Christian Bagg

Christian Bagg: A Canadian Innovator Rolls Into ... , by Zack Snider
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Christian Bagg: A Canadian Innovator Rolls Into the Future

Growing up at the foot of the Canadian Rockies, Christian Bagg has always had a passion for extreme outdoor sports.Mountain biking, snowboarding, climbing and caving were all part of his regular routine.In 1996, Bagg was competing in a ‘big air' snowboard competition when a crash landing, off an icy jump, left him a T8 paraplegic.This life-changing injury meant an abrupt halt for his active lifestyle, right?Wrong!"I still do everything I want to do," says Bagg."The only difference is that now I must be heavily reliant upon technology and innovation."

Innovating the WheelchairAs a rising star on the Alberta mountain bike racing circuit, Bagg aspired to build his own supreme line of bikes to compete with the best of the best.This ultimately led to his enrollment in the machinist apprenticeship program at the prestigious Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.After his accident, Bagg utilized his experience from the mountain bike world to address his frustrations with the lack of design in manual wheelchairs."I can't believe no one had thought of this earlier," says Bagg."It's such a logical connection."Adopting suspension concepts from the automotive industry and ultra light materials from aerospace advancements, Bagg began planning his masterpiece.

An Interactive ResourceTo ensure his wheelchair would address all the concerns felt by fellow wheelies, Bagg created a totally unique web site called Crip College, www.cripcollege.com.The site gives wheelchair users from all around the world an opportunity to give their input on how to improve the chair through the ‘Innovating the Wheelchair' forms.You can also find articles written by Christian himself, his mother and various guest authors on topics ranging from motivation to sex.As well there is an active message board where many gather to chat about the latest products on the market, share their concerns and create new friendships.One of the greatest attributes of the Web site, however, is the ‘Tricks of the Trade' section that teaches wheelchair users how to better maneuver their chairs in everyday life.Through videos, photos and written instruction, Bagg teaches people how to ride their wheelchairs up curbs, stairs, escalators and more.

Getting the Job DoneWith the help of Hamilton based Stryker Canada, Bagg was well on his way to completing what later proved to be the most advanced manual wheelchair yet.He sold his concept to the large medical device company and since has been working as part of the design team on the construction of the chair - the Sorano, a.k.a. the Stryker Sorano.See www.strykersorano.com.First to launch this past spring were the Sorano wheels, a fundamental characteristic of the fascinating design.They are now the most lightweight wheelchair wheels available throughout the world.The Sorano wheelchair will hit the marketplace this fall.It really is the first wheelchair that gives users exactly what they have been asking for."I've received thousands of suggestions for chair improvements," says Bagg, "all of which confirm and support my design.
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After nearly two years of development, Bagg and the Stryker design team are very excited to have an end product that surpassed all of their expectations.
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webmaster Christian Bagg: A Canadian Innovator Rolls Into ... Jul 29 2005, 12:17 PM

Growing up at the foot of the Canadian Rockies, Christian Bagg has always had a passion for extreme outdoor sports.Mountain biking, snowboarding, climbing and caving were all part of his regular routine.In 1996, Bagg was competing in a ‘big-air' snowboard competition when a crash landing off an icy jump fractured his back, resulting in paraplegia.

This life-changing injury put an abrupt halt to his ability to enjoy all the pastimes he loved most, right?Wrong!"I still do everything I want to do," says Bagg.
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Before becoming a wheelchair user, Bagg had been well on his way to devising new technology for mountain bikers, the daredevils of the cycling world.

As a rising star on the Alberta mountain bike racing circuit, Bagg aspired to building his own supreme line of bikes to compete with the best of the best.This ultimately led to his enrollment in the machinist apprenticeship program at the prestigious Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.

After the ‘big-air' accident, Bagg utilized his experience from the mountain bike world to address his frustrations with the lack of technology in the current wheelchairs available.

Through first-hand knowledge, he planned to break the mold of traditional wheelchair models by implementing design concepts that would offer users more mobility, more usability, and, quite simply, a better ride.

Adopting suspension concepts from the automotive industry and ultra-light materials from aerospace advancements, Bagg began planning his masterpiece.

"I can't believe no one had thought of this earlier," says Bagg."It's such a logical connection."

To ensure his wheelchair would address all the concerns felt by fellow wheelers, Bagg created a totally unique website called Crip College.The site gives wheelchair users from around the world an opportunity to give their input on how to improve the chair through the ‘Innovating the Wheelchair' forms.

At Crip College, there are articles written by Bagg himself, his mother, and various guest authors, on topics ranging from motivation to sex.On the active message board, people from all over gather to chat about the latest products on the market, share their concerns, and create new friendships.

One of the greatest attributes of the international success of the website, however, is the ‘Tricks of the Trade' section that teaches wheelchair users how to better-maneuver their chairs through everyday life.Through videos, photos and, of course, written instruction, Bagg and others teach people how to ride their wheelchairs over curbs, up and down stairs, escalators, and more.

/i/Jennys photos/close-up.jpgWith the help of Hamilton-based Stryker Canada, Bagg was well on his way to completing what would prove to be the most advanced manual wheelchair yet.He sold his concept to the large medical device company and since has been working as part of the design team on the construction of the chair - the Sorano, a.k.a. the ‘Stryker Sorano.'
...
"I've received thousands of suggestions for chair improvements," says Bagg, "all of which confirm and support my design.
...
After nearly two years of development, Bagg and the Stryker design team are very excited to have an end product that surpasses all of their expectations.