Start Klister Tech Notes by Jacob Huseby 

A note regarding what klisters you should try first:  

There are many klisters, some with a broad range of effective conditions, and some with a narrow range of effective conditions. My position is that there are no inferior waxes, but rather waxes that suit a smaller range of conditions. There are conditions where waxes with limited ranges can be very useful.  

However, for those who are getting started working with klister, our Universal Wide and Universal plus will give you good skis for most days in klister conditions. In competition, these waxes can be used alone or mixed with other klisters, or covered with hard wax. While I do list many klisters, including some not for sale yet, most people can have good skis with just 2-3 klisters in their box.

START UNIVERSAL WIDE. If you were to have one klister in your box, make it this one. Among the “Universal” klisters available, this one performs at a high level in a broad range of conditions. It can glide in cold temperatures and kick when the snow warms up. This wax outperforms other klisters in fresh snow conditions while simultaneously can kick in transformed ice crystals. In racing, this wax can be used as a mix with another klister, or under a cover wax.

The versatility of this mix is in part due to its composition of klister raw materials, terva (tar), and aluminum. The aluminum additive prevents the formation of ice around freezing when snow is in transition between solid and liquid state. The aluminum also prevents dirt/bark/needles from sticking.

The special ingredient is the terva which enables the wax to kick in warm conditions and remain fast on cold snow. The wax can adapt to the conditions you are skiing in because of the thermoplastic properties of pine tar. The wax gets harder (faster) when it gets colder, and softer when it gets warmer. In a thin application, the tar hardens and creates a shell to protect from fresh ice crystals. In a thick application, the tar acts as a cushion layer to provide kick on rounded and transformed ice crystals. The Start team uses Terva in many of their grip waxes, including the Oslo line, Terva line, universal hardwaxes, and the new Terva World Cup grip waxes.

START UNIVERSAL PLUS. If you are only buying two klisters, this is the second. is a warmer variant of Universal Wide and should not go unnoticed. Universal Plus has similar characteristics to the Universal Wide mix, except it is made for warmer snow conditions. +3…+10 all snow types. This contains many of the same materials that make Universal Wide great which makes this a safe pick for waxing at or above freezing.

RCR50 Is a klister every racer should have in their box. It is a modified version of our Universal wide intended for high humidity, glazing tracks and artificial snow from 20F up to 38F. This wax is used by several World Cup teams as well as the Start Finland domestic racing service.

A popular combination by the Start racing service is to apply RCR50 and cover with a thin layer of Oslo Violet for artificial snow 20F-38F. For application, you want to rub in your klister and let sit outside to cool down. Then you must apply a thin layer of Oslo and cork lightly to smooth the Oslo in a thin layer without mixing.

RCR30 Is a distinct looking klister that is best used as a covering wax to improve the speed of a klister job without sacrificing grip in hard pack and new tracks.

RCR10 Is for clean, high humidity, wet snow. Much like red, Universal plus or 3098 klister will be preferred, but this still finds use.

Red Klister is made for wet snow. A useful klister for softening harder klisters on coarse snow or adding grip in wetter snow conditions. Like the RCR10, I will often use Universal Plus, or 3098 instead of red. However, as an available alternative to the world cup waxes, Red is a softer option than the universal plus and has its place in the kit.

Special Klister O C or ~32F This is our second most popular klister behind the venerable “Wide”. This klister is advertised for “zero conditions” but I will often use it colder. I like this klister for its speed. I will often use this in varying ratios with Universal wide to help soften it for conditions below OC. If you were to buy three klisters from us, this would be third behind the two universal klisters.

Purple Klister is made for humid, coarse, and/or Icy Snow. On wetter days, it can be used as an intermediary klister between your base klister and your soft kicking klister. Be advised, you will want to apply your intermediary while your base klister is still warm.

Blue Klister is made for icy, abrasive snow. This can be used to harden other klisters or as a base klister. See World Cup 3322 below.

MFW Red Klister contains molybdenum and fluorocarbon. For conditions below zero where the snow is coarse/icy this stuff rocks. Can give a lot of grip while remaining durable.

MFW Yellow Klister contains molybdenum and fluorocarbon. For coarse grained and wet snow above freezing. Be on the lookout for a non-fluorinated version of MFW in the future.

BM Klister uses molybdenum disulfide to repel dirt and enhance grip. Coarse snow with a firm deck and fresh set tracks. Can be very useful in difficult conditions where the snow changes from wet to dry to wet. Can be used as a bump wax by adding a few drops under the toe. Needs to be skied in for a few km before racing.

World Cup Klisters, available in Fall 2023

3322 The new version of Blue Klister. Improved version of our blue klister with more grip, more resistant to hardening.

3300 A new version of Special. harder than regular special but more elastic, less prone to glazing and more grip. While the new version of blue may replace the old blue, this special² will be used in addition to the current version of special.

3098 Extra Wet. Contains tar which can make the wax forgiving in changing conditions or as temperatures change along the course. Can be used to soften other klisters without being a liability for icing.

4269 Silver. Old, wet, dirty, coarse snow. Can be used as a middle klister in high humidity. Good for mixing with hard waxes such as FHF40.