Will Wonders Never Cease? AdvenChair Visits Machu Picchu & is Featured on Oregon Field Guide

A year that started off with great hope and promise for AdvenChair, the all-terrain wheelchair, has done nothing but roll onward and upward to new heights. Or downward, as the trails may dictate.

After ordering its first fleet of 10 chairs in January of 2021 and delivering them on schedule in June, the company has seen each one of them head out on exciting adventures that would’ve otherwise been impossible, including a visit to Machu Picchu, one of the eight wonders of the world.

“We wanted to make an all-terrain chair that would enable people with disabilities and physical challenges to roll boldly into wild places and achieve important milestones with the help of family and friends,” said Geoff Babb, AdvenChairman and founder of AdvenChair. “What Team Kapen accomplished is exactly what we’ve been hoping for.”

“Team Kapen” is 33-year-old Robert Kapen, who survived a brain stem stroke at the early age of 23, and his wife Nelly, a native of Peru. Their venture to the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu in August was a dream come true for both of them. Nelly finally got to see her country’s most famous landmark. And Robert finally found a vehicle that could quench his burning desire to explore off the beaten path with minimal limitations.

The ancient Incans obviously didn’t design the trails to the remote Andes city with AdvenChair in mind. Nor did the modern trains and taxis in Cuzco for that matter. But with a little ingenuity and perseverance, Nelly and her family were able to maneuver Robert through airports, on to shuttle buses and trains in its wheelchair mode and up a lesser-used path in all-terrain mode to reach Machu Picchu.

“Having just this one chair was so convenient in terms of space, durability, and safety,” said Nelly. “The AdvenChair held up to everything we threw at it, from taking it apart and putting it together, transferring in and out of vehicles. But most importantly, climbing the trail at extreme altitude couldn’t have been easier.”

As a brain stem stroke survivor and fellow outdoor lover, Robert Kapen found a kindred spirit in Geoff Babb, and was immediately drawn to AdvenChair’s mountain bike components and safety features, like hydraulic brakes and multiple gripping points.

“We couldn’t have done this trip without AdvenChair,” said Robert. “When my other chair needed to be lifted over an obstacle, people would jump in and start accidentally ripping off parts, saying, ‘Oops, hope you don’t need that.’ But if we needed help during our excursions with AdvenChair, they immediately knew where to grab. I felt much safer in this chair with all the belts, shocks and handlebars.”

AdvenChair’s innovative design and attention to detail also impressed the producers of Oregon Public Broadcasting’s long-running Oregon Field Guide program. A crew from OPB joined Geoff Babb and Bend college student Isaac Shannon for a spirited trek through Smith Rock State Park in August and the video segment will be spotlighted on Thursday, November 11 at 8:30pm.

“Getting attention on Oregon Field Guide, as well as locally on Central Oregon Daily and KTVZ News recently is very rewarding for us,” said Babb. “And with AdvenChairs soon to be rolling boldly in several U.S. national parks, Canada, New Zealand and Camino de Santiago in Spain, we know the trail ahead for AdvenChair is pretty exciting.”

About AdvenChair:

AdvenChair is an all-terrain wheelchair designed for people with mobility challenges who want to venture off the beaten path and experience the grandeur of the wilderness. It is the brainchild of Geoff Babb, a fire ecologist and avid outdoorsman from Bend, Oregon, who loved to ski, mountain bike, and backpack with his wife and twin boys until a near-fatal brain stem stroke on November 10, 2005, forced him to use a wheelchair.

While the stroke forever changed his ability to move, Babb soon discovered that the biggest obstacle to experiencing a simple outing on local trails with his family again was not so much his body, but the frailties of common wheelchairs. Rather than lobbying for wheelchair-accessible wilderness trails, Babb chose to develop a wheelchair capable of adapting to the trails, and the AdvenChair was born.

On November 10, 2017, exactly 12 years to the day after his stroke, Babb survived a second brain stem stroke, which was a major setback. Yet it made him more determined than ever to share his all-terrain chair with other people with limited mobility.

While developing the first AdvenChair, Babb also launched The Onward Project, LLC, to inspire, encourage and enable outdoor adventures for people of all abilities, and invites them to share their experiences and stories online.

Video: Healing through wheeling: Off-road wheelchair makes nature accessible

Geoff Babb and Oregon Adaptive Sports take the AdvenChair out in Shevlin Park, Bend, Oregon

Central Oregon Daily

It’s a wheelchair that resembles more of a mountain bike than a traditional wheelchair, and its purpose is to get people to beautiful outdoor areas that otherwise might prove impossible.

The all-terrain AdvenChair is the brainchild of Bend local Geoff Babb.

After suffering multiple severe strokes, Babb set out to develop a wheelchair like never before.

