About Mountain Craft Guiding
Aaron Richards is an IFMGA-certified ski, rock, and alpine guide based in Seattle, Washington. He founded Mountain Craft Guiding in 2024 after 15 years’ combined experience at Martin Volken’s Pro Guiding Service, Sierra Mountain Center, and the American Alpine Institute.
Aaron has worked with hundreds of clients across the Western U.S, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, France, and Tanzania, and continues to push his boundaries with creative challenges whenever he can find the time. In 2014, he tackled Peter Croft’s big four Sierra climbs in four days. In 2015, he completed the first documented single push of the Evolution Traverse, clocking in at just over 24 hours. He’s scaled El Cap, ridden his bike to climb fourteeners, guided the original Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt, and continues to push his limits around the Northwest. He’s also a dad to three kids, all natural explorers.
Aaron is a Leave No Trace Level 1 Instructor, a Wilderness First Responder, an AAIRE Course Leader, and a member of the Washington State Guides Association task force. He holds a B.S. in botany from Oregon State University.
Founded by an IFMGA guide
Inspired by our clients
Outdoor adventure is more than just a physical pursuit; it’s a social experience, and often a spiritual one — a chance to reconnect with each other and the natural world. We get that bigger picture. If you’re here to tackle a big, technical objective, we’ll help you do that. If you just want an experienced hand to clear the hurdles between you and some good outdoors time — permits, planning, safety practices, meal prep, and more — we’re here for that, too.
We also care deeply about the wild places we have access to in the Pacific Northwest, and we treat them with care and attention across our programming, applying Leave No Trace practices.
Committed to excellent instruction
We are invested in your learning journey. We establish an inclusive and collaborative environment; set ambitious but realistic objectives, and pursue them through proven progressions; provide timely, quality feedback; and offer resources for continued education.