Scott began coaching cross country skiers in 1995. He would go on to work with athletes from juniors all the way to the Olympics. A chance meeting with Steve House led to a strong climbing partnership and, later, to Scott coaching Steve. Under Scott’s training regimen, Steve would go on to accomplish some of the boldest ascents in mountaineering history, leading Reinhold Messner, in 2006, to call Steve “the best high altitude climber in the world today.” From Scott and Steve’s partnership came the book Training for the New Alpinism, which led to the founding of Uphill Athlete and the launch of the associated website, podcast, and forum. The success of Uphill Athlete sparked a new relationship with Killian Jornet, with whom Scott collaborated to write Training for the Uphill Athlete. Along the way Scott trained a team of very talented coaches. Now, those coaches have joined Scott to form this new coaching collaborative, Evoke Endurance.

Science evolves by building on the accomplishments and discoveries of those who have gone before us.

So does the art of coaching. The training philosophy Scott has developed rests on the shoulders of great endurance coaches. Arthur Lydiard, Renato Canova, Yuri Verkhoshansky, Jan Olbrecht and Phil Maffetone have significantly influenced Scott and his methodology. Harnessing the legacy of these great coaches, Scott and his team have developed and refined the training methods that have proven successful for thousands of athletes. 

We use the term art deliberately, because coaching is not a science, it’s an art. The real world is messy. Objectives are far from cut and dried. Science cannot quantify the exact fitness and aptitude that is required to summit Rainier or finish an ultramarathon. Athletes need to work with a coach that not only understands how to get somewhere, but where best to go. Further, training plans often don’t survive first contact with an athlete’s schedule. Life is complicated and athletes need someone who can help them balance their life and endurance aspirations. Our coaches can help you because we’ve been there, from the summit of Everest to the delivery room.

These ideas formed the intellectual foundation upon which rests the success and reputation of Uphill Athlete. That foundation and our coaching have propelled thousands of athletes to the summits of their dreams. From Everest without supplemental oxygen to those returning to sport post-partum, from mountain novices to the podium at UTMB, we have supported those personal journeys.

With Evoke Endurance, Scott and the coaches return to the roots of Uphill Athlete, where we feel we can best serve the endurance community.