Central Oregon Daily News’ Eric Lindstrom joined Babb and the Oregon Adaptive Sports team as they took the chair for a spin at Shevlin Park.

Blogpost: Machu Picchu!

Team Kapen at Machu Picchu with the AdvenChair

Published on Kapen Writes
kapenwrites.com

BY TEAM KAPEN

Featured on the KapenWrites blog

Robert Kapen demos the AdvenChair all-terrain wheelchair in Bend, Oregon

Fresh off my trip to Bend, Oregon, where I test drove a manual mountain bike wheelchair #AdvenChair and with my recent fundraiser that granted me the opportunity to buy it. Which I feel so blessed, grateful, and loved that the people I call my community stepped up and faithfully gave money. The only way I know to truly thank them and God for the awesome providence they bestowed on me is use the chair continually and spread God’s message of love, peace, and grace everywhere I travel. Such trips include the redwoods, Australia, Banff, Yellowstone, Sedona, and the Amazon (not the warehouse the jungle haha). Hopefully I go so often I can quickly broaden my horizon and tour more east then California and then on to Europe. I’m going to try to take over the world. (in my best pinky and the brain accent)

Robert Kapen at the airport with his wife Nelly and the AdvenChair

But in the meantime, my sights and emotions were fixed on Machu Picchu. Now the challenge was figuring out how to get the chair, all its parts, and clothes there. Luckily, we had Nelly’s sister and her family. Also, when we got to the LATAM (Latin America airlines) counter we found out the duffle bag we shoved the third wheel, clothes, and some miscellaneous items could be considered my one medical bag so it was free! The flight is about 9 hours. We took the red eye so I watched one movie and slept the rest of the way. With the AdvenChair I only needed one chair. When it is quick movement on flat ground, I can just use the standard wheelchair, but if it is bumpy, uneven, and long trips I can but out and use the third wheel.

When we got to Peru, I was anxious to see how the chair fared the airplane. Not that I had any doubt but when they first brought it out after we landed, there wasn’t even a scratch on it. It was now time for the first couple of walls we had to figure out how to get around. The first wall was finding a rental vehicle that would be able to carry everything. Well, we did but when we got to the Airbnb unfortunately the nice house was not accessible. There were stairs everywhere, stairs into the house, into the living room, the kitchen, and the bedroom. The chair did amazingly, we were able to figure out the terrain. A few days stuffing our faces with Peruvian food, then we were off to Cuzco.

Nelly and Robert Kapen on their Machu Picchu adventure with the AdvenChair

Once again transferring in and out of the chair and flying to Cuzco was a breeze. What wasn’t a breeze was the taxi we had to take to the hotel. Once again by God’s grace we figured it out. Once at the hotel we were able to secure a taxi truck with a driver. That’s what I recommend, because he was always there when we needed a car, he knew where he was going, and he had great recommendations. While we were settling in altitude sickness hit Nelly hard, but for me it was gradual because by the end of the trip I couldn’t sleep or breathe. The hotel had oxygen tanks and coca leaf tea which helped. Yes, that coca but these are leaves before they add all the poisons, its very natural.   

In the following days we went to the Sacred Valley, natural salt pools, old Incan fortress and cliff pods (you spend the night in a clear pod hanging on the side of a mountain.) we had a lot of practice with the wheelchair on the trails. Oh! Not to mention more food. I had an alpaca burger! That’s where we did most of our shopping because the dollar is four times stronger. We either bought the best quality of a item or 100 of something because we could. My favorite was when we walked up to a stand and asked the lady, if we could buy all of her llama key chains?” her face lit up. It was nice to help her out with a big payday, just because that is their livelihood.

It is the night before the big trip and I was nervous. I was praying so hard because I had no clue what to expect. The variety of ways to get freaked out were endless. We had to go to bed early and wake up at 4AM to catch a train and make the most of the day. That being understandably way too hard for Nelly’s sister. She has three kids, well 4 if you count her husband lol (shout out to Yeiz) they left a day early to the city under Machu Picchu. Which was a blessing, because like so many times before they were able to scope scope the area for me.  

Robert Kapen contemplates his Peruvian adventure in the AdvenChair

It is 5AM at the train station because it was an away from the hotel. Bobbies (stray dogs) and mishis (stray cats) everywhere. When it was the time to board, we hit a wall. The train had steep stairs, no aisle seat, and we had narrow space to work with. Perurail I recommend investing in an aisle chair, making it more accessible to more people and essentially more money. Please make the investment. Don’t you want more money? What had happened was, my team had to carry me in, then I had to penguin waddle to my seat. The shinning light in all of this was God’s grace, mercy, and providence not with just this situation but the whole trip. We had so many issues come up and somehow, we were always able to overcome. Looking back, we totally saw God’s hands in everything.

