Kylee Toth

Hey there! If you’re new around here, here’s a little about me 👋 I live in the stunning Canadian Rockies near Calgary, Alberta, and I’m a proud mom to two teen boys (how did that happen so fast?!). I’ve been on Canada’s Ski Mountaineering National Team for the past 15 years, racing World Cups and World Championships. Before that, I spent two decades flying around the ice as a high performance short and long track speed skater. I have two degrees, political science and economics and I once thought I’d be an accountant… wow, was I wrong! 😅 After three decades in sport and a whole lot of training, racing, mentorship, and lessons learned I found my true calling: coaching. Now I’m a coach with @evokeendurance —a leader in mountain sport coaching and studying for my MSc masters in strength, conditioning and coaching with @altis . I absolutely love helping people chase big goals in wild places. If you have a mountain sport goal or just want to get stronger, faster, and fitter? Send me a DM:) When I’m not coaching, you’ll find me mountain biking, rock climbing, ski mountaineering, or trail running. Moving quickly in the mountains is my greatest passion any season, any terrain. Random facts? I love carbs 🍪, hate lentils, drink coffee like it’s a food group, and will jump into any alpine lake I find in summer 💦 Thanks for being here. I try to keep this space positive and real but remember, it’s always just a glimpse into someone’s life. I hope it inspires you, the way so many of you inspire me ✌️💕

Meet Kylee Toth, a champion ski mountaineer, dedicated mom, and one of Alberta’s boldest athletes. As she pushes toward qualifying for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, Kylee trains in the place that fuels her spirit: Alberta’s iconic Rocky Mountains. ⛰️✨ Up here, the climbs are steep, the air is crisp, and the views are pure Alberta magic. With every peak she reaches, Kylee proves that the greatest journeys begin right here at home. This is what an uphill battle looks like — Alberta style. ❄️⛷️ Click the link in bio to learn more about Kylee's journey. #ExploreAlberta

Just out here chasing the light 💫 Loved the feedback on my last post. But despite all the nerdy science talk, process etc. my biggest takeaway and the path I’ve always tried to stay on is following the things that light up my heart, spark ⚡️ my imagination and the people I love around me. So whether you move through the mountains or through any other passion — work, art, music, sport — fast or slow, don’t feel confined by how it is, was, or “should” be done. Do it in the way that brings you joy 🫶. This is ultimate freedom 💕

Part 2: Yep more detail…it’s wordy because it’s important info😉 Alot of people think “fast and light” means moving harder or taking bigger risks, but in my experience the opposite is often true. The longer and bigger the objective, the more important efficiency becomes. Weight matters. Fitness matters. Movement economy matters. Fueling matters. Small inefficiencies that feel irrelevant for an hour become huge over 20–40 hours in the mountains. For me, most of the speed comes from preparation: • dialing gear systems • building a massive aerobic base • learning efficient movement patterns • understanding nutrition and hydration • spending years in complex terrain • reducing wasted energy wherever possible None of this is glamorous, and none of it happens quickly. It’s really just the slow process of building a pyramid over years until big objectives become manageable one step at a time.

Warning ⚠️ This post is Long and detailed. It’s actually meant to be informative not click bait. Only read on if you like detail ✔️ Over the years, I’ve done a range of traverses and mountain linkups from 150 km and 11,000 m of climbing with Rogers to Bugs in a single 44.5hr push to more classic multi-day objectives linked up into one push like Columbia 7.5hrs, Wapta, Bow Yoho 7:45hrs etc. Sharing that not as a flex, but because some people, myself included, genuinely love challenging themselves this way. The feeling of moving light and fast through terrain efficiently and still feeling good lights me up. Different linkups and exploring what’s possible in the mountains can feel deeply artful and motivating. This style sometimes gets a bad rap, with assumptions that people moving quickly are unprepared or taking careless risks. I can’t speak for others, but in my experience, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is: I’m obsessive. Not in a reckless “send it” kind of way, but in the preparation. Route research, weather, avalanche conditions, nutrition, gear systems, communication plans, pacing, emergency contingencies. 95% of the work happens before I ever step onto the snow. The movement itself is just the visible part.

