Participation in the sport of rock climbing has exploded in New Zealand in recent decades, and New Zealanders and visitors alike flock to the diverse range of crags and alpline cliffs that are found all over the country. Rock climbing is now taught in virtually all outdoor recreation courses, and the interest in the sport is also reflected in the many indoor climbing walls that have sprung up in virtually all urban areas in New Zealand.

Classic Rock Climbing in New Zealand is the natural response to this interest, the latest in our 'Classic'≠ series that has been so successful for Craig Potton Publishing. As always, these books work by wrapping a high-quality photographic essay around a reflective and informed text on the subject to create a beautiful memento.

This has always been successful when the only other books available on the subject are guidebooks, which is absolutely the case with Classic Rock Climbing. Nothing like this has been published in New Zealand before, and we are confident that it will find an enthusiastic audience.

The author, rock climber and professional mountain guide Mark Sedon, has followed the obvious geographic structure for writing the book, starting in Auckland, moving to the limestone outcrops of the Waikato, and the volcanic buttresses of Taupo and the North Island volcanoes. Moving south, Wellington, Golden Bay and the West Coast are featured, while the wider Canterbury region has plenty of superb climbing. And in the deep south the often spectacular and highly scenic climbing areas around Dunedin, Wanaka, Queenstown and Fiordland are all covered.

The images have been collected together from the best climbing photographers in New Zealand. They are of the highest quality, and on the strength of this alone they will create a stunning book that anyone who enjoys rock climbing in New Zealand will not be able to overlook.

THE AUTHOR

Mark Sedon was born in Christchurch in 1969 and has been an active rock and alpine climber for over 15 years. He developed his photography and writing skills after Mt Ruapehu erupted and ended his employment as a ski patroller. He has travelled extensively throughout New Zealand for rock climbing, while his work has been published in many of the world≠s outdoor magazines.

Mark is also an IFMGA Mountain and Ski Guide and has taken people to the summit of Everest, skied first ascents in Antarctica and climbed the big walls of Yosemite. He co-authored the mountaineering manual A Climbers Guide and still guides mountains in New Zealand and all over the world. He is the festival director of the annual Wanaka Mountain Film Festival and operates his photography library out of his home at Lake Hawea in Otago.