The second winner was the AdvenChair because it held up to everything, we threw at it. From taking it apart and putting it together, transferring in and out, and storing the chair and its parts. It was very intuitive. My team of family members picked it up and quickly to over for Nelly. While we were hiking during our many excursions, if we needed help people knew where to grab. If we brought my other chair people would jump in and start accidentally ripping off parts, “oops hope you don’t need that.” Again having just this one chair made everything easier as far as space, durability, and safety. I felt safer in this chair with all the belts, shocks, and handle bars I could hold to. 

We have arrived at the town at the bottom of Machu Picchu. BAM! The next wall. Similar to the train I had to be carried in the bus. Once aboard we started our ascent and I started praying. Then it hit me, “I’m praying for trust in God but what does that mean? What does that look like?” the increasing heights and winding turns didn’t help. the road was one lane, but when two buses come together what happens? One bus gets as close to the edge as they can and the other gets as close to the hill as possible and then they try to squeeze by. At the top of the mountain trees block the steep steep drop off. Not knowing anything we went through the front entrance and quickly realized the Incas didn’t think about wheelchairs because mine wasn’t going to fit.

Robert Kapen going along the treacherous steep path up Machu Picchu in the AdvenChair.

Robert Kapen at Machu Picchu in the AdvenChair

Round two, one of the guides saw us struggling so he offered to take us through the exit. It was the same views but the path is wider. He took us to a roped off patch of grass and told us, “you can stay as long as you want just don’t move.” It was between a rock ledge and a hut that block the view to infinity. Then Nelly said, “you can open your eyes now.” Yes because my eyes were jammed closed and my knuckles were whiter than snow. We took pictures and videos. Praised God for not dying, and thanked Him for sunglasses so you couldn’t see my eyes closed the whole time. Then it hit me again. This is what I prayed for, God delivered. My fear wasn’t washed away but by trusting Him, He brought me to an area of some comfort. Where we were between a wall and hut, I was able to open my eyes, talk, and release my grip so my hands got some color back. And during that moment there was an inner peace like I knew God was helping me. That continued as we finished and drove back down the mountain and watched the sunset on the train ride home.

Robert Kapen on the AdvenChair with Nelly’s extended family

A beaming Robert Kapen and wife Nelly at Machu Picchu in the the AdvenChair

Video: AdvenChair, a Bend-made, all-terrain wheelchair, helping more Central Oregonians enjoy the outdoors

AdvenChair, an all-terrain wheelchair designed by Bend resident, Geoff Babb, aims to help people with mobility restrictions enjoy the outdoors.

“I was always mountain biking or skiing or being outside and the main bulk of my career was spent in national resources so I was always outside,” Babb said.

Babb, a former wildland firefighter, suffered a near-fatal brain stem stroke almost 16 years ago, affecting his mobility. “Surviving that, I realized that being outside is where I really need to be but my standard wheelchair was not going to do it for me,” Babb said. Rather than lobby for wheelchair-accessible wilderness trails, Babb chose to develop a wheelchair capable of adapting to trails.

Jack Arnold, a retired product development engineer partnered with Babb to help create the all-terrain Advenchair. “We built this specifically around mountain bike parts. They’re more robust than wheelchair parts, they’re more readily available,” said Arnold. Both men say the device is made almost exclusively in Central Oregon.

Kirin Stryker, of Cogwild Mountain Bike Tours, said Babb used the bike skills course by her business to test run the wheelchair during its development phases. She thinks it’s great to see him do something great for the community.

“We’re trying to normalize all abilities in recreation and so for our clients who are on mountain bikes to see Jeff and his clients accessing the outdoors on the same trials via a slightly different method is great,” Stryker said.

The wheelchair can hold all sizes from a small child to a full-grown adult. “That’s always been a big incentive of ours to make the outdoors accessible for kids as well for older folks,” Babb said.

Sales have begun and "demo days" are coming up for AdvenChair.

The AdvenChair team will be hosting demo days where they will be demonstrating how to use the chair to the public beginning August 7th.

For those wanting a longer excursion after the demo, AdvenChair will be available for rent on each of the following Sundays — August 8, September 12, and October 10 — at just $75 for a half-day (four hours).

Also this summer, AdvenChair is available for free hikes through Oregon Adaptive Sports (OAS) Community Hiking Days. On alternating Tuesdays, members of the OAS team are guiding outings on some of Central Oregon’s favorite trails, including the Deschutes River Trail and Shevlin Park. Hikes are scheduled for August 10 and August 24, departing at 8 am and returning at around 2 pm. For more information and registration, visit oregonadaptivesports.org.

Just two AdvenChairs are still available for immediate purchase.

