Ben Burkhalter

ABOUT:

I discovered my love and passion for climbing in my hometown, Birmingham, Alabama. In the deep south, summers get excruciatingly hot and humid, forcing all climbers to train indoors for most of the year. These long periods of intense training and board climbing in the brutal southern heat shaped me into the climber and person I am today! Since I was 13 years old, I've been obsessed with the limitless potential that bouldering has to offer; there will always be something harder, and you can always get stronger!

Q&A:

Who is your favorite climbing partner and why?

Depends on where I am! Back home in Alabama, I always enjoy climbing with the Redboard crew and the folks at Birmingham Boulders; it's always a blast running around on high quality sandstone boulders and getting Waffle House afterwards! When I'm out west in Colorado, I always sesh with my boy Brett Walker; Whether it's hours of training at the gym or an outdoor mission till' 5:00 A.M. we're always down for the ride! 

What is your go-to hype song? 

Anything on the CATS Playlist! Perfect for intense training sessions.

What was the first La Sportiva product you tried?

Solutions. Instantly leveled up my foot tension! Feels like cheating compared to any other shoe out there!

Which charity/advocacy organizations do you support or belong to?

SCC and the Access Fund

What are your 5 proudest moments? 

Jul 2019 | Making the 3rd Ascenst of "Blade Runner" V15 at 17 years old
Sep 2019 | Climbing the elusive "Barndoor 2000" V12 the most perfect boulder I've done
Feb 2022 | Sending "The Game" V15 in five sessions, my hardest boulder to date 
Nov 2022 | Finishing "Chinese Arithmetic" V14+ my last undone hometown project
Jan 2023 | Doing the ultra-classic "Esperanza" V14 second try 

What are your favorite LaSpo Products?

Solutions, Solution Comps