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Mike Horn is set to begin the longest leg of his Pole2Pole expedition with the crossing of the Antarctica continent. By ski and with the help of a kite weather permitting, Mike will cover roughly over 7,000 km until he reaches the other side of the continent, the South Pole only being the halfway stop.
Aboard his sailing vessel Pangaea, Mike and his crew will be sailing south from the Waterfront in Cape Town where they have spent the last two months working on Pole2Pole’s first socio-environmental project and preparing Mike’s equipment for the big departure. In search of the perfect boot for Mike’s crossing, he collaborated with the Swiss ski boot manufacturer Dahu, who assisted Mike in designing a multifunctional boot that will give him the flexibility to trek and as soon as the wind picks up, the rigidity to kite.
“I approached Dahu to develop the right shoe for an expedition like this. To be able to go from skiing or walking mode into hiking mode without changing shoes and losing a lot of time.” Mike said, “so a prototype was developed for me to be able to save time on my expedition, and time, is life.”
After a two-week sail across the Southern Ocean from South Africa to Antarctica, Mike’s crew will drop him off and pick him up on the other side of the continent once his crossing is complete. Mike estimates his crossing to take from three to four months, depending on the weather conditions.
Pole2Pole’s first socio-environmental project
During the first two weeks of October, Mike welcomed 10 enthusiastic, international Young Explorers from his previous expedition Pangaea to Cape Town to implement and execute the first Pole2Pole project: The Shark Project.
The aim of this project was to banish the negative stereotypes associated with sharks, raise awareness on the global issues our oceans are currently going through, and to engage and connect with existing local South African programs. The team collaborated with the Shark Spotters and the Two Oceans Aquarium, together they successfully managed to tag and release 15 seven gill sharks contributing to long-term data.
The second aspect of the project was in collaboration with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Together, they engaged with local programmes, like Grassroot Soccer and Waves for Change, which empower youth from local townships through beach cleanups, surfing, playing soccer, tree painting and educational programmes.
What’s next?
Crossing complete, Mike will navigate the Pacific through the islands of Oceania to Asia, where he will travel parts of New Zealand, Australia and Papua New Guinea. Once arrived in Asia onboard Pangaea, a further overland journey will lead Horn to the summit of virgin peaks in India, followed by a journey through the tundra in Kamchatka, before setting sails for the great north. The extreme athlete will then attempt another crossing, this time of the Arctic via the North Pole. Following this, Mike will cross over the world’s largest island, Greenland, after which he will conclude his adventure by navigating back to his point of departure, Monaco.
On his journey from the North to the South Pole, Mike and his team will be implementing more social and environmental projects, sharing every step of his journey on social media.
The Pole2Pole Expedition
After 25 years of professional exploration, Mike Horn has experienced the world first hand. He has travelled to every corner and remote place of the earth, braved extreme conditions and seen the world change before his eyes. That is why Mike has decided to combine his knowledge of the world and its environment in one epic global quest – a never seen before, never done before, circumnavigation of the globe via both Poles namely the Pole2Pole expedition.
Pole2Pole is what we like to call Mike’s “retirement project.” Contrarily to his past expeditions, Pole2Pole is not another attempt at a world-first or solo expedition, but is rather about taking his audience through all the elements, extreme conditions and experiences – Mike wants to take his audience on the journey with him.
His mission is to encourage and inspire people to step out of their comfort zone, to venture in the unknown, understand the importance of the planet we live on and act accordingly to preserve it.
The success of Pole2Pole rests on three fundamental pillars: adventure, environment and sharing. Adventure has been Mike’s passion, his drive, and his only way of life since he first got a taste for it in the bush of Namibia at a very young age. The environment and its protection has been a growing concern for Mike. After years skiing across Polar Regions and miles sailing across the world’s oceans, Mike has witnessed the alarming effect of global warming. Through sharing his encounters and experiences along his journey around the globe and by highlighting its beauty, Mike hopes to open the eyes of people on the actual state of the plane. Ultimately, he is taking steps towards ensuring our planet can be respected and appreciated by all future generations.
Pole2Pole Itinerary
Six months ago, Mike Horn embarked on his latest expedition: Pole2Pole, a unique circumnavigation of the globe via the two poles.
After leaving The Yacht Club of Monaco on May 6th, Horn undertook a 3-week sail down the west coast of Africa where he arrived in Walvis Bay, Namibia: the first leg of his Pole2Pole adventure.
There, Horn remained for over a month, discovering this remote land’s every corner by foot and vehicle. He then moved toward the Caprivi, bordering Botswana where he ventured into the Okavango swamps by pirogue.
On to Horn’s homeland South Africa, where Pole2Pole’s first project was implemented and executed: The Shark Project. The aim of this project was to banish the negative stereotypes associated with sharks, raise awareness on the global issues our oceans are currently going though, and to engage and connect with existing local South African programs.
Next step, Horn will sail to the Antarctic, which he will cross on skis via the South Pole. Crossing complete, he will navigate the Pacific through the islands of Oceania to Asia, where he will travel parts of New Zealand and Australia, Papua New, India and Kamchatka, before setting sails for the great north. The extreme athlete will then attempt another crossing, this time of the Arctic via the North Pole. Following this, Mike will cross over the world’s largest island, Greenland, after which he will conclude his adventure by navigating back to his point of departure, Monaco.
Pole2Pole Route & Schedule
This is an approximate route and timeline for the Pole2Pole expedition.
- Namibia – June 2016 – 15 July 2016
- Botswana – 15th July to 15th August 2016
- South Africa – 15th August to mid-September 2016
Preparation of the boat – September to November 2016
- Antarctica – November 2016 to March 2017
- New Zealand – March to April 2017
- Australia – May ~ June 2017
- Papua New Guinea – July ~ August 2017
- India – September ~ October 2017
- Borneo – November ~ December 2017
- Indonesia – January ~ February 2018
- Kamchatka – March ~ April 2018
- Arctic Ocean & Greenland – May ~ June – August ~ September 2018
Mike is expected to return to Monaco at a date to be determined later.
