Baffin Island : The Ascent of Mount Asgard

In this new book from photographer and mountaineer Alastair Lee, panoramic photos reveal Baffin Island's astonishing landscapes, and chronicle top British climber Leo Houlding's ambitious expedition to climb the north face of the incredible Mount Asgard. Deep in the Canadian Arctic, Baffin Island is one of the most spectacular places in the world. For most of the year the fjords are filled with frozen sea ice, but for a short period in the summer the ice melts and with 24 hours of daylight the area becomes a climber's paradise, with mile high granite walls and amazing scenery. From the magic of the Aurora Borealis, 2am sunrises on the massive twin towers to the freezing bivouacs on the 1000m wall itself, this book covers the epic journey to the mountain, and the eventual twelve day ascent of the wall itself. The journey is also told through individual accounts from each member of the eight-man expedition team.

Alastair Lee has been taking photographs since he first went travelling at the age of twenty. The main focus in front of the camera has always been his passion for rock climbing and mountaineering. The author of two travel guides to Australia and New Zealand, Alastair's first full colour photography book was Eyes Up (2003), a selection of images from his worldwide travels. This was followed by Forgotten Landscape (2004), and his acclaimed Pendle (2009), a collection of photographs of his beloved Pendle Hill in Lancashire. Then in 2009, more than five years in the making, Lake District Mountain Landscape, which was shortlisted for best mountain image award at the Banff Festival. Over the past seven years Alastair has also developed his filmmaking skills: his films on rock climbing and mountaineering are popular with climbers and critics alike and he has won over fifty awards for his work at mountain film festivals worldwide. Alastair lives in Pendle, Lancashire with his partner and son. Visit his website www.alastairleephotography.co.uk