Leif started coaching in 2021 under the tutelage of famed endurance coach, Scott Johnston. Along with a team of the best mountain coaches in the world, Leif founded Evoke Endurance. His company is focused on providing high quality coaching and accurate training information to the outdoor community. Leif specializes in coaching mountaineers of all abilities, from those embarking on their first climbs of Cascade volcanoes to high-altitude alpinists testing their limits at 8000 meters. He also works with skiers, ice and rock climbers, distance runners, and triathletes. If you are interested in 1:1 coaching or another training product, don't hesitate to contact him directly or go through the Evoke Endurance intake page and ask specifically for Leif.
A few of Leif's coaching highlights include:
A few of Leif's coaching highlights include:
- Coached Travis Van Overbeke on back-to-back ascents of Mount Everest and Lhotse.
- Coached Tim Kraus, an athlete with Type 1 Diabetes, to the summit of Aconcagua.
- Coached many athletes to successful ascents of 8000 meter peaks.
- Coached beginner mountaineers to their first ever summits.
Whittaker's Mount Rainier Training Plan
Do you want to climb Mount Rainier? Leif has written a training plan just for you!
Combining generations of mountain experience from the Whittaker family with expert training knowledge from the coaches at Evoke Endurance, this 18-week training plan provides the workouts, strategies, anecdotes and specific preparation you need to reach the summit of Mount Rainier. The plan is suitable for anyone preparing to climb Mount Rainier or similar peaks. Flexibility for current training tolerance, fitness level, and prior experience was taken into account when this plan was created. It contains notes and suggestions about how to scale the plan to fit your unique needs. The program is chock-full of witticisms, tips, anecdotes, guidance, and notes passed down from the Whittaker family and Evoke Endurance coaches whose combined experience in the mountains is truly astounding. You will not only get fit with this plan; you will also come away with a better understanding of how to train properly and what to expect on Mount Rainier and other peaks.
Combining generations of mountain experience from the Whittaker family with expert training knowledge from the coaches at Evoke Endurance, this 18-week training plan provides the workouts, strategies, anecdotes and specific preparation you need to reach the summit of Mount Rainier. The plan is suitable for anyone preparing to climb Mount Rainier or similar peaks. Flexibility for current training tolerance, fitness level, and prior experience was taken into account when this plan was created. It contains notes and suggestions about how to scale the plan to fit your unique needs. The program is chock-full of witticisms, tips, anecdotes, guidance, and notes passed down from the Whittaker family and Evoke Endurance coaches whose combined experience in the mountains is truly astounding. You will not only get fit with this plan; you will also come away with a better understanding of how to train properly and what to expect on Mount Rainier and other peaks.
Testimonials
"As a non competitive ultra runner and climber, I thought, 'I don't need a coach.' I was wrong. It took a life-or-death situation for me to figure it out. An especially bad case of Covid that attacked my respiratory system left me with acute respiratory distress. After 30 days in the ICU, I had lost over 40% of my lung capacity to scarring and neurological damage. I spent another 16 weeks in intensive rehab learning to walk again—walk 40 yards that is. It took me another 9 months to extend that to a mile, and then I plateaued. I spent 9 months trying to build up to running an aerobic mile at any pace, but I just couldn't get there. I'd followed Scott Johnston since reading Training for the New Alpinism and reached out to him in desperation. Scott connected me to Leif. To say Leif steepened the recovery curve would be an understatement. Within 8 weeks I ran my first mile since the hospital, and I did it aerobically. 10 weeks after that I led a rock climb again and finished a 50K trail race. Leif has invested the time to get to know me physically and psychologically. He often pushes me when I want to ease up and enforces some recovery when I'm running on all cylinders and get greedy for more. I think it's equal parts science and intuition, but both are backed with his investment in analyzing me and my performance data to make day to day individualized coaching decisions.
For the first time in a long while, I'm dreaming big again—and that's priceless!" -- Joel McCarty, Ultra Runner
"Climbing Mount Baker has been a dream of mine for years. And even though with most things I am confident I can work hard and achieve the goal, I put this off for many years because I was scared of what mountaineering would be like and I knew I'd have to be in great shape. Getting to work with Leif made me feel confident that I could do it. I knew I could trust in the plan he laid out to get me where I needed to be. I would not have managed these climbs (or even been confident enough to sign up for them) without his advance planning and keeping me accountable. I hope he realizes what an impact he has in helping people achieve their wildest outdoor dreams!" -- Hillary Barker, Mt. Baker Climber
"The summit was a success! Thanks for the wonderful training plan, motivation and feedback! Your training was perfect. My heart rate stayed in zone 1 70% of the time and zone 2 30%. What a magical experience!" -- Rachel Naemi, Mt. Rainier Climber
For the first time in a long while, I'm dreaming big again—and that's priceless!" -- Joel McCarty, Ultra Runner
"Climbing Mount Baker has been a dream of mine for years. And even though with most things I am confident I can work hard and achieve the goal, I put this off for many years because I was scared of what mountaineering would be like and I knew I'd have to be in great shape. Getting to work with Leif made me feel confident that I could do it. I knew I could trust in the plan he laid out to get me where I needed to be. I would not have managed these climbs (or even been confident enough to sign up for them) without his advance planning and keeping me accountable. I hope he realizes what an impact he has in helping people achieve their wildest outdoor dreams!" -- Hillary Barker, Mt. Baker Climber
"The summit was a success! Thanks for the wonderful training plan, motivation and feedback! Your training was perfect. My heart rate stayed in zone 1 70% of the time and zone 2 30%. What a magical experience!" -- Rachel Naemi, Mt. Rainier Climber
