Getting my Mojo on!
A LONG PATH TO CALIFORNIA…
As a skier, you may have seen blurbs featuring the “Ski Mojo” product on your social media page. If you did then you may have seen our staff members skiing it or being interviewed. If you didn’t you should check this product out. Like many products we carry, the Ski Mojo has a story attached.
WHAT’S THE STORY?
I first learned about this product from Sven Coomer many years ago. Probably around 2010. Sven was a boot guy in the industry. He was about 70 years old at the time and had designed many products that were important.
On this night we were having dinner at an industry trade show. Sven started going on with great enthusiasm about a product he had tried in Europe and purchased on the spot. The product was a “Ski Mojo” and it was some sort of suspension system that attached to you and your boots. Sven thought it was the most fantastic thing ever. At his age, he was slowing down. Skiing less days. Shorter days. The Mojo had changed that for him. It allowed him to use less energy on the mountain, and he felt he skied better too.
The Mojo came from England, and I got a contact number. Once I got home from the trade show I reached out. The inventor was selling some but not a lot. He was more of a garage inventor than a businessman I felt. He was glad I was interested but had no plans to distribute them to North America.
I didn’t think about them much after that. I saw very occasional mentions of them from time to time in obscure European based ski magazines.
THEN AUDREY CAME BY…
AUDREY has a Ski Mojo. Audrey is a favorite customer of mine. She comes from Singapore. Audrey comes here for her ski boots (and other gear) on the way to skiing in the Rockies and visiting her company in Florida each year. Audrey also skis a fair amount in Europe. She picked up the Ski Mojo there. She raved about it, and I went to ski with her in Utah while she was using it. She had a bad knee and felt the mojo would help. It did. A lot.
So, I once again checked in on the Mojo man in England. Same deal. Nothing for this part of the world.
BUT THEN…
A year or so ago I got a call from a man named Gabriel. He is French and his wife is English. They had purchased the Ski Mojo company and were coming to America- figuratively and literally. They got our name as a top shop that could potentially sell the product. Their son was doing a semester abroad at UC Berkeley and Gabriel set up an in-person meeting with us. We met and I told him I was ready to place3 an order right there and then. I also provided him a short list of the shops and opinion leaders he should contact around the USA. I sent out a few introductions for him and Gabriel set out to ski and sell his product. Several days in Tahoe got him a dealer and a huge fan in Wayne Wong. Utah got him a few more storefronts. Then he hit Colorado and points East with similar results. By the end of the trip a Ski Mojo dealer network was established in the good old USA.
HOW IS THE PRODUCT DOING?
We were off to the Races with the SKI MOJO. Gabriel sent us quite a few leads from all over California. We follow Gabriels’ advice and allow rentals with the knowledge that the customer is on a “try to buy” plan. We get them all adjusted up and send them off to ski. Of 10-12 folks that rented them last year only one did not end up buying the product.
WHO BUYS THEM?
Most buyers were interested because they were injured. Some were recovering. Some had recovered as much as they were going to but found it hard to ski all day. Some were just wanting to not feel so darn old. As usual Winks tried it right away and became the in-house expert. Most of the staff got a few runs on them too. Some used them for a few days. What a great product. There is not much more satisfying than helping people do something again that they love. Ski Mojo does this.
NOW WHAT?
Now it seems to be my turn. A few months ago, I had a total knee replacement. Next week I will get the second one replaced. Will I ski this year? I plan to- Mainly with the help of the Ski Mojo! I got on the product last winter knowing this was coming. I have my personal set up dialed in. The Ski Mojo is better than I had hoped. I am really excited about this. It could be a long-term tool for me. I am 65 at the end of the month and I plan to ski indefinitely. I am certainly open to help from modern technology…both the inside and the outside of my knees!
I will try to keep you posted on my progress. In the meantime, check out Ski Mojo at Ski~Mojo | The exoskeleton that improves your skiing!