumb and a heat gun are a better tool.
There are a couple of other alternatives where Klister and kick wax are combined. In very abrasive conditions with old icy snow hard wax will wear off too quickly. If it is applied over a thin green klister base the hard wax will last longer. This is actually more durable than the base binder type of hard wax. In some conditions, klister is needed to get enough grip, but ices up if you step out of the track into powder snow. In these conditions you want to cover your klister with a hard wax. Apply the klister and let the ski cool outside, keeping it free of any falling snow. Now apply a layer of hard wax over the klister. It is usually necessary to heat the hard wax canister with a heat gun to get the wax to spread over the klister. This is then corked in. In some conditions it is better if the hard wax is mixed with the klister before corking. This is done by heating the base of the ski with a heat gun and mixing the wax and klister with a brass brush.