Ski Mojo - Anyone else tried them?

[mogulman]

Me: 55+ year old skier, been skiing my whole life. Live about 20 mins from Beaver Creek, CO. Had back surgery 10 years ago, which left me with nerve damage in my left leg (weakness). On top of that, broke my Pelvis in 2020 and Ankle in 2022. So I've got back, hip and leg muscle issues. I've kept skiing, but having trouble getting through an entire day. Also, had trouble skiing an entire run without stopping a few times.

Anyway... I was intrigued by Ski Mojos. I saw ads via facebook and did some research. They were invented by a guy in the UK. I was pretty skeptical, but the distributor/reseller (Keith aka Ski Mojo USA) is in Colorado. So I asked if he could do a demo. I met him at Vail last Monday. It was a packed powder/groomer day.

Skiing with them was a little strange at first, because it was almost like they were pushing against me. The first two runs, I wasn't sure they were for me. Then I took a run down Poppyfields. A run where there are certain places I always have to stop (since 10 years ago). I didn't feel like I needed to stop. I was starting to like these things. I wouldn't say I was totally convinced, but I was surprised. We skied a few more runs and I definitely felt like I could ski longer/farther without getting sore. I also noticed that getting on the bus back to the parking garage at Vail, that I could get onto the bus without using handles or pushing on my poles or skis. My legs weren't so sore that I felt like I needed to lie down. I ended up buying a pair of the Mojos from Keith and picking them up at Copper the next day (he set them up for me and brought them back up to the mountains).

Over the next week, I've skied 3 more times with the Mojos. One more day at Vail, where it was packed powder. I skied almost 27k Vertical and skied until 3:15pm with a few breaks. The most I've skied all season. I skied Beaver Creek last week on some packed powder, with some guys who ski top to bottom without stopping and I kept up. Then yesterday, we got 24" over 48 hours and I skied Beaver Creek. The Mojos totally transformed my day skiing in the powder. I could focus on technique and just enjoy the powder rather than struggling because my legs/back were hurting and just trying to get down.

They have really helped my confidence a lot too.

Anyway.. I'm not getting any money or anything to write this, but just in case anyone else has seen these things and thought they must be a scam or they can't really work. They do help. They have helped me a lot. I'm still in a little bit of disbelief, myself. Caveats... They are a little pricey, also it adds an extra step to getting ready to ski, by having to put them on. It takes me about 10-15 mins to get them all setup under my pants. I could probably get them on in 5-10 over my pant.

 

[Prosper]

About 10 years ago I went to SIA in Denver with a buddy of mine who was doing some writing for Liftopia and the now long defunct skiingexaminer.com. Talk about a kid in a candy store. It was a lot of fun walking around, talking to product reps, fondling ski gear and getting swag. We talked to the Ski Mojo rep and I product tested Ski Mojo at Vail for a couple of days. I’d say my experience was similar to yours although maybe a little less of an emphatic endorsement. At that time I had really bad arthritis of one of my knees and skied with a custom knee brace. Skiing fast and hard made my knee pretty sore by the end of the day. The Ski Mojo did take some pressure off of my arthritis knee and it was definitely less sore at the end of the day. I was probably better than my knee brace in supporting my knee. I’m not sure how the product has evolved but at that time it was pressure mounted to the back of your ski boots with a hand tightened metal bolt and a bracket. It’s not permanently attached to the boot but the metal bolt did leave some permanent indentation marks onto my ski boots and the bracket left some abrasion marks on the outsides of the back of my boot liners. If you’re using them all the time it might not be a big deal but over time the friction of the bracket might lead to some wear on the back of your boot liners. Overall, the product delivers as advertised and could extend the ski day, ski days per season or perhaps even ski years for some.

 

[skibum4ever]

I investigated both Ski Mojo and the Againer Exoskeleton last winter while plotting my return to the slopes.

The Ski Mojo rep indicated that it might aid my endurance but would do nothing to protect my leg from further injury.

The Againer rep was slightly more promising and suggested that after my first ski trip (so I could insure that I was actually able to ski) he meet me at Mammoth and let me try it. However, I never took him up on his offer.

Both of these devices are intriguing and I am keeping them in mind for future reference.

 

[Prosper]

The Ski Mojo rep indicated that it might aid my endurance but would do nothing to protect my leg from further injury.

The Againer rep was slightly more promising and suggested that after my first ski trip (so I could insure that I was actually able to ski) he meet me at Mammoth and let me try it.

I’m surprised that any rep or product like this would suggest or indicate that it could protect from injury. I’m pretty sure they’re not designed to prevent injury and they don’t have any good evidence that support a claim like that. Saying that they can prevent injury is a big can of liability worms.

 

[mogulman]

About 10 years ago I went to SIA in Denver with a buddy of mine who was doing some writing for Liftopia and the now long defunct skiingexaminer.com. Talk about a kid in a candy store. It was a lot of fun walking around, talking to product reps, fondling ski gear and getting swag. We talked to the Ski Mojo rep and I product tested Ski Mojo at Vail for a couple of days. I’d say my experience was similar to yours although maybe a little less of an emphatic endorsement. At that time I had really bad arthritis of one of my knees and skied with a custom knee brace. Skiing fast and hard made my knee pretty sore by the end of the day. The Ski Mojo did take some pressure off of my arthritis knee and it was definitely less sore at the end of the day. I was probably better than my knee brace in supporting my knee. I’m not sure how the product has evolved but at that time it was pressure mounted to the back of your ski boots with a hand tightened metal bolt and a bracket. It’s not permanently attached to the boot but the metal bolt did leave some permanent indentation marks onto my ski boots and the bracket left some abrasion marks on the outsides of the back of my boot liners. If you’re using them all the time it might not be a big deal but over time the friction of the bracket might lead to some wear on the back of your boot liners. Overall, the product delivers as advertised and could extend the ski day, ski days per season or perhaps even ski years for some.

