Benny is a Climber.

But climbing doesn’t happen in the design studio. So in 2016, Benny radically redesigned his life, throwing away sketchpads and sticky notes to begin prototyping a greater design project: a life in the mountains.

Surely this came at a worthwhile cost. Moving from the comfort of an apartment in the historic district of Savannah, Georgia to an old rusty trailer at the foot of Mt. Rainier, trading in dress shirts and slick shoes for wool tops and mountain boots: the contrast was stark.

Since then, Benny has lived adventure to its fullest both personally and as a guide. Living in a trailer, a canvas tent in Alaska, and a station wagon everywhere else, sleeping bags and backpacks are now a way of life. With an emphasis on exploration, climbing has brought him from the crevassed slopes of the Cascades to New Zealand’s Southern Alps, the Nepali Himalaya, and the French Alps. Alaska has become home much of the year and is a key piece of Benny’s climbing & writing. Benny’s primary focus is on expedition alpinism in the greater ranges.

As a young child, Benny’s heroes were explorers: Bradford Washburn, Ernest Shackleton, Sir Edmund Hillary. The reconnection to this passion in 2016 is now blooming now with the Alaska Wilderness Project, which has Benny staged for his own vision in Alaska. With a background in Product Design & Service Design, paired with a passion for literature and history, Benny combines his alpine adventures with design skills to engage in wilderness exploration, rich storytelling, and product development. As a member of the Protect Our Winters’ Athlete Alliance, Benny advocates for the protection and preservation of land.

Currently: Khumbu Valley, Nepal Instagram: @bennylieb

Next Expedition: Everest, South Side, Spring 2023.

"A mountaineer may be satisfied to nurse his athletic infancy upon home rocks, and he may be happy to pass the later years of his experience among the more elusive impressions and more subtle romance of our old and quiet hills. But in the storm years of his strength he should test his powers, learn his craft and earn his triumphs in conflict with the abrupt youth and warlike habit of great glacial ranges. "

— Geoffrey Winthrop Young

Mountain Craft