Quick Details
Turn Experience into Confidence!
So you’ve got the passion and dedication to pursue your dreams in the mountains, what’s stopping you? Experience. The Alpine Leadership Mentorship Program was designed to support both rock and alpine climbers, and backcountry skiers and snowboarders in their quests to advance their skills and reach their true potential. Whether you would like to learn new techniques, increase your movement efficiency, practice real-time decision making, or simply spend more time outdoors; your desire to progress led you to this page. A professional mountain guide will be your mentor as you grow in experience and gain confidence, which ultimately leads to RESULTS. The program is the culmination of all Kaf programming, but it is unique in that you will receive an individualized education plan built for you. You’ll join a small team of dedicated outdoor enthusiasts as you hone your technical and leadership skills. Imagine all the wild places that could take you one, three, or even five years from now!
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Twice per year, a small group of dedicated individuals are accepted into the program. Upon enrollment, certified rock and alpine guide Mick Pearson will work with you individually to develop a personalized training plan that encompasses both technical skills and physical training objectives. Mick’s role as a mentor is to support you by:
- Supplying personalized instruction tailored to you in your educational progression as a climber and/or winter enthusiast
- Acting as an accountability partner who will contact you weekly
- Providing a digital content library related to your educational needs
- Inviting you to join a members-only Facebook page updated regularly
- Putting you in community with other like-minded climbing/touring partners who will act as mentors, mentees, and friends
- Facilitating the opportunity to get outdoors with others in the program regularly
- Fostering your ability to mentor others in their skill sets, thus helping you solidify your own
- Offering 4 – 6 monthly group mentorship classes/experiences catered to you based on your experience and educational needs as you develop as a climber, alpinist, and winter enthusiast
As part of the Alpine Leadership Mentorship program, you’ll utilize a digital platform to help you learn the technical skills needed to be a rock climber, alpinist, or winter traveler. The platform is complete with a video library that is accessible to you anytime. The program also includes video conferences and online discussions to cover group learning targets. Some of the many topics include; equipment, techniques, routes, weather conditions, and problem solving. The online component of the program allows members to engage in self-paced learning, with limitless resources.
The other major component of the program is community. You will meet in person regularly for training, workouts, and mentorship of technical skills. Also included are voluntary group climbing days to develop skills and gain experience together. Perhaps the greatest benefit of the community program is that it creates accountability partners to challenge and uplift you, pushing you to reach your full potential. This program is truly special, because it is the pinnacle of what Kaf stands for as an organization. This is our dream for you.
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The Alpine Leadership Mentorship Program was created with the ultimate goal of backcountry proficiency in mind. You’re a good fit for the program if you’re any combination if of the following types of people:
- A recreational traditional climber who is interested in gaining more experience and knowledge of climbing systems.
- A traditional climbers who want to become better at alpine climbing
- A mountaineer who wants to refine their knowledge of technical systems and how to apply it in a myriad of scenarios
- Leaders who want to gain more experience with decision-making
- Someone breaking into the guiding industry and want a mentor in the process
- A skier, snowboarder, or ice climber wanting to learn more about winter travel
Mentees will walk away with:
- Improved knowledge of technical systems
- A greater understanding of equipment needs given specific climbing and mountaineering routes
- Improved ability to communicate as a leader
- A deeper understanding of group dynamics
- Enhanced leadership skills within a group setting
- Better outdoor living skills
- A whole lot of experience recreating with peers in the Cascades!
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To be admitted into the program you must meet the following requirements:
- Confident leader of 5.6 traditional routes
- Experience as a rope team member of a glaciated climb
- Previous experience following multi-pitch routes
- Ability to work within a group setting
- Good communication skills
- Successful completion of the following Kaf courses (or sufficient experience):
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Because this is a mentorship program, the skills taught are based on each person’s individual needs. Learning targets will be customized for each mentee and their unique goals. Our aim is for folks to walk away with confidence in the following areas:
- Traditional Rock Climbing
- Mountaineering
- Alpinism
- Ice Climbing
- Avalanche Education*
- Backcountry skier/snowboarder/snowshoer*
- Winter Climbing*
*indicates December-April mentorship focus
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Entry to the program happens twice annually:
Summer Mentorship: May – November (7 month commitment)
Winter Mentorship: December – April (5 month commitment)
The program has 3 payment options:
1) Annual – 1-time payment of $3,000
2) Bi-Annual –
Summer: 1-time payment of $1,925
Winter: 1-time payment of $1,375
3) Monthly – $295 per month (requires 5 or 7-month commitment period depending on season)
Hidden costs may include travel, food, and lodging while away. Opportunity costs of time away from home.
Specific dates for the program are decided upon by the group rather than published, but a general idea of annual scheduling looks like:
May
Navigation
Rock Rescue
Crevasse rescue
June
4 rock climbing or scramble week day trips
Navigation
Backpacking
Sport Climbing skills
July
4 rock climbing or single climb week day trips
Glacier Travel
Crevasse Rescue
Trad climbing Fundamentals
August
4 rock climbing or single climb week day trips
Alpine Climbing
Trad Lead Climbing
September
4 rock climbing or single climb week day trips
Alpine Climbing
Multi-pitch
October
Smith Rock
Multi-pitch
Rock climbing
November
Week long trip in Red Rock, NV or Joshua Tree, CA
Multi-pitch
Rock climbing
December
Winter Navigation
Avalanche Education
Ski instruction
January
Ice climbing
Backcountry skiing & snowboarding
February
Backcountry skiing & snowboarding
March
Rock Rescue
Ski mountaineering
April
Mountaineering
Rock Climbing
Ski Mountaineering
Dates set for 2024
May
4 – 5, 11, 25 – 27
Half Days – 3, 6, 10
June
1-2, 8, 22, 29 – 30
Half Days – 4, 18, 7, 21
July
5 – 7, 14 – 16 Glacier Peak, 20 – 21, 27 – 28
Half Days – 9, 23, 30
August
4, 10 – 11, 16, 24 – 25, 31
September
1 – 2, 21 – 22, 28 – 29
October
5 – 6, 12 – 13, 26 – 27
November
1 – 4 – Red Rock, NV.
8 – 11 – Joshua Tree, CA.
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Although the mentorship program happens digitally. Meetups take place in public parks or locations convenient for training sessions or workouts.
Volunteer climbs with mentees take place in Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and California.
Places mentees have climbed include:
- Vantage
- Leavenworth
- Mt. Erie
- Snoqualmie
- North Cascades National Park
- Mt. Erie
- The Enchantments
- Mt. Hood
- Smith Rock, Oregon
- Red Rock, Nevada
- Joshua Tree National Park
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To start the registration process, please fill out the intake form below. Plan for 15 to 20 minutes to complete the form. Please be considerate in your answers. If you are dedicated to personal growth, this is our best way we can support you. Your intake form will go into your record, and will allow Mick to follow up with you directly via a phone call to discuss the program and begin the registration process.