AdvenChair Sells First Shipment of All-Terrain Wheelchairs; Rolls Out Free Demo Rides on Local Trails

AdvenChair off road hiking chair by the Deschutes River in Oregon

A state that is known for extraordinary sightings in the wilderness, is about to have quite a few more. But rather than catching a fleeting glimpse of a large apelike creature, local hikers can expect to get a good look at an agile, bright orange, all-terrain wheelchair — known in these parts as AdvenChair.

AdvenChair is the missing link that allows people with mobility challenges to go off the beaten path with family and friends. It combines mountain bike parts with a three-wheeled ergonomic design, an adjustable seat, disc brakes, and multiple straps and contact points for navigating rugged trails and unstable terrain.

“At the beginning of last month, there was only one AdvenChair roaming the Cascade trails,” said AdvenChairman CEO Geoff Babb, who devised the souped-up wheelchair as a way to keep exploring the wilderness after surviving two brain-stem strokes. “Now we’ve got a whole fleet of them out there.”

AdvenChair has just completed its first production run of ten chairs. Six of them are on their way to families and groups for team-oriented outdoor adventures in various parts of the world. Two will be used for free demonstration rides and rentals this summer, giving Central Oregonians and visitors unique opportunities to experience the wild in an incredibly rugged and nimble all-terrain wheelchair. And that leaves just two AdvenChairs remaining for sale.

For starters, AdvenChair is collaborating with Cog Wild and LOGE Camp Bend to host a series of free Demo Days. Located on Century Drive on the far west side of Bend, LOGE Camp has its own Mountain Bike Skills Course meandering around the perimeter of the property.

“The variety of rock gardens, tight turns, and ramps makes it the ideal proving ground for AdvenChair riders and family members,” said Jack Arnold, AdvenChair’s chief designer. “Better yet, from the LOGE Camp’s setting, we can take a short hike on the adjacent Rimrock trail system, which offers a rewarding real-world experience.”

AdvenChair’s Demo Days are scheduled on three different Saturdays — August 7, September 11, and October 9. Groups can sign up for one of four 90-minute sessions scheduled throughout each day, all of which meet at Cog Wild’s outdoor headquarters in the southeast corner of the LOGE Camp property.

For those wanting a longer excursion after the demo, AdvenChair will be available for rent on each of the following Sundays — August 8, September 12, and October 10 — at just $75 for a half-day (four hours).

Also this summer, AdvenChair is available for free hikes through Oregon Adaptive Sports (OAS) Community Hiking Days. On alternating Tuesdays, members of the OAS team are guiding outings on some of Central Oregon’s favorite trails, including the Deschutes River Trail and Shevlin Park. Hikes are scheduled for July 27, August 10 and August 24, departing at 8am and returning at around 2pm. For more information and registration, visit oregonadaptivesports.org.

On top of all that, AdvenChair can also be seen at SOAR 2021, Destination Rehab’s special all-day event at the Bend Pavilion, Saturday, July 31 starting at 9 am. It’s designed to benefit individuals who have conditions such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and Parkinson’s disease.

Another reason for AdvenChair’s increased visibility this year is an upcoming feature on one of Oregon Public Broadcasting’s signature programs:  Oregon Field Guide. A crew from OPB visited Bend for interviews with Geoff Babb and other AdvenChair team members in mid-June, while the fleet of chairs was being assembled. They will be returning on August 2 for an extended hike at Smith Rock State Park that will become the focus of a seven-minute segment that can be seen during Oregon Field Guide’s 2021 fall season.

“We couldn’t be more excited by the progress we’re making and the exposure we’re receiving,” said Babb. “We definitely had to make some adjustments to our business plan during the pandemic, as most businesses did. But people are craving health and rejuvenation in wild places more than ever. And we are ready to help them get there.”

Just two AdvenChairs are still available for immediate purchase.

About AdvenChair:

AdvenChair is an all-terrain wheelchair designed for people with mobility challenges who want to venture off the beaten path and experience the grandeur of the wilderness. It is the brainchild of Geoff Babb, a fire ecologist and avid outdoorsman from Bend, Oregon, who loved to ski, mountain bike, and backpack with his wife and twin boys until a near-fatal brain stem stroke on November 10, 2005, forced him to use a wheelchair.

While the stroke forever changed his ability to move, Babb soon discovered that the biggest obstacle to experiencing a simple outing on local trails with his family again was not so much his body, but the frailties of common wheelchairs. Rather than lobbying for wheelchair-accessible wilderness trails, Babb chose to develop a wheelchair capable of adapting to the trails, and the AdvenChair was born.

On November 10, 2017, exactly 12 years to the day after his stroke, Babb survived a second brain stem stroke, which was a major setback. Yet it made him more determined than ever to share his all-terrain chair with other people with limited mobility.

While developing the first AdvenChair, Babb also launched The Onward Project, LLC, to inspire, encourage and enable outdoor adventures for people of all abilities, and invites them to share their experiences and stories online.