Blue Mountains guide
What the assist actually does on the Giant Stairway, National Pass, the Grand Canyon and two others — and what it does not do. A$129 a day, delivered to Katoomba, Leura, Blackheath and Wentworth Falls.
The Blue Mountains is a stair destination. Almost every walk worth doing here ends with a climb, and the climb is what decides whether people finish the day they planned or turn back at the lookout. The Giant Stairway is the obvious example — roughly nine hundred steps down from Echo Point, and the same nine hundred back up unless you have booked the railway.
Exo Motion Pro is a hip-assist exoskeleton. It reads your gait and adds power as you lift each leg, which is precisely the movement that stairs and sustained climbs demand most of. It weighs 1.8 kg, straps over your clothes in a couple of minutes, and runs three to four hours on a single battery.
What follows is a practical read on five well-known tracks: where the assist genuinely changes the day, and where it changes very little.
A$129 per rental day. Delivery and return where available, fitting, a demo and support are included. A separate refundable A$1,500 pre-authorisation is held per unit before release and is normally released 3 to 7 business days after return.
Where we deliver: Katoomba, Leura, Blackheath, Wentworth Falls, Medlow Bath and the Springwood and lower mountains area — plus Sydney CBD hotels and Sydney metro addresses where available, if you are travelling up for the day.
Notice: at least 24 hours. Weekends and school holidays go first.
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The clifftop path linking Echo Point to Leura Cascades, with lookouts most of the way. There is very little sustained climbing, so this is less about rescue and more about range — the assist is what lets you walk it out and back in a day instead of arranging a car shuffle. The best first track if you have never worn one.
Where the assist earns its keep: Range, not rescue. Walk it both ways.
The staircase from Echo Point down past the Three Sisters into the Jamison Valley. Going down is hard on knees; coming back up is what stops people. Most visitors plan the return by Scenic Railway for exactly that reason. With the assist, the climb becomes a question of time rather than whether you can.
Where the assist earns its keep: The climb out. This is the track people rent for.
Cut into the cliff face above the Valley of the Waters, with the Grand Stairway at one end. Sustained steps in both directions and no shortcut once you are committed, which is what makes it a genuine full-day walk for a lot of people rather than a half day.
Where the assist earns its keep: Sustained stairs, both directions.
A loop that drops into a fern-lined canyon and climbs back out. Cool, shaded and beautiful on the way down; a steady grind on the way up. The ascent is the whole difficulty of this walk, and it is the part the assist changes most.
Where the assist earns its keep: The climb out of the canyon.
Short in distance, generous in steps. A good option for a half day, or for testing how you go on stairs before committing to National Pass the following day.
Where the assist earns its keep: A short, stair-heavy test run.
Worth being straight about this, because it decides whether you have a good day.
It does not remove the risk of a slip or a fall. Blue Mountains sandstone and steel steps are slick after rain, and the assist does nothing about traction. Use the handrails.
It does not carry you. If you cannot currently walk a track unassisted at a slow pace, powered assistance is not what closes that gap — it makes walking you can already do less costly, particularly uphill.
It is splash resistant, not waterproof. Heavy rain, water crossings and flooded tracks are out.
It is not a mobility aid, a wheelchair substitute or medical treatment, and Exo Motion is not a clinical service.
If you are staying overnight, the pattern that works is a short stair-heavy walk on day one to get used to the assist — Valley of the Waters, or the Leura Cascades end of the Prince Henry — and the bigger objective on day two, once you know how the fit sits and how you pace with it.
Track closures are common after storms and during hazard reduction. Check the current status of any track on the NSW National Parks site the morning you walk; conditions here change faster than any guide can keep up with.
You need to be able to walk independently and follow fitting guidance, be 190 cm or under, and be between 40 kg and 150 kg. Every rental includes a fit check before the unit is released, and if it cannot be fitted safely on the day the rental fee is refunded and the deposit hold is not captured. The full Terms of Hire and Safety Guidelines set out the detail.
A$129 per rental day. That includes delivery and return where available, fitting, a demo and support. A separate refundable A$1,500 card pre-authorisation is held per unit before release and is normally released 3 to 7 business days after the unit comes back.
Katoomba, Leura, Blackheath, Wentworth Falls, Medlow Bath and the Springwood and lower mountains area, plus Sydney CBD hotels and Sydney metro addresses where available. Bookings need at least 24 hours notice.
It helps on the climb back up, which is where most people struggle. It reduces the effort of lifting your own body weight step after step. It does not reduce the risk of slipping on wet sandstone or steel, and it is not a substitute for handrails or for turning back if conditions are poor.
Prince Henry Cliff Walk between Katoomba and Leura. It is formed, largely gentle, has plenty of lookouts to stop at, and you can turn around at any point. It is a good place to get used to the assist before attempting anything with sustained stairs.
Exo Motion assists at the hip, not the knee, and many people with knee issues find the reduced load helpful on climbs. It is walking assistance rather than medical treatment, and Exo Motion is not a clinical service, so check with your own doctor or physiotherapist first if you have had surgery or have an ongoing condition.
You need to be able to walk independently and follow fitting instructions, be 190 cm or under, and be between 40 kg and 150 kg. The device supports walking you can already do; it does not carry you.
A$129 per rental day, delivered across the upper and lower mountains. Book at least 24 hours ahead.