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: Central Oregon Makers: The AdvenChair

Thank you Visit Central Oregon for including AdvenChair in the Central Oregon Makers series. We are proud to help make the beauty of the region accessible to those with mobility challenges.

Geoff Babb is a former BLM fire ecologist and avid outdoorsman in Bend, Oregon. In 2005, a near-fatal brain stem stroke left him in a wheelchair with only the use of one hand. However, Geoff was determined to get back outside and found that his biggest obstacle to experiencing the great outdoors again was his inflexible wheelchair. With the help of his team, Geoff designed the AdvenChair 1.0 and then AdvenChair 2.0- an all-terrain wheelchair designed from mountain bike parts featuring an adjustable sit-ski seat, adjustable handlebars, larger 27.5-inch mountain bike wheels and high-grade aluminum mountain bike components throughout.

White Salmon native hikes Grand Canyon in wheelchair

By Alana Lackner: Columbia Gorge News

Geoff Babb and his team of “mules” made the 20-mile round trip down the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon, nearly six years after their last attempt. All photos courtesy of Ethan Mentzer for AdvenChair

Growing up in White Salmon, Geoff Babb had always been a huge lover of nature and spending time outside. Between his work as a fire ecologist and his love for outdoor activities like skiing and backpacking, his active lifestyle had always been really important to him.

Then, in November 2005, he had a stroke that changed everything.

It could’ve killed him, and it almost did. It left him in a wheelchair, with only limited use of one of his hands. However, Babb wasn’t ready to give up the outdoors and all of the things he loved, despite the limitations of his chair.

Geoff Babb in hiking wheelchair AdvenChair on the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon

“Being outside was really important to me,” Babb said. “But I found out right away that the standard wheelchair wasn’t going to allow me to be outside the way I would like to be. So I started experimenting and modifying a standard chair.”

Babb and his friend Dave Neubauer, a helicopter mechanic, were able to modify his wheelchair, increasing the size of the tires, adding a detachable front wheel and handbrakes, and a harness that could let a small team guide him up and down steep terrain.

After a bunch of trials in the new all-terrain wheelchair, which they had dubbed the AdvenChair, they were ready to take on Babb’s dream: The Grand Canyon.

Geoff Babb supported by his team of “mules” on the Bright Angel Trail in his hiking wheelchair, the AdvenChair.

In 2016, they tried to take it into the Grand Canyon, but after about two miles, the frame broke. They had to get assistance from the Park Service to get back out.

Despite the disappointment at the time, Babb said that, in the long run, he was grateful the chair had failed then.

“That was actually a very good thing,” he said. “Because it caused them to redesign the chair from the ground up, literally.”

However, in 2017, as they were working on developing AdvenChair 2.0, Babb had another stroke, 12 years to the day after his first one. He found himself having to recover all over again, having to relearn how to eat and use his right hand again.

Geoff Babb and his AdvenChair team with his hiking wheelchair on an exposed trail in the Grand Canyon

Even another stroke couldn’t stop Babb, though. He was still determined to make his new AdvenChair  a reality, and to make it down the Grand Canyon, for real this time. By late 2019, AdvenChair 2.0 was a reality, and then in June 2021, AdvenChair 3.0 followed.

Then, finally, in May 2022, Babb and his team would take on the canyon again. And this time, they would succeed.

They set off down the Bright Angel Trail, the same as last time, but this time they would make it down and back: Over 20 miles, 10 times the distance they achieved in 2016.

The Bright Angel Trail is not a gentle one, either. It goes down 4,800 feet, with water bars, rock obstacles, and stretches of mud and sand. It was a four day trip, with the team taking on five miles of intense terrain a day. But even so, the chair held.

Of course, Babb didn’t do it alone. The AdvenChair takes a team of people, and he had a group of 10 people to help push, pull, and lift him on his way.

“I’m just really grateful for all my friends and family that helped make things happen,” he said.

The all-terrain wheelchair AdvenChair doesn't need trails to be accessible.

Though Babb currently lives in Bend and has for many years, he said White Salmon still influences his love for nature and the outdoors.

“It’s hard to not have a love for the outdoors when you look out the window and see Mount  Hood, as we did in the Gorge,” he said. “And to be able to go play in a creek and then getting older and being able to climb on Mount Hood and Mount Adams … Being able to be immersed and being in a wheelchair really caused me to have to think about how I can continue that relationship to the outdoors. It’s been a big driving force in my life. Not only to get myself out, but to allow others to be outside.”

This desire to help others in wheelchairs who, like him, may miss their connection to the outdoors, is why Babb sells and rents AdvenChairs.

AdvenChair’s Grandest Achievement Yet: Bright Angel Trail in Grand Canyon National Park

All photos courtesy of Ethan Mentzer for AdvenChair

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 ten 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.

View fullsize

AdvenChair clears a water bar on its descent into the Grand Canyon. Click to enlarge.

View fullsize

Negotiating the Bright Angel Trail in the hiking wheelchair AdvenChair. Click to enlarge.

“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 ten miles to Phantom Ranch.”

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

Geoff Babb supported by his team of “mules” on the Bright Angel Trail in his hiking wheelchair, the AdvenChair.

“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.

The all-terrain wheelchair AdvenChair doesn't need trails to be accessible.

“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 splendor 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.”

Geoff Babb gets a little help from his friends to complete his dream of wheelchair hiking the Bright Angel Trail of the Grand Canyon. Video by Ethan Mentzer Creative LLC.

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.”