Ben is a recognized authority on the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Educated as a geologist, he has pursued a career in natural history, working in the summer as a freelance interpretive guide-a job he describes as "rent-a-naturalist"-and in the winter as a writer and lecturer on Rockies topics. The author of Handbook of the Canadian Rockies, which has sold over 50,000 copies, Ben has written or co-authored eight other books and contributed to several more. His first novel, Raven`s End, has become an award-winning Canadian best-seller.