AdvenChair, Wanderlust Tours team up for AdvenTours, accessible guided outings in special Central Oregon places

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The first AdvenTour will be offered the morning of Saturday, July 13 at Smith Rock State Park.
image courtesy of SmithRock.com

What do you get when you combine AdvenChair, developer of the world’s most durable all-terrain wheelchair, with Wanderlust Tours, Central Oregon’s leader in naturalist-guided adventures? You get AdvenTours, a variety of accessible outings that allow people with mobility challenges to explore Central Oregon’s most iconic wild places with expert guidance. 

Thanks to a grant from Visit Central Oregon’s Future Fund, a program that supports local tourism projects benefiting both visitors and residents, AdvenChair is making two new chairs available to Wanderlust Tours and kicking off a season of both publicly offered and private accessible tours – AdvenTours, if you will. 

As Oregon makes strides in providing access to the outdoors across the state, locals and visitors alike will be able to take advantage of this new partnership. For people with mobility challenges looking to take in Central Oregon’s most spectacular natural sights, or even a wobbly grandparent who wants to join a family outing, one of these guided adventures could be just the ticket. 

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the AdvenChair team to facilitate accessible tours in the Bend area,” said Courtney Braun, Owner of Wanderlust Tours. “For more than 30 years, Wanderlust has led folks into Central Oregon’s great outdoors to let Mother Nature do her magic. And now, those with mobility challenges can join us for adventures in these beautiful areas to come away inspired, educated and with great stories to tell.”

The first AdvenTour will be offered the morning of Saturday, July 13 at Smith Rock State Park. Adventurers will have more than two hours to take in views from the rim of the canyon, as well as explore trails along the Crooked River, where they can get close-up glimpses at climbers challenging the walls. 

Video: ‘Dreams are coming true’: ‘DREAM BOLDLY The Grand AdvenChair’ film, featuring inventor Geoff Babb, to debut at COCC

KTVZ interviews Babb and Outback Film Director Marcia Volk a few days prior to the event.

"DREAM BOLDLY: The Grand AdvenChair" is a documentary film that's making its debut Friday evening at Central Oregon Community College.

The 48-minute documentary features the story of Bend adventurer, entrepreneur and disability advocate Geoff Babb and the effort that led to the creation of the AdvenChair.

Babb suffered a near-fatal brain stem stroke that left him in a wheelchair and with only limited use of one hand. While the stroke forever changed his ability to move, Babb created a different way to enjoy the outdoors.

"His incredible and infectious will to dream boldly made me want to do the same," film director Marcia Volk said of Babb. "It was always my dream to create a documentary, and now we’ve both realized huge dreams.”

The AdvenChair, Babb's invention, is an all-terrain human-powered wheelchair that lets people with disabilities get off the beaten path.

"We built this chair from the ground up," Babb said Wednesday. "We used mountain bike parts, mountain bike wheels, brakes and a seat from a sit-ski." Babb said.

In the film, he takes the wheelchair on a rigorous four-day expedition down and back out of the Grand Canyon. 

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"After a stroke or some injury or illness, things will be different. But it doesn't mean you can't do things. You just have to find a different way to do them." Babb said. "Until you're really there, it's hard to imagine what it was like. I'm really excited to share that."

The documentary is currently in review by film festivals from coast to coast, and even the famous festival in Cannes, France.

"Thanks to Geoff, both of our dreams are coming true." Volk said.

The debut event takes place on Friday from 5-7 p.m. at Wille Hall on COCC’s Bend campus and will feature a presentation and Q&A with the filmmakers and expedition team following the film.  Tickets are free, but donations are encouraged to support the film.

The Oregon Outdoor Alliance and Stroke Awareness Oregon also will be attending, to share information about their organizations’ important work in Central Oregon.

Video: Annual Christmas Bird Count returns to Sunriver

This year, once again, the resort and Sunriver Nature Center are hosting the 2023 Christmas Bird Count, a nationwide Audubon Society tradition dating back 124 years. The birding event is a citizen science activity where participants count as many of the birds as they can find in a local 15-mile diameter circle. Geoff Babb joined the tradition with his AdvenChair.

Video: Newest version of Bend-made AdvenChair conquers Grand Canyon trail challenge

NewsChannel 21 has followed the progress of Bend inventor Geoff Babb's AdvenChair, an all-terrain wheelchair, over the years. Recently, on a second journey to Grand Canyon National Park, a new milestone was reached.

Here's the company's news release outlining the successful endeavor:

Bright Angel Trail in Grand Canyon National Park. 

In 1869, when John Wesley Powell led the first crew of explorers down the Colorado River into what is now known as the Grand Canyon, he had no idea what kind of destructive forces lay ahead. In fact, shortly after beginning the journey, one of their wooden boats overturned in a rock-filled cataract and almost instantly split apart into kindling, destroying a full third of the group’s provisions. It only got worse from there.

