Naomi Prohaska is the youngest person ever to summit Mount Logan, Canada’s highest peak.Courtesy of the Family
About two years ago, Naomi Prohaska decided she wanted to climb Mount Logan, Canada's highest peak. But first, she had to learn to mountaineer. And sharpen her ski skills. And grow up a bit, given she was only 13. Now, at 15, Naomi crossed Mount Logan off her to-do list, making her the youngest person to summit the 5,959-metre beast. The mission took most of May, with her dad guiding the expedition and Katy Perry songs stuck in her head. Naomi, who is from Pemberton, B.C., talked to The Globe and Mail about the highs and lows of getting to the top of Mount Logan before most teens even know where it is.
How did you feel when you got to the top?
The most excited I got wasn't actually when I was at the top, but when I was probably about 10 or 20 metres below. The very top of it is pretty steep, so not all of our team could go to the summit at the same time. I was in the second group. But when I was that close, I knew I was going to make it. That's when I got really excited. Then when I actually got to the top, it is a weird feeling because you know that you've reached your goal, but you're also only halfway there. You are super excited, but you can't be relieved because you still have so much more to go [to get back down].
I was thinking about my family – my mom and my sister. I wished they could be there, because they had supported me so much. My dad was there for me to share that moment, but I can't share that feeling with [my mom and sister] because they weren't there. I was like: 'Oh, that sucks.'
What was the hardest part?
The physical work wasn't the hardest part. It is actually a lot of mental work. You just have to tell yourself you can get to the next camp. It is hard on your body, but you know that your body can do it. I knew how lucky I was to be there because not many people get to go. I knew that wherever I was on the mountain was an accomplishment. We know people who are superstrong athletes but they've only made it to Camp 1. So just knowing however far I get is a really good accomplishment – I think that helped my mental game a lot.
I really tried not to think about quitting, because I knew there would be so many other factors that might cause me to not be able to it, [such as] the weather or if my body didn't like the altitude. If I was going to be turned around, I didn't want it to be because of my mental game.
How about the physical part?
Most of the climb is about four to six hours a day. The whole time, except for the summit day, you are ski touring – uphill on your skis. I had an 80-litre backpack on, so it is about 40 to 60 pounds, depending on the day. And then you had a sled that was attached to your backpack, and depending on the terrain, it probably had 20 to 50 pounds in it. We were tied on a rope about 10 metres apart, so that's if one falls in a crevasse, the other people are there to anchor them.
The physical stuff was a little bit different than what I had done before. I'd done some glacier travel, but not with big packs and sleds and with five people. Usually, when I go with my dad we do really long days – 10 hours or more. Then you're super tired at the end but you're only doing one day. On Mount Logan, you do shorter periods of time, but you can recover faster from them. It is also different when you're at [high] altitude because you go a lot slower because of your packs and the air – there's less oxygen so you have to go slower.
What did you think about during the three-week mission?
Right before we left, we went to a donair place. I was thinking about that donair for the whole trip. I didn't really like thinking about home. Lots of the time I had songs stuck in my head, so I'd just be singing the song over and over and over, which got kind of annoying. But it helps with your pace. I had an Amy Winehouse song stuck in my head for a long time. When we were coming down, I had a whole bunch of Katy Perry songs in my head. I was trying to remember one of Adele's songs for so long. Sometimes when you're up there, it is good to have something that you can't remember because then you're just focusing. It takes your mind off everything else.
What do you want to be?
I have thought about becoming a mountain guide. I think that's something that I'd want to do, but it doesn't pay super well. My parents would like me to get a degree and then I can become a mountain guide on top of that. I think I'd want to be a mountaineer. But there are very few pro mountaineers.
This interview has been edited and condensed
Carrie Tait