Meet the Maker: Benjamin Leibham of Alto Gear (Mini Episode)

Introducing the Meet the Maker series. Each day this week we’ll be releasing a mini episode with an entrepreneur who is making specialty gear for ice climbers.🎙Today we chat with Benjamin Leibham, the Founder of Alto Gear, which make ice climbing accessories out of upcycled and recycled material.You’ve probably seen Ben’s ice screw wrap at an ice festival, they are the brightly colored roll-ups made of repurposed billboard vinyl. And they are bomber (I’m a proud owner of one) – which is on purpose. Ben is a product designer whose mission is to make ice climbing gear more sustainable. To start, he’s using technical material that would otherwise end up in a landfill, sourcing and manufacturing locally, and designing gear that lasts. He’s got some big plans too.Hear more of his story and design philosophy in today’s episode.***🎁 If you’d like to snag your own ice screw wrap or crampon pouch, Ben is offering 15% off at their store, altogear.com. For details, check out Ben's episode post on our Instagram page here. Credits:Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).This episode was edited by Andrew Salomone of salomonesound.com.And of course, a big thanks to our sponsors, Aniiu  Gloves and Furnace Industries! Become a member:Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the conversation and want to help us do many more episodes like this, please consider becoming a member.   (For less than the price of a bougie beer per month!). 🗣️ Leave us a review!:You can also help us out by subscribing to the podcast and leaving us a review on your podcast platform of choice. Reviews are helpful for new listeners that come across the show, and a good rating means Spotify, Apple, and other platforms are more likely to recommend it to others.