My name is Naomi Prohaska and I am in my third year of studying Environmental Science at the University of British Columbia, which is located on the unceded territory of the Musqueam people. My life is a mix of many things, one of which is exploring the mountains. Below I have recounted a bit of my life and what led to me finding such a deep love for adventure. I am incredibly privileged and thankful to have grow up in the beautiful town of Pemberton BC, on the unceded territory of the Lil’wat nation. Pemberton is an incredibly active community and is a 30 minute drive from Whistler BC, one of the best ski resorts in the world that gives access to truly extraordinary ski touring terrain. Keep going south and you reach Squamish, the rock climbing mecca of Canada. The Sea to Sky Corridor (which connects Pemberton, Whistler and Squamish) is also home to many celebrated destinations for mountain biking, hiking, paragliding, kiteboarding and river kayaking. I am surrounded by amazing sports all the time. I have grown up in the midst of boundaries being pushed and records being broken in a plethora of extreme sports.
My father moved to Whistler when he was 19 and never looked back. He was a ski and climbing bum, living in a van before it was trendy for 10 years. He is now a certified ACMG (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides) and IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations) guide. He and my mother introduced me to skiing when I was 2 years old and climbing at around 5. However, I didn’t particularly like either for most of my childhood of them and was never pushed to be a good skier or climber.
In the Spring of 2015 I attended a presentation in Whistler where I heard about some amazing trips that people were doing in the Sea to Sky Corridor and around the world. This inspired me to do the Spearhead Traverse, a 3 day ski traverse in the backcountry connecting Blackcomb to Whistler mountain. I had never been ski touring and hated bootpacking (walking with my skis), but something was pushing me to try it. I’m glad it did because I loved it. I spent my first three days in the backcountry with my dad and another father daughter pair. It was unlike anything I had ever done. Being out in the open with just the sky and the snow was such an amazing experience.
Soon after that I had an even crazier thought. I decided I wanted to be the youngest person to climb Mt. Logan, the tallest mountain in Canada. My father has done over a dozen trips in the park where Mt. Logan is situated, Kluane National Park. He has guided on Mt. Logan 8 times since I was born. When I look back I still find it crazy how I could decide to do something like that with such little experience. From then until May 2017, Mt. Logan consumed my world.
Throughout those 2 years I learned the basics of mountaineering, and I wouldn’t trade the experiences I got from training for anything. I learned how to ski tour, how to do avalanche and crevasse rescue, summitted 15 mountains, did 4 traverses and so much more. Then in May 2017, I flew to Mt. Logan. I was on the mountain for 3 weeks, and they were the best and the worst of my life. They showed me how magnificent and merciless the mountains can be. My love for the wilderness was reinforced immensely during those 21 days.
Picture taken by Holly Walker
As a plus, I achieved my goal! I am now the youngest person ever to have climbed Canada’s tallest mountain. After returning home and having a mellow Summer, I realized that I needed another goal. In the Summer of 2017, while on the Spearhead Traverse for the fourth time, I dreamt up my next objective, to climb the tallest mountain in North America, Denali. I have planned this trip twice, once for Spring of 2018 and once for Spring of 2019, but unfortunately both had to be cancelled due to injuries within my team. As of now it is still the next big dream on my mind, but I have not made any specific plans. To learn more about my Logan expedition click here . If you want to get regular updates follow me on Instagram or subscribe to my blog. To contact me please email naomiprohaska@gmail.com or send me a message below.