Our Story & Our Family of Companies

"We exist to provide trainings, environments, experiences, and resources which lead people, especially youth, in growing closer to God through the ministry of Christian wilderness adventures."

Our Story

Outdoor Adventures, "OA," started out as a sea kayaking outfitter in 1985 which serviced the San Juan Islands and the Seattle water front. Now, Outdoor Adventures not only outfits one to twenty-one day expeditions in the San Juan Islands, but also services kayaking around the Kirkland waterfront, the Washington Water Trails, the Hawaiian coasts, and Alaska’s inlets. New for 2005 is Outdoor Adventures’ partnership with Tofino Expeditions which has given Outdoor Adventure regulars the ability to paddle out of states in both Vancouver, BC & Baja, Mexico.

Outdoor Adventures has experience! For over 25 years the core staff of the Outdoor Adventures team has guided adventurers on wild, exciting, and scenic trips to destinations around the world.

Outdoor Adventures is well versed! Sea kayaking may be our specialization, but OA guides have always been cross trained instructors. American Canoe Association (ACA) open ocean, adaptive, flat water, & whitewater kayak instructors, Wilderness Kayak institute sea kayak guides, Orion Expedition and Wave Trek river raft guides, Reachout Expedition rock climbing technicians & high/low ropes course leaders, experienced snowboard instructors, seasoned mountain bike guides, first aid & CPR trainers, Rescue 3 swift water rescue technicians, avid backcountry leaders, certified divers, life long surfers, marine biologists, history buffs and naturalists. Our staff’s wide knowledge base and years of experience, compounded by certifications in specialty skills, safety practices and medical trainings, gives us the ability to outfit expeditions in almost all wilderness conditions and areas of interest.

Outdoor Adventures is focused on safe & solid instruction! The passion, experience, and diversity of our staff provides a dynamic and rich safety based instruction that make up every class, clinic, tour or expedition that Outdoor Adventures offers. Our comprehensive cross training in various fields allows our instructors to deliver the most current methods, styles and practices while at the same time mixing what is tried and true. Outdoor Adventures offers classes in beginning, intermediate, and advanced sea kayaking, whitewater kayaking, snowboarding, & mountain biking as well as single day trips or multi-day expeditions. We offer sea kayaking, white water rafting & kayaking, mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, snowboarding, surfing, and diving.

Outdoor Adventures is active in our community! OA has and is very active in the Eastside’s at risk youth. Outdoor Adventures staff led by Bill Corson has helped in the building of the tagging walls to help the youth express its self legally. OA has helped in the formation of teen centers, teen feeds for the Eastside homeless youth and has created numerous programs for the at-risk youth like soccer programs and after school programs. All of Outdoor Adventures staff are involved in these activities, donating their time and efforts toward the alternatives that outdoors has to offer: we are building up the next generation of adventurers.

Outdoor Adventures is a piece of a bigger puzzle! OA is Affiliated with the following organizations, clubs, and associations: Wave Trek, Tofino Expeditions (WKI), Orion Expeditions, Reachout Expeditions, Glacier Bay Expeditions, Outdoor Recreation Opportunities, Redmond, Kirkland, and Issaquah Parks & Recreation, American Canoe Association (ACA), Leave-No-Trace, Washington Water Trails Association (WWTA), Rescue 3 International, American Heart Association, Washington Kayak Club (WKC), Trade Association for professional paddlers (TAPP’s), Professional Paddle Sports PPA, and Cascadia Community College.

Our Family of Companies

Outdoor Adventures – Our outfitting and instruction company. Our guides are “out there” leading adventure trips all year long. We are not just a loose group of friends getting together to take you on a trip. Our guides and instructors are experienced professionals who hold national and international certifications and are tested every year. More than that they have passion for living their outdoor adventures and have dedicated their lives to that pursuit. We have 15 adventure leaders and experts on staff ready to assist you with information, resources, and equipment. If you are looking for the latest information, they are in the field, a phone call away.

Outdoor Synergy, Northwest Kayaks – Several years back, Outdoor Adventures had the opportunity to purchase Northwest Kayaks. We took our years of paddling experience and combined it with our tested fabricating skills, to bring about a transformation of the Northwest Kayaks design. Truly, a handcrafted work of art. All of our guides and instructors take a part in the design or fabrication of our kayaks. “Our paddlers make your kayaks.”

Outdoor Adventure Center - We have quickly assessed the need for a true adventure center on the Eastside of Seattle. Redmond is centrally located to the wild Snoqualmie and Skykomish Rivers, the majestic Cascade Mountains, and the Puget Sound. Located on the North End of Lake Sammamish and just East of Lake Washington, it was the ideal location for the adventure shop. We did not want to compete with the larger recreation stores, but desired to become the location where adventurers could get together with our instructors and guides to plan trips, share stories, and test gear. In selling our boats and gear, our motto is “why buy equipment that you upgrade 3 or 4 times, when you can buy the right one the first time, our outfitter tested gear.” Our shop is a place to stop by, hang out, and meet other outdoor enthusiasts.

Wave Trek - Since 1983 Wave Trek has been an innovative leader in the outdoor recreation industry. We will make your next adventure an awakening, an opportunity to challenge the unknown and venture out to free yourself from the ordinary. Wave Trek's outdoor adventure center, nestled in the heart of the North Cascades, offers an unforgettable get away for family and friends. We are the only outfitter in the northwest to offer a secluded, relaxing facility where we begin and end all of our adventures. Wave Trek invites you to choose your own adventure. We offer rafting and inflatable kayaking trips, kayak classes, team building programs, youth camps, & family camps.