Meet John Frieh

As Director of Coaching at Evoke Endurance, John Frieh leads the coaching staff and oversees athlete programming across the company’s roster of elite mountaineers, alpinists, ultra trail runners, ski mountaineers, and backcountry hunters. He has been coaching athletes since 2007, and his approach is built on a long career as a working athlete, a common thread across Evoke’s staff.

As a climber, John has logged 10 first ascents in Alaska over six years, including new independent lines on Mount Dickey and Mount Wake, and the first winter ascent of the French Ridge of Mount Huntington. Since his first Alaska trip in 2009 he has made 18 expeditions and summited via 16 distinct routes. He did all of this while raising two kids and working a demanding management role at Intel, the kind of resume usually built by full-time pros and sponsored athletes, not working parents with day jobs.

Pursuing climbing at the highest level within a limited schedule pushed John across multiple training systems and methodologies, including CrossFit, Mountain Athlete, Dan John, and Steve Maxwell. In 2009, he began training under Mark Twight at Gym Jones, and in 2012 became the first athlete to earn Full Certification from the program. He applies that same standard to his leadership at Evoke: prioritizing direct communication, individualized programming, and accountability across both coaches and athletes.

John is a graduate of Oregon State University and calls Portland, Oregon home base.