When incoming freshman Samantha Larson summited Mt. Everest on May 16, she became the youngest American to stand on top of the world. In scaling the 29,028-foot Himalayan peak, the 18-year-old Larson also became the youngest person ever to successfully climb the so-called “Seven Summits,” which comprise the highest peaks on each continent.

When Larson returned stateside, she gave The Daily an interview about her experiences on Everest and about how she will thrill-seek at Stanford next year.

The Daily: What were the hardest parts of the climb?

Samantha Larson: First of all, it was hard just waiting. We were just down at base camp waiting for the right weather window. We didn’t know what to do with ourselves. That was really hard, and something someone else wouldn’t think of at first.

In terms of the actual climbing, by far the hardest day was summit day. We had only a few hours to rest at the last camp before we started the summit, and the lack of oxygen really took a toll. Going back down the next day, I was so exhausted and it was so much harder than I expected it to be.

TD: What would you say were the high points and the low points of the climb? No pun intended.

SL: I really just enjoyed the actual climbing.

Summiting, of course, was amazing. I’d thought I would be so happy but it was more of a mix of exhaustion, happiness and sense of accomplishment. Maybe the best part was getting back down to base camp because we were back down and it was safe.

I guess the worst part was waiting and hanging around base camp. It was nice to be there because it was comfortable, but you get tired of being there.

TD: Did you face any life-threatening situations during the climb?

SL: There was one day when I was pretty freaked out. We woke up in the morning to go down to another camp, but we got a radio call saying a sherpa had died, and we weren’t sure what had happened at that point. It was scary climbing back down knowing he could have fallen from where you were standing.

Another time, I was coming back down after the summit and I was by myself. I came to a split in the path, and picked the way that I thought was correct. Instead, I fell into a frozen lake up to my thighs or so. I was so tired, and I kinda had a panic attack because I wanted to get back to camp as quickly as I could so my dad could take off my boots and I wouldn’t get frostbite.

Of course, every step really counts when you’re climbing Everest, but we didn’t have any particular moments that I can really say were life-threatening for any of our team members.

TD: How long did you have to wait before conditions were favorable for the summit attempt?

SL: We planned to stay for four days back down in the valley, but we ended up staying a week because conditions weren’t right. Then we waited another five days at base camp before climbing the summit.

TD: What did it feel like to make it to the top?

SL: It wasn’t exactly what I expected it to feel like. I’d of course been thinking about it for a long time. I’d been planning to call my mom from the summit, and I had an idea of how that conversation would go. Once I was really at the top though, it was just a flood of emotion. I was crying. I was so exhausted — so happy to be there. I just plopped down, and I didn’t even talk to my mom for very long.

At the same time it was incredible just to look around. I’d seen pictures, but just to see it for myself was really amazing.

TD: Why didn’t you eat during parts of the climb?

SL: High altitude can have a variety of effects depending on the individual person, including loss of appetite. I have always experienced a loss of appetite at high altitude, so I just try to stay hydrated and force myself to eat what I can. For the two nights that we stayed at Camp 4 on Everest, that amounted to just about a quarter of a Hershey’s bar. Above 8,000 meters (26,250 feet) you are in the so-called ‘death zone,’ where the body shuts down, and prefers to eat away at itself rather than take in outside food.

TD: What was your favorite climb out of the Seven Summits?

SL: If I had to pick a favorite, I’d say Everest, probably just because it’s so fresh in my mind. After the other climbs, I was really happy to be going home, ready to go back to normal life, hot showers and real food. After Everest I felt sad to be leaving, I wanted to stay, you know, so that was kind of strange. Maybe it was an indication that that was my favorite.

TD: Why did you decide to do this? Did your family support your plan?

SL: Ever since I was first thinking about what schools to apply to, I’d always wanted to take a year off, to travel or get a job or something. I thought it would be a good experience to have time in between. My mom really supported that. She thought it was a great idea to go and travel.

As I got more and more into [climbing], it became really obvious that I wanted to climb for a year. Besides Everest, I spent half the year climbing.

Before my idea was specifically to climb, my dad wasn’t so interested. He was nervous I’d get off track. But once I included him, he was pretty excited.

TD: Why did you decide to come to Stanford?

SL: Well, it seemed like it had a lot to offer, and it’s pretty close to Yosemite. I came to Admit Weekend and really enjoyed it, so it seemed like a good place to go.

TD: What do you plan to do for thrills next year?

SL: I got a letter from the president of the Stanford Alpine Club, so that’s definitely something I’ll have to look into doing. I think [the club] has a lot of different sorts of activities. I’m not sure what else I’ll get into, I’ll have to see.

TD: You say you’ll have to see about other activities. Do you have any concrete academic plans?

SL: I haven’t decided on a major. I’m pretty open. I don’t really have even an inclination at this point. It’s hard because I’m interested in both the humanities and the sciences. But you don’t have to declare until the end of your sophomore year — I’m sure I’ll figure it out.

TD: What else do you do for fun or excitement?

SL: I’d say mostly just things outdoors, like hiking. I go to a rock gym quite frequently — that’s good practice and I enjoy that too. But I think, in general, I prefer climbing when you’re outside and it is the real deal with actual rocks.

TD: Do you consider yourself a thrill-seeker?

SL: Maybe I’m a thrill-seeker in a sense that I like to do other adventurous things. But when I’m actually climbing I try to avoid the whole adrenaline thing. There’s enough of it in general, because you’re already in a dangerous situation, so you’re working to feel safe. I probably enjoyed it the most when I didn’t have the big adrenaline rush.

TD: What else can you tell me about your trip?

SL: Well I guess one thing that was important was the fact that we went with a team of our friends and people we knew. We had climbed with everyone before, and we’d climbed with our guide three times before. That was nice because we knew we could trust and rely on everyone. There was really a sense of camaraderie.