New Mobility No Barriers Summit article

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2012
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DEC 2011 $10
LETTING GO OF
Adaptive Recreation for
EVERYONE
O
B Y
B O B
V O G E L
ver 600 people with disabilities traveled to the picturesque mountain village of Winter Park, Colo., to
participate in the fifth No Barriers Summit, June 30 through July 3. Held every two years, the summit
offers the opportunity to try the latest innovations in adaptive technology and outdoor adventure gear,
hear presentations on cutting-edge research from leading scientists, enjoy outstanding music, comedy
and adventure films, reunite with old friends and meet new ones.
The unique event offers the opportunity to try adaptive outdoor adventures with world-class guides, athletes and adventurers. The cool thing about the summit is, it is geared for people who have never tried outdoor adventure, or may not even
be aware of the amazing innovations in outdoor adaptive technology. With over 20 adventure clinics to choose from in only
four days, the most difficult part of the summit is deciding which adventures to try. Here are the ones I was able to cover:
White Water Rafting
With the water of the Upper Colorado
River running at record high levels, the
normally small rapids were much larger
than usual and proved to be extremely
exciting for participants on the two-hour
raft trips from Pump House to Radium.
Six-person inflatable rafts — the stan-
dard for most guide companies — are
ready-made platforms for adaptive seating
and positioning. A combination of life vests
(for padding and positioning) and roundinflatable raft seats (for back and leg support) create a stable seating position. Rafters able to paddle sit next to the side of the
raft; those with limited or no arm movement ride in the center of the raft.
Rafting was the highlight of the Summit for Chandra Leichtle, 29, a C5-6 quad
from Denver. “I tried to go whitewater
rafting once before, but the company
wouldn’t let me because they were afraid
of liabilities,” Leichtle says. “This was great
because they just got me in the raft, padded me in between the inflatable seats in
the middle of the raft, and I was secure.
DECEMBER 2011
13
We hit a couple of huge rapids that went
over the raft and smacked me right in the
face. It was a blast. The best part of it was
everybody was supportive and working to
make things happen, not worrying about
what might happen.”
“I tried a bunch of great things at the
festival, and rafting was my favorite,” says
Kate Stratchan, 21, of Longmont, Colo. “I
have cerebral palsy and use a custom seat
to position myself in my power chair. The
life vests and raft seats kept me stable. I
hadn’t seen big rapids like this before. Going through them and getting soaked was
really cool.”
Kayaking and Canoeing
Joel Berman and the staff from Adaptive Adventures showed people how to use
the latest adaptive canoe and kayak gear to
glide on the alpine waters of Lake Granby.
Among the very cool adaptive options
are supportive seating, outriggers for balance and a variety of paddle options, in-
cluding quad grips and paddles designed
for people with the use of only one arm.
“I don’t have the ability to grip, so it was
exciting to have a kayak paddle with quad
grips,” says Jenny Peterson, 45, a C6 quad
from Minnesota. “The adaptive seat and
outriggers for balance were great. I loved it.”
Strachan also enjoyed kayaking. “Kayaking was so much fun. With the adaptive
seating and pontoons, the kayak was really stable. It felt great to get out on this
beautiful lake with the snow-covered
mountains in the background.”
“I’ve done a lot of sports, including kayaking, but this was my first time canoeing,”
says Michael Boyce, 26, from Miami. “I’ve
got CP and the adaptive seat worked well. It
was cool cruising around on this beautiful
lake — something I’d like to do again.”
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NEW MOBILITY
V.J. Viswanathan says he could easily hike even
steep hills on the Action Trackchair.
All Terrain Power Chair
Famous hunter and fisherman, Captain Tred Barta, known for his TV show,
The Best and Worst of Tred Barta, came to
the summit to try outdoor options. Barta
brought his Action Trackchair, an all-terrain power chair for people to try, and the
chair proved very popular.
“It feels like it can go anywhere. I took
it up and down a steep dirt hill, way too
steep for a power chair,” says, V.J. Viswanathan, 26, a T6 para from Boulder,
Colo., who is very active in a wide variety
of adaptive adventure sports. “I can see
where this would be great for people with
limited arm mobility who want to get off
the road. The applications for snow and
sand are probably endless. It would really
be able to get you into the back country.”
“Scuba was great. I’m so excited about it
I’m going to sign up to take classes and get
my scuba certification.”
Downhill 4-Cross Biking
Stephanie Boyles says flying downhill on a 4-Cross is a total speed rush.
Adapative Scuba
Diving
The Cody Unser First Step Foundation set up a pool for people to try adaptive scuba diving — an activity that proved
extremely popular. The cool thing about
scuba diving is once you are underwater,
you are weightless. The only physical re-
quirement is being able to breathe. Since
75 percent of the earth’s surface is covered
with water, that means that with scuba, 75
percent of the earth is accessible. OK, that’s
stretching it, but you get the idea.