One thing I always enjoy after a trip is the inevitable Google Drive folder or WhatsApp chat with 100’s of photos 😂 I know you know. But honestly, one of my favourite parts is getting to see the adventure through your friends’ eyes. These shots from my talented friend and photographer @matt_ruta stood out far above all of our amateur iPhone snaps. The world looks beautiful through your lens, buddy 👊. Thanks for capturing these moments 🫶 Mount Robson Hut 2026 @alpineclubcan

My camera roll is full of messy, imperfect yet perfectly imperfect selfies. It’s easy to throw out clichés today, but these boys made my heart grow two sizes the day they were born and they’ve been a piece of my heart and mind ever since. They are my last thought before bed — from home, a tent, or before an alpine start — and so many of my decisions revolve around being a good provider and a steady, loving presence. I’m not going to do everything perfectly. In sport, people always say “practice makes perfect,” but I’ve always preferred “practice makes better.” Life is messy. We love, we hurt, we repair, we forgive. Long-term love and relationships require all of that, and it’s something deeply modelled to me by my awesome mom, who is truly an angel walking around on earth. I also know today can feel complicated for many people for those carrying loss, navigating fertility struggles, strained relationships, solo parenting, or grief in any form. From me to you, a sincere Happy Mother’s Day 💐. I see you. You’re doing your best. Be brave, be loving, and keep being awesome moms ✌️ 💕

Last four weeks 🤝 next four weeks Still skiing. Low on sleep 😴 😜. High on Stoke. Record snowpack year ✔️ Can’t stop, won’t stop. Let’s go.

All the in between. The beauty of hut life -no wifi, no devices a lot of time for things you don’t normally do…but should. Making art, game night (every night), music, real talk. A microcosm of what life was like and really still should be. 💫 📸 @matt_ruta @alpineclubcan @skimocanada

It’s kind of wild how much you can fit into a single spring day in the Rockies. 🌪️ From skiing on the Wapta with an early start in the dark, 🌖 quiet glacier travel, and a long traverse to an afternoon of slush laps 🌽 and moguls, gazing back at where you just came from on the chairlift at Lake Louise @skilouise it’s pretty surreal. One day, two completely different ski worlds and somehow they both feel like exactly where you’re meant to be. Skiing is creative and artful, and having the fitness to explore just opens more doors. Adventure really is the best… especially with friends. Thanks @peteyknight5 @dreamcatcher.aka.aly @lmackenzie87 @mattreidmattreidmattreid for a fun day! Hope you’re having a good spring too ⛷️ @camp_usa @julbocanada

Another useful metric derived from VO2 max testing is Respiratory Exchange Ratio (RER), which offers valuable insight into the metabolic efficiency of an endurance athlete. By examining the ratio of carbon dioxide produced to oxygen consumed, RER estimates the balance between fat and carbohydrate utilization during exercise. Endurance-trained athletes typically exhibit lower RER values at submaximal intensities, reflecting greater reliance on fat oxidation and improved metabolic flexibility. Correlating RER with heart rate helps get a full picture of real-world training zones. However, RER does not directly prescribe fueling strategies. Instead, it serves as a powerful tool for understanding endurance adaptations and efficiency. Testing is most meaningful when it deepens our understanding of physiology and informs purposeful training. Grateful for the ongoing mentorship from @coach_scott_johnston and the collaborative learning environment of our team @evokeendurance on these topics.

Many athletes I coach have recently done VO₂ max testing, which I think is interesting, for both the athlete and for me as a coach. As a high performance athlete most of my life, I’ve done tests ranging from my first at age 14 to my most recent at age 40. It’s always interesting to see how these numbers evolve. However, VO₂ max testing often leaves athletes with pages of data numbers, graphs, thresholds, and metrics. It’s easy to assume that more data equals better understanding, but that’s not always the case. Testing provides valuable insight, but it should not be dogmatically used to define an athlete’s absolute potential. Metrics like VO₂ max can tell us about the size of your aerobic engine, but performance is more meaningfully influenced by: • Where your aerobic and anaerobic thresholds lie • How much of that capacity you can actually sustain • Your movement economy and efficiency Two athletes can have identical VO₂ max values, yet perform very differently depending on how well they utilize that capacity. The goal of testing isn’t to collect numbers it’s to understand what’s useful and apply it to training in a meaningful way. In this series, I’ll break down which metrics actually matter, and how to interpret them so they can inform your training not confuse it. @evokeendurance