KAF Adventures Reviews

After doing a survey of the multiple mountaineering instructors in the Seattle area I decided on Kaf for a custom Mountaineering 1-Day course to prepare my group for some early season backpacking in the Cascades. I was very impressed with the level of pre trip assistance and coordination. Our guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. More than happy to answer all the questions we had for him. We were so impressed with them we signed up for another climb later in the summer!

Woody came out to West Seattle to provide my neighbors and I a 2.5 hour belay training course and he crushed it. Knowledgeable, put up with our jokes, and patient. Great work and Happy New Year!

kaf is wonderful to work with! very knowledgeable and nice people. Make sure if you want to plan a trip or go on one of there trips to go check them out. I will be spending many days there planning future trips into the backcountry

GREAT experience! I took the hands-on avalanche awareness class. The class was well organized, the instructions were clear, and every participant got to practice several times which reinforced the learning. Not only were the instructors knowledgeable, they were also fun. I learned a ton and had a great time. Highly recommend.

Took an ice climbing course with Ryder and Woody this past weekend. They are amazing guides. Now I'm trying to plan my next class with Raf! :)

Excellent day summiting Mount Baker with the owner of Kaf Adventures, Mick Pearson. Mick and his team helped pull together this climb quickly to work with my schedule and a great weather window. Working with Mick 1-on-1 was really rewarding, getting to push the pace but learning along the way and just having an overall great and safe climb. Looking forward to climbing with Kaf and Mick again in the future.

Worked with KAF to rent some outdoor gear while I was visiting the Seattle area for work. They are great! My schedule didn't allow me to get outfitted during normal hours but Mick worked with me to get what I needed! We were supposed to take their intro ice climbing course but was cancelled due to High Avalanche conditions so can't comment on the course but Dave was quick to call us and let us know the status. However, they were very smooth and very cool to refund me my money Thanks Joel!!! Will try to work with them again the next time I'm in the Seattle Area! Sad I couldn't ice climb but KAF's customer service was great!

I've had two wonderful rock climbing experiences with Mick Pearson and KAF Adventures. He and his team are positive, energetic, patient, encouraging, and fun instructors - they can take a total climbing beginner to a skilled and safe climber by the end of the day. They infuse fun into each experience, which makes you personally connect with Mick and his team. When you're trusting your life in their hands, this goes a long way to making you love your adventure with them. Most recently, I had the privilege of experiencing Mick and Trevor's creation of a custom rock climbing day for my bachelorette party. It was the perfect day! They taught all 6 of the ladies in the group how to climb confidently and helped to push us so we were challenged but had a blast the entire time. They also pulled out their creativity to make the day a most memorable experience (complete with celebratory treats, light-up tiaras, and suspenders...=)...). Love these guys! Will definitely be back, and will refer all my friends.

Took a trip up Mt Shuksan as part of the advanced mountaineering course. John Barkhausen is a phenomenal teacher. He clearly is very knowledgeable and experienced, and I felt completely safe under his guidance even while dangling in a crevasse or navigating through poor weather. He explains things in a way that is easy to understand, and goes the extra mile to ensure that all members of the team are benefiting as much as possible from the experience. Above all else, he made it fun! It can be difficult going out into the mountains with people you don't know, but his sense of humor and easygoing personality made it feel just like a trip with friends. I'd highly recommend him to anyone looking to gain some skill and confidence in mountaineering.

I took a mountaineering skills class from Paul Taylor on Mt. Hood. Paul was very thorough, patient, explained everything from more than one perspective, and made it fun! I had some rock climbing experience and Paul was great at relating what we were learning about mountaineering to what I know about rock climbing. He did a great job adapting to the little bit of snow we had available to us. Overall it was a great day. I learned a ton and had a blast! Couldn't have asked for anything more!

To all,
I had a really great time at the Rock 101 class at Broughton Bluffs on June 21st. What a great day, really nice classmates and great instructors. I had a FUN time and learned a bunch.
Thanks!
J. Douglas Gless

Learned Mt Hood mountaineering skills from Justin and Berndt, great class and appreciated them sharing their years of expertise. Skills and concepts were explained well and we had plenty of time to practice. Well organized class. Condensed so much into the day but never felt rushed. Good stick bro!

kaf has been awesome to work with! My friend and I are here for spring break and we re able to rent microspikes and crampons very quick. Great quality gear as well. Molly was super helpful and helped us find the right gear! 10/10 recommend.

I've had two guided trips through KAF and I have nothing to say but positive things about them. I recommend them to everyone considering outdoor activities. The company is thorough, the guides are friendly, knowledgeable, and supportive and try to ensure everyone gets something out of their experience. Coming from a bad experience with a guide service on Mt Rainier, I am all the more appreciative of the work ethic and values of KAF.

I have gone on several trips with Kaf adventures and they have all been excellent. Mick is a true professional, and a great teacher. I recommend them to all my friends and have only had extremely positive experiences with Kaf.

We had an intro to outdoor climbing class with Archer and he was the absolute best. He was super knowledgeable and patient while we asked him a million questions. We learned a ton and he was encouraging without pushing us beyond our limits. I feel like he set us up for becoming better climbers in the future.

Always great having classes with Kaf, they are very focused on individual learning and know your strengths and weaknesses and really work on those. Rich in resources and always friendly.

Mick led a group of us on an expedition to climb Aconcagua in Argentina. From planning to execution, Mick was top notch. His expert-level technical know-how mixed with his excellent soft skills make him the ultimate alpine guide. What sets Mick apart from other guides is his focus on education, constantly striving to teach his clients as much as possible in order to make them more independent on the mountain. I would highly recommend Mick and Kaf Adventures to anyone planning an ambitious objective in the mountains.

I can not emphasize this enough, if you are thinking about breaking into any area of mountaineering, be it rock climbing, snow travel/safety, Alpine ascents, etc. then Kaf Adventures is a great outfit to work with Mick Pearson and Paul Taylor are both great guys, and excellent teachers. I will definitely be working with them again in the future to continue my Alpine education.

Kaf Adventures was extremely professional in guiding my son on a private climb up Mt. Hood in August 2020. The whole planning process was very smooth and detailed. A personal thank you to his guide, Kevin Dombrock, for making the adventure such a great overall experience!