Mike Horn’s new expedition “Pole2Pole” gets underway
During the New York International Auto Show in front of the legendary Explorers Club in Manhattan the starting signal was given today for Mike Horn’s new expedition “Pole2Pole” with the Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
The extreme athlete and adventurer is aiming to travel around the world on a unique voyage of discovery – from Europe to Africa, the Antarctic, Oceania, Asia, the Arctic, North America, and back again to Europe.
As on his successful K2 expedition last year, the Mercedes-Benz brand ambassador will be relying on the legendary Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon. Furthermore, he will cover parts of the route with his sailing boat PANGAEA, on skis and on foot. Since the PANGAEA expedition between 2008 and 2012 Mike Horn has been closely connected with Mercedes-Benz.
The objective of his expeditions is to explore culture and nature in remote regions and to share his experiences and learnings with people throughout the world. The entire expedition “Pole2Pole” can be followed on the digital and social media channels of Mike Horn and Mercedes-Benz.
“When you fly over a country it remains unknown to you. When you cross it by car and on foot you can see new things, discover the beauty of nature and understand the life and the needs of the people who live there. The Mercedes-Benz G-Class enables me to do this – even in the most remote areas of the world. It provided impressive proof of this last year on my expedition ‘Driven to Explore’”, says Mike Horn.
“Pole2Pole” – discovering spectacular nature with the G-Class
Mike Horn is globally acknowledged as the world’s greatest modern day explorer. He was the first person to navigate the entire length of the Amazon River solo and unsupported, to walk to the North Pole during the dark season and to circumnavigate the globe at the equator without motorized transport. With the new “Pole2Pole” expedition, Horn will complete a unique circumnavigation of the globe via the two poles.
After extensive equipment testing in March in wintry Canada, the “Pole2Pole” adventure will start on the 6th of May 2016 at the Yacht Club in Monaco. From there Mike Horn will sail to Namibia on his expedition boat PANGAEA.
The expedition will continue in the G-Class through the world’s oldest desert, the Namib desert, on the Namibian coast. The route then passes through the Okavango delta in Botswana, the world’s largest inland delta, and on to Cape Town in South Africa. From there PANGAEA will take him to the Antarctic, which he will cross on skis. Mike Horn will then sail the Pacific through the islands of Oceania to Asia, where he will explore parts of New Zealand and Australia.
In Papua New Guinea the G-Class will await him for an expedition through unspoilt equatorial forests. Once in Asia, a further overland expedition with the legendary off-road vehicle leads Horn through the tundra in Kamchatka, before making his way to the North Pole. The extreme athlete will cross the Arctic and then Greenland on skis and in a kayak. He will then sail back from the world’s largest island to Monaco in the PANGAEA.
The third joint expedition for Mercedes-Benz and Mike Horn
Mercedes-Benz and Mike Horn have been partners for many years. “Mercedes-Benz values Mike Horn’s dedication and we are proud to be long-time supporters. With his current ‘Pole2Pole’ expedition he is once again first and foremost addressing young people worldwide, to raise awareness and establish understanding for foreign cultures and their living environment”, says Dr Jens Thiemer, Vice President Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars.
Last year Mercedes supported the expedition “Driven to Explore”, during which both partners drew attention to environmental changes in even the most remote regions of the world. Mike Horn drove 10,640 kilometres in the G-Wagon from Switzerland through ten countries in Central and Eastern Europe to K2 in Pakistan.
Mercedes-Benz sponsored the PANGAEA expedition between 2008 and 2012. Mike Horn sailed around the world with the 35 metre long expedition sailing vessel. With the guiding theme “Explore. Learn. Act.” he initiated ecological and social projects with young people in different locations around the globe. More than 100 follow-up projects have since ensued.
