From trail runs to granite walls, how the mountains of Tahoe test–and teach–us.
By Hannah Truby
Of all the incredible press trips I’ve taken on behalf of Mountain Gazette, this one felt different — mostly because it happened right in my own backyard. There’s something truly special about seeing familiar mountains with fresh eyes, especially when you’re running alpine trails and climbing cliffs alongside people who routinely summit Everest.
That was the gist of last weekend: a whirlwind of altitude, adrenaline, and awe, thanks to Alpenglow Expeditions and dble collective, who teamed up to host Camp Vibram in Palisades Tahoe.
The itinerary was stacked. In short three days we packed in:
- Tahoe’s Via Ferrata — Italian for “Iron Road”, A Via Ferrata is the activity that combines all the best parts of climbing, hiking, and scrambling AND allows you to ascend an 800-foot vertical cliff. No prior climbing experience required, just nerves of medium steel.
- Shirley Canyon hike — there’s something surreal about hiking where you ride, and seeing what blooms in the absence of snow.
- A film screening with Matteo Della Bordella — the Vibram and Scarpa sponsored alpinist flew in from Italy to climb with us mere mortals and share his new film from a recent "by fair means" expedition to Greenland’s Siren Tower.
- Rock climbing at Grouse Slabs on Donner Summit — where our guides matched their world-class climbing skills with unwavering support and whoops of encouragement.
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An alpine trail run along the Mt. Judah Loop — what I thought would be a chill shakeout. It wasn’t until we reached the trail head to begin our run that I realized I was the only “recreational” runner in this “running group”. Of the six of us, there were four who routinely summit Everest, and one who ran in the Olympics for Saudi Arabia’s first Women’s team (shoutout Sarah!). The 6th of course was me, who had only just begun progressing from neighborhood runs to Reno’s Peavine trails, and who also just got over mono several weeks prior. About three miles in, nearing 7,000 feet, was when I started to wish I had gone with the hiking group. It was equal parts humbling and hilarious and still such a blast.
The setting for Camp Vibram couldn’t have been more perfect — and not just because it’s Tahoe. All week, the entire place had this charge to it–it was kinetic.
In addition to us campers, Palisades was host to three of North America’s biggest long-distance trail running events that week — the Broken Arrow Skyrace, TrailCon, and the grand finale: the Western States Endurance Run, the world’s oldest 100-mile trail race.
While some of trail running’s most significant moments have taken place here, Palisades Tahoe isn't just a race venue—“it’s a place that shapes stories, carves character, and tests every step,” as reported in The Trail Times. This is why Olympic Valley has earned the title of the trail running capital of the West—not because of a single race, but because the mountains and trails here don’t just test you—they teach you.
Between the competitors running for hours and days on end and the rest of us pushing our limits on granite walls and alpine ridges, the weekend felt like both a lesson and a celebration of what the human body—and spirit—can do when you ask the most of it.
All of that said, I have to say: my favorite moment from Camp Vibram wasn’t even on a mountain. It was standing in the dark at 4 a.m., watching the Western States 100 runners begin their journey.
I grew up in Auburn, California, and if you’re a follower of the Western States, you know the race ends on a high school track in Auburn — my high school track. It’s an event that brings out nearly 13-thousand-something of the town’s residents. Growing up, my family and I would walk down to watch in total awe of the human spirit as runners crossed the finish line.
It’s one of my favorite events of the year, partly because no matter where the runners come from — athletes travel from all over the world to take on the Western States 100 — the moment they cross the finish line feels like a true homecoming. It’s like watching an astronaut return to Earth: breathless, changed, and greeted by a whole town that’s come out to welcome them back from orbit, back home.
So, to be there at the starting line in Olympic Valley, cheering them on and seeing them off, felt like a full-circle kind of magic.
The weekend was a good reminder (for me, anyway) that the most memorable adventures don’t always happen far from home.
What made Camp Vibram unforgettable for me wasn’t just the climbs or the runs, or even the company of some of the world’s most accomplished athletes. It was the feeling of having a seat — albeit a small one — at the table of something bigger: a community drawn together by a love of mountains, challenge, and the wild spaces that both humble and inspire us.
