Alaia Peres: what the mountain taught me

For Alaia, the mountains are a learning ground. Physical exertion, mental clarity, a functional rather than aesthetically ideal body: altitude transforms her approach to endurance, nutrition, and recovery. In this interview, she discusses what cold and isolation have taught her, the body signals she carefully listens to, and how she protects her skin when the skin barrier is put to the test. It's a balance between demanding effort and returning to the essentials.

Pushing my physical and mental limits

What do you seek, physically and emotionally, when you go to the mountains?

Alaia: I would say a kind of self-transcendence, both physical and mental.I like to feel the fatigue set in, then decide to keep going. To test my limits. To discover that the body always has more resources than one imagines.
I also like to learn new things about both my environment and technical subjects, to feel more capable, more resilient.
There's also a very particular kind of well-being. That deep, healthy fatigue after an intense day. Then the rest. The calm after the storm. You rediscover the value of a warm bed, a simple meal, daily comfort. Everything becomes more essential.

The mountains have transformed my relationship with my body

How do these "adventures" influence your relationship with your body and/or your mental health?

Alaia: They have profoundly transformed my relationship with my body. I no longer seek to conform to an aesthetic ideal. I seek a functional body. A body capable of walking for hours, carrying heavy loads, enduring altitude, cold, and the unexpected. A resilient body.

Listening to one's needs and living in the present moment

The mountains have also taught me to understand the role of food. On expeditions, I eat sugar because I need immediate energy. I eat candy during those times, even though I used to ban sugar! This has freed me up a lot; I no longer try to control everything but rather to listen to myself and indulge! Mentally, it's about being fully in the present moment. No network. No notifications. The brain is focused on the essentials: the route, risks, weather, hunger, thirst, body temperature. You listen to yourself more. You feel internal signals more acutely.

Do you have a striking memory related to the cold that you'd like to share?

Alaia: I don't remember suffering from the cold. With the right layers and rigorous organization, the cold becomes an environment, not an enemy. What strikes me is the almost unreal beauty: the whitened trees, visible breath in the air, wind sculpting the snow. The ice covering everything. At altitude, the crevasses, the sun reflecting on the icy surface, hair freezing. It's both hostile and absolutely breathtaking. You feel tiny, fragile. And at the same time, profoundly alive. Walking, sometimes sleeping in this universe, provides a thrilling sense of vertigo.

Do silence, altitude, or isolation play a role in your life?

Alaia: Yes. I feel like I need them. My life is structured around two extremes. Daily life, dense, fast-paced, noisy, very social. Then a few months a year, in Idaho, in the Rocky Mountains, almost isolated, just the two of us. I need both. One brings me collective energy, excitement, intensity. The other brings me silence, slowness, and physical transcendence. Both have their share of adrenaline. This balance allows me to be fully present in each world.

Skin and extreme cold

How does the skin react during the first few days of exposure to extreme cold?

Alaia: I have sensitive skin all year round. The cold accentuates this sensitivity. Very quickly, my skin becomes dry, uncomfortable. My lips crack. Redness appears, especially with wind and temperature variations. Altitude, solar reflection on the snow, and dry air weaken the skin barrier.

What body signals do you listen to most during these trips?

Alaia: Temperature, first and foremost. Never get cold. Once cooled, it's very difficult to warm up at altitude. Never get too hot either: sweating means moistening your technical layers, thus risking cold later. Hunger. During long outings, I eat regularly, even without an intense feeling of hunger. Energy intake must be constant. Thirst. I tend not to drink enough. I force myself to drink small amounts very often. I add electrolytes, especially those from Combeau, to optimize hydration and limit fatigue. Fatigue. I make sure to plan for recovery time, and this is true throughout the year. Pushing your limits for a defined period, for a goal, yes. But then getting proper rest remains essential.

My ritual to protect and strengthen skin at altitude

What actions become essential to protect and strengthen the skin in these conditions?

Alaia: I always cleanse my face gently: cleansing oil then soap. The goal is to cleanse without stripping. I admit that sometimes I only use soap since I don't wear makeup at all (but don't tell Dr. Peres). Then I moisturize my skin, alternating every two/three days – the intense hydration mask which I leave on all night, and the duo of nourishing oil and anti-aging moisturizing cream. I supplement with lip balm.

Protecting from sun and cold

Alaia: I make sure to protect myself well; it's essential against the sun but also against the cold. So I apply sunscreen every day and, above all, I constantly wear a balaclava and goggles.The repair cream is my essential. It immediately treats fragile areas: small wounds, dry patches, small blemishes…

For the body, the Summer Garden Radiance Balm is divine. A weekly application is already enough to maintain good hydration. I also use the toning oil to support muscle recovery.