Mike Horn's "Pole2Pole": An expedition for the 21st century
CALGARY, April 4, 2016 /CNW/ - Extreme athlete and adventurer, Mike Horn is aiming to travel around the world via the North and South Poles on a unique voyage of discovery. Following his successful K2 expedition in Pakistan last year, the Mercedes-Benz brand ambassador will be relying once again on the legendary G-Wagon. Mike Horn has been closely connected with Mercedes-Benz since the PANGAEA expedition took place between 2008 and 2012. The objective of his expeditions is to explore culture and nature in remote regions and to share his experiences and learnings with people around the world.
"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 'Driven to Explore' K2 expedition," 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.
Extensive testing of the two G-Class SUVs Mike Horn will be using during the expedition took place in April in Alberta, Canada. Horn chose to travel from Calgary to Jasper and back to encounter similar climatic and topographical conditions he will encounter around the world.
Mike Horn will begin the "Pole2Pole" expedition in Monaco on May 6, 2016 then sail his expedition boat, the PANGAEA, south to Namibia. The expedition will continue in the G-Class through the Namib, the world's oldest desert on the Namibian coast. The route will then take him through Botswana's Okavango delta, the world's largest inland delta, prior to reaching Cape Town in South Africa. From there, PANGAEA will take him to the Antarctic which he will cross on skis by way of the South Pole. Mike will then sail the Pacific through Oceania where he will also explore parts of New Zealand and Australia. In Papua New Guinea, the G-Class will await for an expedition through unspoiled equatorial forests. Once in Asia, a further overland expedition with the G-Wagon will lead him through the tundra in Kamchatka, before he makes his way to the North Pole. From there, he will travel by ski and kayak to Greenland where he will return to his boat and finally complete the full loop of his trip by sailing back to Europe.
On his website www.mikehorn.com and under the hashtag #Pole2Pole, Mike Horn will continuously report the progress of his adventure, his experiences in the different countries and regions of the world and how the G-Class keeps managing the impossible. With the help of an interactive map, Mike Horn's fans will see where the adventurer is located and what he is experiencing.
The third joint expedition for Mercedes-Benz and Mike Horn
Mercedes-Benz and Mike Horn have been partners for many years. With his upcoming 'Pole2Pole' expedition, Mike Horn is reaching out to young people worldwide, to raise awareness and establish a better understanding of foreign cultures and their living environment.
Last year, Mercedes-Benz supported the expedition "Driven to Explore", during which both partners drew attention to environmental change 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.
About Mike Horn
Mike Horn, born in South Africa and resident in Switzerland, is a professional adventurer. 25 years ago, he pushed the limits of human abilities with a number of spectacular expeditions. He has circumnavigated the globe entirely without engine power, climbed four 8,000-metre mountains, followed the Arctic Circle around the globe in the Arctic winter and swum the length of the Amazon River.
About Mercedes-Benz Canada
Mercedes-Benz Canada is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of the Mercedes-Benz and AMG passenger vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Vans and smart. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. employs approximately 1,500 people in 21 locations across Canada. Through a nationwide network of 11 Mercedes-Benz owned retail operations and 46 authorized dealerships, Mercedes-Benz Canada sold 44,526 vehicles in 2015. This represents the best year ever for the company and has positioned Mercedes-Benz as the top luxury manufacturer in Canada for the second consecutive year.
Further information from Mercedes-Benz is available on the internet at: www.media.mercedes-benz.ca
SOURCE Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.
Image with caption: "Extreme athlete and adventurer Mike Horn traveled from Calgary to Jasper (Alberta, Canada) and back to test the two G-Class SUVs he will be using during the “Pole2Pole” expedition, during which he will circumnavigate the globe via the two poles. (CNW Group/Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160404_C7498_PHOTO_EN_656921.jpg
Image with caption: "Extreme athlete and adventurer Mike Horn traveled from Calgary to Jasper (Alberta, Canada) and back to test the two G-Class SUVs he will be using during the “Pole2Pole” expedition, during which he will circumnavigate the globe via the two poles. (CNW Group/Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160404_C7498_PHOTO_EN_656923.jpg
Image with caption: "Extreme athlete and adventurer Mike Horn traveled from Calgary to Jasper (Alberta, Canada) and back to test the two G-Class SUVs he will be using during the “Pole2Pole” expedition, during which he will circumnavigate the globe via the two poles. (CNW Group/Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160404_C7498_PHOTO_EN_656925.jpg
JoAnne Caza, 416-847-7550, [email protected]; Nathalie Gravel, 416-847-7509, [email protected]
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