Colin Monteath, Photographer, Writer, Mountaineer ...

I was sending an email to a guy I still call friend despite his disturbing right-wing-leaning ways... smiling a little as I recalled a 'discussion' I'd had with my little brother last night; the one where I suggested he phone up Paul over in Melbourne and talk about how horrendously stubborn this big sister can be when she has an idea about wrong versus right.

Anyway, searching for Antartica-type links for my right-leaning friend, I wandered into Colin Monteath's Hedgehog House website and I thought to myself, 'I should post about Colin...'

Colin's photogalleries speak for themselves and are a diverse mix of Artic and Antartic shots, the ocean and the weather and wildlife shots and ecetera. His photo library is well worth a wander.

Based in Christchurch New Zealand, Colin Monteath is a freelance photographer, writer and mountaineer who is widely travelled in the polar and high mountain regions of the world.

In 1984 he started Hedgehog House photographic library and publishing company with the principal aim of " increasing the awareness of the need to look after the polar and mountain regions."

With nearly 100 wide-ranging assignments to Antarctica spanning 26 seasons since 1973 Colin has seen more of the Seventh Continent than almost any other New Zealander.

Colin has been an active mountaineer for 30 years. He has climbed New Zealand's highest peak 13 times by most of its routes including the notorious Caroline face and the first winter ascent of the East Ridge. In 1974 Colin was a member of the Commonwealth Andean Expedition which made 19 new routes in Peru's Cordillera Vilcanota.

Himalayan Expeditions have played a vital role in Colin's life - Australian Annapurna III Expedition ( Nepal 1980) , New Zealand Garhwal Expedition (Shivling - India 1982), Australian Everest Expedition (North Face - Tibet 1984), New Zealand Pamirs Expedition (Pik Kommunizma USSR/Central Asia, 1986), Australian Karakorum Expedition (first ascent Chongtar - Xingjiang China 1994) and New Zealand Tibet Expedition (Gurla Mandhata , 1998). In Irian Jaya Colin worked as a guide for Adventure Consultants during a climb of Carstensz Pyramid.