[Skier Lab] Ep4: Ski-Mojo test, the solution for skiing without knee pain?

We tested the Ski-Mojo on snow, an exoskeleton-shaped knee pad designed to help you get back to skiing after an injury or reduce knee pain, increase your muscle power or simply preserve your joints.

Introduction

As a child, I was a fan of Steve Austin, the bionic man who was worth 3 billion... However, when I was offered to test the Ski-Mojo , an exoskeleton that promises to reduce muscle fatigue and relieve pain to the knees , I first thought that at forty years and dust, I was still far from the legal age to resort to such artifices to get my foot in skiing, especially since my medal of monitor still shines with a thousand lights...And then, the fault of a somewhat lazy autumn and a catastrophically dry start to winter, noting that the diameter of my thighs had considerably reduced, I let myself be convinced. Appointment was therefore made to test the "Mojo" in mid-January in Serre-Chevalier for what was shaping up to be my first "real" day of skiing of the season, with a good layer of powder, much more attractive than the artificial snow of the Christmas holidays. Was the Ski-Mojo going to be the ultimate weapon to keep me from being left behind by my local buddies who had already eaten a lot and had accumulated elevation during the last six days? It was worth trying the adventure...

Working

The Ski-Mojo was invented a dozen years ago by Owen Eastwood, a British citizen who started skiing in his late 50s and was looking for a way to make the activity more physically accessible. The device was then largely redesigned by Martin Hannaford before its commercial launch in 2007, crowned by an ISPO Award in 2008 (award given to the most innovative and promising products at the Munich winter sports trade show).

The principle of Ski-Mojo is to use a spring to relieve muscles and joints by supporting approximately one third of your body weight. One can easily imagine the benefit for worn knees (osteoarthritis, decalcification, inflammation) of an "express diet" which would make you go from 80 to less than 60 kg and would therefore limit the efforts on the joint... But skiing -Mojo does not want to limit its field of action to "soft knee" skiers since for healthy subjects, the promise can also be translated as follows: 33% additional muscle power without going through the physical preparation box! It's probably still a bit tight to fine Svindal, but for the friends it should be enough... The exoskeleton is made up of a flexible part , essentially neoprene, responsible for keeping the bionic quadriceps in place, the articulated and compression-adjustable shock absorber rod which is positioned on the outside of the leg by clipping to the back of your ski boot via a connector.

Adjusting the Ski-MojoSki-Mojo detail

First impression

The Ski-Mojo is not a “Plug and Play” device. If the device exists in two sizes (or more exactly two spring settings, to adapt to different user weight ranges), there are then a lot of adjustments to be made to adapt it to your morphology (adjustment of the length of the rod according to the length of the femur and the tibia essentially) and above all, to manage to position it correctly on your leg. The correct positioning of the connector on the shoe is for example essential: too much inside and the power of the spring will cause your feet to duck, which is not ideal for skiing, unless perhaps you want to compete with Rancho in skating on La Transjurassienne... This is why the brand has developed a network of ambassadors, the "Mojo Masters" , present in about twenty French resorts for the moment, in order to be able to try the case in good conditions before buying. There is a specific connector for testing the device (which pinches the rear part of your shoe without damaging it) which can then be replaced by a much more discreet fixed connector, which will just require you to make a small hole in your shoes. The adjustment of the power of the spring is done according to the weight but also to the muscular tone, the technical level of each one and the possible pains to be relieved: it is then enough to preload the spring of the number of turns given by the table of equivalence . Easy . About twenty minutes were necessary for Jean Marc Glaude (Mister Ski-Mojo in France) and Alexis Faure (the Mojo Master of Serre-Chevalier) to make and refine the settings with a flexible option of 10 kg under my weight being gave my knees undamaged. Even before putting on the skis, in the "carpet test", you immediately feel the assistance in the flexion phase (compression) and especially the extension phase (relaxation). A small trigger deactivates the system to drive, walk, take the chairlift or drink a coffee on the terrace without looking like a Zébulon.

The Ski-Mojo test

The ideal, as with any hardware test, is to stick to a minimum of methodology in order to be able to feel the effects at best (or at worst). So we start with a little track without activating the system to warm up and take the opportunity to identify a typical course. The red Draye run, with varied terrain and which is quickly served by the Combes chairlift, is perfect for exercising. Once ready, I activate the system and try to go back to the same places and at the same speed. And there, there is no comparison, the power on the edge is greater: we take more angles, we pass faster in curves, in short, it's much more fun , a bit as if we had exchanged a pair of skis a little tired against brand new "piste race". You also have to be careful not to get too excited because these new legs mounted on springs can disturb a little in the management of breaks in slopes. It is necessary to think of anticipating a little more on the swallowings under penalty of being satellized. The virtual absence of muscle fatigue also allows you to hit the trail in one go, even if your cardio capacity brings you to your senses, as bionic lungs are not yet available as an option... It's really amazing and we better understands why it's forbidden in competition (even if it would still be very tempting to sign up for an Flèche ESF just to tease the opener who will have put on his pretty tight suit for the occasion). Convinced by the power of the system , head for the Prorel chairlift to vary the pleasures. In trafolate snow, moreover with fairly average visibility, there again, it's all bonus: the absorption of the ground is optimal and it is easy to catch up with small errors in placement. In short, you feel good on the skis . And always this sore thigh that only happens much later than usual! Surprising, but quite logical: by avoiding getting into the red zone thanks to the assistance of the Ski-Mojo, the muscles work longer in aerobic mode before going into anaerobic mode, and thus produce less lactic acid.The chairlift de l'Aiguillette having just opened for the first time this season, it was high time to go and taste the powder in the middle of the larches. There, the effect was a little less convincing . Is it the lack of practice this winter? In any case, the front/rear balance, which is finer in fresh snow than on the groomer, is a little trickier to grasp . It would certainly have been less awkward on an open face by chaining big curves at full speed but given the BERA of the day, I abstained. Over the runs, the technique comes back and everything went well. Admittedly, the Mojo assists less than on the piste but does not interfere and the thighs burn just enough (which for a first day of powder snow is rather remarkable). Still in the idea of ​​the test protocol , I decided not to deactivate the system , at least not too soon . According to Jean Marc, you have to give your body (and your brain) time to get used to the Mojo , to appropriate it in a way, to make the most of it. It was only after three good hours of mojoised skiing that I decided to get back on my mortal legs. It floats a little at first then the sensations come back. I notice in particular that I find a little more ankle mobility inside the shoe, favoring a touch of snow and a finer fore/aft placement. However, I quickly feel like a junkie lacking, a cyclist without EPO or a sprinter without his dose of anabolics... I lack power and my thighs hurt! The magic trigger was quickly re-engaged to end the day, before my buddies suspected anything.

