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

Getty Images

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. 

Climbing Mountains with Paralysis: The AdvenChair Journey

The AdvenChair, a new wheelchair designed to enable people with paralysis to do adventurous climbing, has an interesting personal backstory. The AdvenChair, an all-terrain wheelchair featuring an adjustable sit-ski seat crafted from mountain-bike parts, is the invention of Geoff Babb.

After a stroke in 2005 left Babb paralyzed with limited use of one hand, he became determined to return to his active lifestyle.

“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.”

With the help of his friend, a helicopter mechanic, he developed the AdvenChair 1.0. The prototype featured large tires, a detachable front wheel, handbrakes, and a harness designed to navigate steep terrain.

In May 2022, Babb, and his team finally set out on the Bright Angel Trail, located at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. He and his AdvenChair made it the entire four-day, 20-mile trek – accessing nature previously out of reach.

The Bright Angel Trail is challenging, descending 4,800 feet with water bars, rock obstacles, and stretches of mud and sand. Despite its difficulty, the team completed the four-day trip, covering five miles of intense terrain each day. Remarkably, the chair endured the journey.

He hopes his story and the AdvenChair will be an inspiration to other people in his situation.

“My goal is to have these chairs in widespread use throughout the world within the next five years. And through the Onward Project, LLC, I hope to have an extensive network of users sharing their AdvenChair stories and inspiring messages around the globe. Thank you for supporting me on this exciting journey.”

DREAM BOLDLY: The Grand AdvenChair, an award-winning documentary that follows Geoff Babb and his expedition team’s four-day journey to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back.

You can watch the trailer below and go to the link above for the feature film:

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. 

​

​

"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: 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.