Similarly, when Geoff Babb took a team of adventurers down the Bright Angel Trail in 2016, attempting to reach the Colorado River in a modified human-powered wheelchair, he was not prepared for the destructive forces that lay ahead either. In his case, it was the virtually endless assortment of water bars – large logs or rocks that stick up across the trail to divert rain and snow melt. After going up and over several hundred of them within the first two miles, the axle on his chair gave way and Babb’s journey was over.

However, just like Powell a century-and-a-half before, Babb and his team were not to be deterred. And, having learned from the first experience, they vowed to return with equipment much better suited for the challenge. Did they ever?

Less than six years after his breakdown, Babb went back to “the Big Ditch” in late April with a totally new chair – AdvenChair 3.0 – which he and his team helped create. And succeeded.

“Breaking down on our Grand AdvenChair in 2016 is the best thing that could’ve happened to the first chair,” said Babb, whose mobility remains severely limited following two brain stem strokes. “It made us take a step back and look at strengthening every aspect of the chair and the team.”

Babb brought in design engineer Jack Arnold, who became instrumental in developing an all-terrain wheelchair using mountain bike parts for durability, versatility and easy maintenance. He also added multiple contact points to allow the crew to steer, pull, brake and lift.  

With shock-absorbing mountain bike tires, adjustable handlebars and hand brakes, an adjustable seat and harness, a team of one to six people can navigate AdvenChair 3.0 over all types of rugged terrain, mud, sand and snow, allowing people with mobility challenges to experience the serenity and grandeur of wild places with family and friends.

The prototype AdvenChair 2.0 debuted in December of 2019 with a dazzling orange powder-coat finish and went through extensive testing and a few modifications in 2020.

“What’s unique about AdvenChair is that it’s as versatile as it is durable,” said Arnold. “The seat can adjust to handle young children as well as large adults. And since it easily converts into a normal-size wheelchair, it can go indoors and be transported on planes, trains and buses, not to mention the trunk of a car.”

Despite the inevitable complications due to the COVID 19 pandemic, Babb began taking orders and received his first shipment of upgraded AdvenChair 3.0 chairs in June of 2021. Already, the chairs have found their way into some pretty incredible places, including the ancient city of Machu Picchu in Peru, an outdoor school near Eugene, and the televisions of countless Oregonians on Oregon Field Guide. 

In training for the Grand AdvenChair 2 over the past three months, the team made first ascents of Burma Road at Smith Rock State Park and Grey Butte, which requires a climb of more than 2,600 feet. 

The Grand Canyon’s Bright Angel Trail presented a vertical drop of more than 4,800 feet over 10 miles, complicated by more than 3,000 water bars with protruding rebar, as well as countless natural rock obstacles, plus stretches of mud and sand. The return trip brought the same challenges in reverse with temperatures hovering well over 90 degrees.

 “We knew the Bright Angel Trail would be difficult,” said Babb. “There’s simply no way to prepare for the relentless water bars, some of them more than a foot tall and at awkward angles. It really gives you no break for the entire 10 miles to Phantom Ranch.”

A group of 10 men and women, (affectionately known as “mules”) took shifts pushing, pulling, lifting and braking Babb down and back up the 10-mile Bright Angel Trail over the course of four days. Another 14 volunteers provided support at a campground on the canyon rim.

“I just can’t say enough about this chair and my incredible team of mules,” said Babb. They all performed well beyond my expectations. We couldn’t possibly replicate the difficulty of this trail in our training ventures. But through our selfless teamwork and collective problem-solving skills, we were able to handle everything the trail could dish out. ”

Not only that, the team managed to keep Babb stretched out, well fed, relatively sunburn-free and even cooled his feet in a frog-filled creek. 

“I’m also extremely grateful for the additional support of local companies like Food for the Sole, Picky Bars, Laird Superfood, Smith Rock Coffee Roasters and Hydaway who helped us all stay nourished and hydrated every step of the way,” added Babb. 

An avid hiker, mountain biker and backpacker in his younger days, Babb sees AdvenChair as the conduit for a lifelong passion to be active outdoors. He also envisions the chair fulfilling his firm belief that people with limited mobility can still experience the splendor and uplifting serenity of wild places beyond where the pavement ends.

“Exploring the Grand Canyon has been a dream of mine, especially since our initial failure,” said Babb. “I got to experience the grandeur of the canyon rocks, the prickly pear cactus hanging from its walls and the princess plume flower that reaches its yellow blooms to the sky. Completing this trip validates that we have created a chair that can take dreamers like me to amazing depths – and heights – with a little help from our friends.”

Video: Bend’s AdvenChair inventor first to reach Smith Rock Burma Road summit in wheelchair

Bend stroke survivor Geoff Babb, inventor of the all-terrain wheelchair called the AdvenChair, recently was the first person to reach the summit of Smith Rock's Burma Road Trail by wheelchair. He soon plans a trip to reach the bottom of the Grand Canyon.