Conclusion

In summary, Ski-Mojo is a kind of mechanical doping that has many advantages for a large number of skiers. We can blame it for erasing some sensations but you get used to it fairly quickly, and nothing prevents you from adjusting the spring even less hard to find the right balance between power and feeling . Luckily not having knee problems, I can't say anything but it seems quite logical to me to imagine the advantages of the system for the majority of cases. It's up to everyone to try to make up their own mind. On the other hand, the preventive aspect also seems interesting , many rupture of the cruciate ligament intervening because of a too violent contraction of the quadriceps during a rear imbalance. The Ski-Mojo, which was initially used more by instructors, guides or trackers, is beginning to expand its audience with very positive word of mouth from those who have been able to continue skiing or get back to skiing when they were close to giving up their favorite sport... It is even said that some would have cried with joy! My local buddies didn't cry, but I still felt a little feverish at the end of the day.

For who ?

First of all, everyone . A small technical level is still necessary since the Ski-Mojo has been designed to ski in tongue support, therefore in cut handling. If you ski straight as a pole and are content to tack with big twists of the bust, save your money to take ski lessons... Those under 35, strong skiers and in good shape are also asked to abstaining would be unfair competition... For everyone else, the ball is in your court!

Most :

•Power•Allows you to cushion the package (less fatigue = more runs)•Prevention is better than cure (relieves therefore preserves the joints)•Not bothersome to wear and very easy handling (activation / disengagement)•Discreet if worn under the pants

The lessers :

•Slight loss of sensation which can hinder good technicians•Drops a little on the legs in the walking position•Are you ready to assume?

How much does it cost ?

560 euros , about the price of a new pair of skis or an annual gym membership. In any case, it's much cheaper than a new pair of knees!

More details on Ski-Mojo or to book a trial: www.ski-mojo.fr

Supplements:

Ski-Mojo and ACL tear

Unlike an orthopedic brace , the Ski-Mojo was not designed to prevent the rupture of the ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament: THE skier's injury). The Ski-Mojo can also be worn in addition to a knee pad for those who already have knee instability. User feedback still seems to show that on hyperflexions (the classic case of the skier lying down on the heels of his skis when landing a jump), the Ski-Mojo helps to limit the damage, by putting less strain on the ligaments. However, the Mojo proves to be a valuable aid for resuming skiing after “ligamentoplasty”, the operation often leading to cartilage degradation and therefore pain which can be intense.

The opinion of Mélanie Lenoir, former skier in the Giant World Cup and ski instructor in Les Saisies

Mélanie has been using the Ski-Mojo since 2015 to relieve back pain (frequent among high-level skiers) and prevent knee pain (inflammation of the patellar tendon) which occurs especially when she teaches skiing: "Unlike many skiers, I was lucky to never hurt my knee during my sporting career. On the other hand, when you teach during school holidays, the days are long and with the beginners you are constantly snowploughing and braking which is quickly traumatic. Since I discovered Ski-Mojo, I have never left it, especially since when I ski for myself, I notice that I have much less lower back pain and I regain some of the muscle power that you lose. necessarily when you stop the competition. I felt a little loss of snow feel at first, but today I got used to it, there is no longer any discomfort. I would also like to experiment Ski-Mojo with young runners returning from injury , in order to reduce pain in order to be able to increase the workload and therefore promote rapid re-musculation. »

The opinion of Hervé Gouy, freerider and ski instructor in Les Arcs

Hervé does not suffer from any pathology , except to have, like any skier, sore legs at the end of long days of skiing. He uses the Ski-Mojo, activating it or not depending on the conditions and the desires of the day: “I discovered the Ski-Mojo in March 2015 and I skied a lot with it at the end of the season. I particularly appreciate it on piste , for skiing fast when the snow is hard like at the start of the season, thanks to the power provided, but I also find an educational dimension in it, because it helps to find a good rhythm and to ski in support with two feet. Feeling less muscle fatigue helps you focus on your technique. In the morning I don't ask myself any more questions, I put on my Ski-Mojo (in 3 minutes flat) and then I activate it or not depending on the conditions encountered and the shape of the day. I set the spring to minimum because I like to keep working my thighs. »