POLE 2 POLE
Mike Horn is currently undergoing his latest expedition, Pole2Pole: A three-year circumnavigation of the globe via the South and North Poles including ocean crossings and overland expeditions.
THE EXPEDITION
THE ITINERARY
SAILING UP TO NORTH
The team will begin their journey in Nome, Alaska. Mike, Borge and the crew will embark on Pangaea and sail as far up North as the conditions allow them and drop of the two explorers on the ice to begin their crossing. The boat will then sail the Northeast passage between the Siberian and Wrangel Islands. The sailing vessel will continue its voyage all the way to Tromso, where it will resupply and wait for Mike and Borge to finish their crossing to pick them up near Svalbard, Norway.
A New Adventure with Familiar Company
You don’t Change a Winning Team: Mike & Børge
In January 2006, Mike and Børge set off on a world-first expedition to the North Pole on skis without assistance, dogs or motorized transportation during the dark Arctic winter. Over the course of 60 days, they dragged the necessary equipment and food to survive and made their way from Cape Artichesky in Russia to the North Pole. After two months of -40 Celsius conditions and complete darkness, as well as a harsh battle against the open waters, drifting ice and dangers of polar bears and infections, the duo successfully reached the Geographical North Pole on the 23rd of March 2006.
13 years later, this winning team will pair up again to take on a new challenge: the crossing of the Arctic ocean during the polar summer, and this time, the North Pole will not be their finish line, but only their half-way mark.
Mike & Børge’s upcoming 2019 North Pole Expedition
August 2019: beginning of the adventure!
These explorers’ aim is to leave Nome (Alaska) onboard Pangaea (Mike Horn’s exploration sailing vessel) and make their way as far north as possible, approximately around 85 degrees North.
For Pangaea to reach this position, Mike, Børge and a team of sailing professionals will first need to fight their way through the drifting ice sheets and icebergs of the Arctic Ocean.
Once the boat arrives at a satisfying point of departure for the two explorers, they will disembark Pangaea with their expedition equipment and begin their mighty journey. Time will be at the essence for Mike and Børge who will have to overcome the numerous hazardous obstacles along their way: drifting ice, open water stretches, ice formations, harsh weather, polar bears, and so on.
THE GOAL
Cross the frozen Arctic Ocean via the North Pole until they reach the archipelago of Svalbard in Norway. Mike and Børge are giving themselves a maximum of 3 months to accomplish this trajectory of over 1500 kilometers before the polar winter starts to settle in. While the two men take on this extraordinary feat, Pangaea and its crew will simultaneously make its way through the remainder of the Northeast Passage, sail around Russia and up to Svalbard where they will meet the two explorers at the end of their traverse.
A sailing vessel like no other
Life Onboard Pangaea
Pangaea is not only one of Mike Horn’s main modes of transport, it is also a platform for environmental and social projects around the world, as well as the ideal communication tool to spread awareness and promote adventure. The boat rallies the world for adventure and project purposes. Pangaea is often referred to as the 4x4 of the oceans, it was built in Brazil in 2007.
Over 22,000 hours of design were pumped into making a ship that can navigate through tropics and rivers as easily as it can through polar regions, without resorting to solutions that were overly harmful to the environment. The resulting sailing vessel is an amazingly versatile piece of work. The 35-meter two master vessel has 600 square meters of sailcloth and 35 meters of mast. It can hold 30 people and has a 16-seat conference room.
