What does your ideal day look like?
If you asked me, I’d probably picture the sea, music, and a good conversation among friends somewhere pleasantly warm. For Maria Costa, though, the essentials are different. “A day in the mountains with the people I love. And cooking a good meal (I really enjoy eating well).”
Not a bad choice, to be fair.
But first things first, who is Maria Costa? She’s a ski mountaineer. An Olympian! Originally from Santpedor, she has been living in Font Romeu since the age of 15. She’s now 23, holds a degree in Sport and Physical Activity Sciences, and is currently studying for a Master’s in Sports Marketing and Sponsorship. Cheerful, energetic, and always keen to embrace new experiences.
Maria looks after three indispensable verbs as carefully as someone placing logs on a fire keeping them warm: eating, sleeping, and training. It was her parents who first planted the seed of sport in the eyes of a little girl growing up between green and white, to the point that the two became inseparable: “Ever since I was born, we’d go up to the mountains at the weekends. They made it very easy for me, because they love the mountains too.” Some things are inherited, of course. The good things as well.
Her interest in nutrition didn’t really arrive until the biggest goal of her life came into focus too: going to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games — a goal she has, by the way, achieved with flying colours — and now, even in summer, outside competition, she still pays close attention to it so she can perform at her best and be ready when ski season begins again.
Before interviewing her, I did a bit of research into her life and quickly realised that skiing isn’t her only sport — she also runs and cycles. But there’s one thing that, no matter how much I look, never changes: she is always in the mountains. And yes, just as I had started to suspect, she lands the first blow: “I’m not really a big fan of the sea.” Right. Never mind. “Last summer I went for one day.” Oh dear. “I can live without the sea.” Third and final blow. I sigh.
Even so, we have more in common than what sets us apart. For example, the power of trust. When I ask her what makes her feel most proud of herself, she doesn’t hesitate: “Having always fought on and trusted the process. Believing it was possible, that I could do it, and carrying on even when things weren’t always going well.” To me, that faith, mixed with the very honourable quality of perseverance, has something to do with the fact that she ended up reaching the highest level in her sport and placing herself among the best in the world.
“If you don't take risks, you've already failed. Give it a try.” Quite right. Maria knows she still has a lot to improve, but that should not stop her from valuing everything she already does well. That said, she is clear that, alongside working on her endurance, she wants to become more organised (“my poor flatmate”) and more aware when it comes to nutrition and rest: “I was always on the move.” You see, what a problem, some might say. For an elite athlete like her, though, it absolutely is. You have to go to bed early and do so regularly, they told her — and however obvious that may sound, I haven’t done that for years.
Fortunately for us (and for her too, hopefully), Maria recommends using Salssa. “I genuinely use it, both in races and in training. It really helps with stomach discomfort, which I used to get sometimes.”
And most importantly, let’s not kid ourselves: “it tastes good.”
Perfect. We like eating healthy too.
