Ben Gadd, 63, and his wife Cia have recently moved to Canmore, Alberta, after 30 years in Jasper. 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. It has been translated into German, Italian, Dutch and Danish for sale in Europe, and also into Japanese. Ben has received three Banff Mountain Book Festival awards.
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.
Ben was the founder of the non-profit Jasper Institute, which for many years offered natural-history courses to park visitors. He has also designed nature trails, produced interpretive signage and consulted with protected-area managers. Heard frequently on CBC radio, Ben has appeared in many television items and several documentaries on the Rockies.
When not otherwise occupied, Ben hikes, bikes, climbs and cross-country skis in the mountains he loves best. Married to Cia since 1965, Ben has two sons and two grandchildren.
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