“I broke my neck in the water and
haven’t had the guts to go back in until
this weekend,” says Robert Schuler, 29, a
C5 quad from Colorado Springs, Colo.
The folks at the Crested Butte Adaptive Sports Center provided the latest in
downhill mountain chairs, the 4-Cross
Downhill Action Force, a full-suspension
downhill chair equipped with disc brakes.
Participants took the chair lift to the top
of the mountain and rode the mountain
chairs down steep single-track trails that
wound through the woods.
For Stephanie Boyles from Lakewood,
Colo., the downhill chairs were the best.
“They were a blast! It was a total speed
rush. And it was fun to be out of my everyday chair and cruising in the woods on
single track with all of the mountain bikers.”
Wheelchair Polling
ExerStrider provided adjustable hiking poles with pavement-gripping rubber boot-shaped cushions for chair
polling — pushing a wheelchair with
ski poles. Polling is fun, fast, and builds
DECEMBER 2011
15
up neglected muscles that are vital for
healthy, balanced shoulder muscles.
Sherry Ramsey Shulz, 52, from Lakewood, Colo., gave them a try. “As a lifelong wheelchair athlete with spina bifida, I
know the importance of keeping shoulder
muscles balanced,” Schulz says. “I tried the
poles with the rubber “feet” and really liked
them. I liked them so much I bought a pair.
I cross-country ski race in the winter, and
I can see these will be a great way to keep
those muscles in shape during the summer.”
Off-Road Handcycling
Jake O’Connor, owner of Reactive
Adaptations, brought two of his self-designed, off-road handcycles that take the
sport to the next level.
The Bomber RS is a three-wheel bike
with 24-inch wheels for superior traction
and ground clearance, and rear suspension for a smoother ride and better handling. I had a chance to ride the Bomber
RS, and the only problem I found was,
I’ve got to have one! It rides great and
opens up possibilities to ride up over and
through extreme off-road terrain.
The other handcycle O’Connor de-
moed is the Nuke, a recumbent off-road
handcycle that enables people who don’t
have hand control, or are unable to ride
in a the prone position, to join the growing ranks of off-road handcyclists.
“I’ve never seen or heard of an adaptive mountain bike that a quad of my level
could ride,” says Robert Schuler. “I rode
it up and down a mountain bike trail and
it was awesome. I can see this will open a
bunch of outdoor opportunities for me.”
Climbing Wall
There is something about climbing
that provides a powerful sense of accomplishment and confidence. Mark
Wellman — the first paraplegic to climb
the 3,000-foot wall of El Capitan in Yosemite —was there to outfit and coach
people up a 60-foot climbing wall. “If
they have the will, we figure out a way
to get them up the wall,” says Wellman,
who has spent 20 years developing different pieces of adaptive climbing equipment that enable people with almost any
disability to climb.
“I had heard about rock climbing and
researched it, and it is one of the things
Scaling this 60-foot climbing wall has Michael
Boyce thinking he could climb a mountain next.
that led me to the No Barriers Summit,”
Michael Boyce says. “I went up and down
the wall four times. I would love to try
adaptive climbing on a big wall — I’d
jump at the opportunity.”
Adaptive Recreation Resources
COMPANIES:
• Action Trackchair — all-terrain power wheelchair; www.actiontrackchair.com.
• Active Force Foundation — downhill 4-cross mountain chairs; www.activeforcefoundation.org.
• Creating Ability — adaptive canoe and kayaking gear; www.creatingability.com.
• ExerStrider — wheelchair pushing poles and Cushiongrip “Rubber Feet”; www.walkingpoles.com.
• ReActive Adaptations — off-road handcycles; www.reactiveadaptations.com.
• No Limits Tahoe — adaptive climbing gear and information on adaptive climbing programs near you;
www.nolimitstahoe.com.
PROGRAMS:
• Adaptive Adventures — summer and winter adaptive sports and programs; www.adaptiveadventures.org.
• Cody Unser Foundation — Adaptive Scuba; www.cufsf.org.
• Crested Butte Adaptive Sports Center — summer and winter adaptive sports and programs;
www.adaptivesports.org.
• Handicapped Scuba Association International — www.hsascuba.com.
• National Sports Center for the Disabled — www.nscd.org.
• No Barriers USA — www.nobarriersusa.org.
• Paradox Sports — adaptive climbing, kayaking, fly fishing, and human powered sports;
www.paradoxsports.org.
• Professional Association of Diving Instructors — www.padi.com.
• Rafting Company, Timberline Tours — Vail, Colo.; www.timberlinetours.com.
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NEW MOBILITY