There is a connection point that is temporary that screws on to the boot with a metal bolt. After you buy it, there is a permanent metal connection point that you can attach to your boot. On my boot, one of the booster strap screws was in the perfect position, so I just remove the flat screw and replaced it with the Mojo connection. No drilling. If you don't have a good hole existing, then you can drill a small hole.

 

[T-Square]

I’ve bought and used a Ski Mojo. I did not like it. The way it attached to the boot resulted in the rod pressing hard against my calfs. I use the CADS system and really like it. Simple and effective. I’ve used mine for about 15 years. It does not hinder movement and takes a lot of strain off my knees.

WWW.CADS.COM

 

[mogulman]

I’ve bought and used a Ski Mojo. I did not like it. The way it attached to the boot resulted in the rod pressing hard against my calfs. I use the CADS system and really like it. Simple and effective. I’ve used mine for about 15 years. It does not hinder movement and takes a lot of strain off my knees.

WWW.CADS.COM

I live near Vail/BC, so I thought about CADS. They've been in use out here for a long time. For me, I have muscle weakness due to nerve damage. I'm also a bigger guy. I haven't tried CADS, but I assumed that the metal springs in the Mojo would provide more support than the rubber elastic in the CADS. Also, no need for special storing of rods in poles. Mojos can be deactivated with a switch on the chair or walking. I can also adjust the amount of support on the Mojos by pretensioning the spring at different amounts.

I'd like to try the CADS sometime though. Do walter and jenny still do Demos? Their web-site looks super old.

 

[T-Square]

I live near Vail/BC, so I thought about CADS. They've been in use out here for a long time. For me, I have muscle weakness due to nerve damage. I'm also a bigger guy. I haven't tried CADS, but I assumed that the metal springs in the Mojo would provide more support than the rubber elastic in the CADS. Also, no need for special storing of rods in poles. Mojos can be deactivated with a switch on the chair or walking. I can also adjust the amount of support on the Mojos by pretensioning the spring at different amounts.

I'd like to try the CADS sometime though. Do walter and jenny still do Demos? Their web-site looks super old.

Haven’t talked to them since before the plague. They have two levels of power bands. I use the stronger ones and they work well.

 

[CJSailor]

Partly because of Mogulman's post, I looked into Ski Mojo, bought a set, and have now skied two days in a row on them. For me, the product works perfectly. I was having serious problems with soreness and fatigue in my hips, quads, and lower back -- due mainly to aging (I'm over 60), not lack of fitness -- and Ski Mojo seems to be helping tremendously. It's been only two days, but I'm tempted to say this device has completely solved my problems.

I am an advanced, aggressive skier, and Ski Mojo seems to have no effect at all on my technique. In fact, while skiing, I don't even notice the braces are there -- I just ski, but my legs feel 10-20 years younger. I think much of my soreness is from vibration and compression in the joints as the skis travel over uneven snow. The springs in the Ski Mojo braces seem to work like shock absorbers to relieve the stress on the joints. The result is that I've just skied two full days on hard snow with no soreness or fatigue at all. Previously this season I've had to cut days short because my legs, hips, and back couldn't take any more stress. Today I skied longer than before and felt I could easily have done four or five more runs without fatigue.

One important detail: I experimented extensively with the settings -- bottom tube, top tube, and weight setting -- to make sure the fit was dialed in just right. I was also lucky, like Mogulman, that one of the booster strap screws on my boot was just the right spot to install the Ski Mojo clip.

How well this product works for each person will probably vary with the individual. For me as an aging athlete, this is among the best gear purchases I've ever made.

 

[Skitard]

I have Ski Mojo gold. I weigh 80kg. I didn't like it at first. I'm not technical and it took me several ski trips this year to get it 'dialled in' in terms of siting the waist belt correctly, setting the spring to the tension that suited my preference for short carving turns (upping the tension from the recommended level by 1/2 to 1 notch), and setting the rod lengths appropriately. As someone else critiqued, the rod on my right side pushes into my calf--which is painful. However, I now ski without really noticing them there. As my fitness has improved I don't complain much about the extra weight. And my knees have not hurt me all season--I partially attribute that to wearing 11 degree lean shoes/boots in my Nordica Sportmachine 120s vs my minimum 13 degree lean Atomic Prime boots. Even so, I think the Mojos are probably helping my knees. I can really drive the turns now and ski short turns for much longer on the long pistes at Val d'Isère/Tignes where I usually go. A couple of times the bolts have come off my boots but fixed with superglue on the threads.

 

[mogulman]

I'm on day 39. 23 on the Ski Mojos. Lately I've been wearing them under my pants without the upper thigh straps. I feel like it's quicker for me to take them on/off this way. Also, the thigh straps seem to be unneeded underneath my ski pants.

I did adjust my lower and upper rods one level up on both. This gave me a little better support and made it easier for me to clip the bottom clip in the parking lot. Prior to this, it was hard for me to line everything up.

Still going strong on the mojos. I have used mine on groomers, powder, spring crud and moguls. I really like them in the powder and crud.

For now, I'll keep using them in the moguls, but at some point I might turn them off in the moguls. I do feel like they aren't helping me quite as much as when I first got them. That might be mental. Then I try skiing with them turned off, and I realize they are. Longest day so far was last Sunday. Did almost 30k vertical. Still liking them a lot. It's nice to come home after a long day and feel ok, where some of my other friends are having a hard time walking.