Grip wax can work well on single-cambered skis, but there is much less room for error (ie. more likely to ice up) than with nordic skis. Icy crust on the flats or downhill can also wear the wax off much more quickly than on a nordic ski, where the wax is more protected in the double-camber wax pocket. Don't use kicker wax on pattern base skis unless you like to spend a lot of time cleaning them.
I think perhaps a lot of people get frustrated & give up on this venerable technique because it can take a short distance (usually just a few hundred yards or less) for the wax to begin gripping effectively. A common scenario is for folks to choose the 'correct' wax, but it slips initially and they rewax & then clog up. A bit of stove fuel, an old toothbrush, zip-locks & papertowels might be good to have along while you're learning.
If you study XC racing literature, you'll find waxing graphs with temperature on one axis and moisture content on the other. My experience has been that a slightly stickier (softer) wax than that suggested by the temperature alone often works best in maritime snow. I've had really good results with Swix special (blue-stripe) purple. If the conditions require red or klister, I don't bother & just use skins or pattern bases.
Contamination of skin glue by the grip wax seems inevitable if you use both. The best solution I've found is separate sets of skins: an older mixed use set that must be cleaned & re-glued more often, plus 'pure' skins that never go on grip-waxed skis.
Another way to mitigate glue contamination is to only wax for a couple feet right under the bindings so as to keep the tip & tail adhesive cleaner. Waxing just a short 'kicker' rather than the entire ski may also preserve better glide if your wax is a bit too soft.
