TIME ALWAYS CHANGES ME
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. At the beginning- living in a trailer, a canvas tent in Alaska, and a station wagon everywhere else, sleeping bags and backpacks became a way of life. With an emphasis on exploration & guiding the world’s highest peaks, climbing has brought him from the crevassed slopes of the Cascades where he first held an ice axe to summits on six continents and more than 30 expeditions globally by 30 years old. The highlights of his budding guiding career so far have been successfully putting clients on the summits of K2 (28,251ft), Mount Everest (29,032ft) and Antarctica’s
Vinson Massif (16,050ft). Alaska has become home and is a fundamental piece of Benny’s climbing & writing. Benny’s primary focus is on alpinism in the greater ranges and guiding expeditions at the highest level.
As a child, Benny’s heroes were found in books of explorers & climbers: Bradford Washburn, Ed Viesturs, Reinhold Messner, & Ernest Shackleton. The reconnection to this passion in 2016 is now blooming and his life has come to resemble chapters of the books he once read in fantasy.
With a background in Product Design & Service Design, paired with a passion for literature and history, Benny combines his alpine adventures with design thinking 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:
Vinson Massif, Antarctica.
Next Expedition:
Mount Everest, Himalaya.
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
CAUSES
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The National Multiple Sclerosis Society exists because there are people with MS. Our vision is a world free of MS. Everything we do is focused so that people affected by MS can live their best lives as we stop MS in its tracks, restore what has been lost and end MS forever.
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CAN is a UK based charity whose aim is to help some of the poorest people on the planet – the mountain people of Nepal. It helps local communities to raise their standard of living and strengthen indigenous, community-based cultures.
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POW helps passionate outdoor people protect the places they live and love from climate change. We are a community of athletes, scientists, creatives, and business leaders advancing non-partisan policies that protect our world today and for future generations.
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Founded in 2003, our mission is to increase the safety margin of Nepali climbers and high altitude workers by encouraging responsible climbing practices in a supportive and community-based program.