Mike Horn
| Mike Horn | |
|---|---|
| Born |
16 July 1966 Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Nationality | South African, Swiss |
| Occupation | explorer, motivational speaker |
| Known for | Completing a solo journey around the equator without motorised transport. |
| Website | mikehorn |
Mike Horn (born 16 July 1966) is a South African-born Swiss professional explorer and adventurer. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa he currently resides in Château d'Oex, Switzerland. He studied Human Movement Science at Stellenbosch University in Western Cape, South Africa. Horn is currently undertaking his latest expedition Pole2Pole, a two-year circumnavigation of the globe via the two poles.
Mike Horn became famous in 2001 after completing a one-year, 6-month solo journey around the equator without any motorised transport. In 2004 he completed a two-year, 3-month solo circumnavigation of the Arctic Circle, and in 2006 along with Norwegian explorer Børge Ousland, became the first men to travel without dog or motorised transport to the North Pole during winter, in permanent darkness.
Mike was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He spent most of his childhood outdoors climbing trees, cycling for miles and fishing with his three brothers and sisters. Both of his parents were university teachers, but his father was also a professional rugby player.
During an interview with Ozy, Mike said that he learned to challenge himself from a young age, but it was the army that taught him about survival. “I hate war but I think it prepared me for what I do today,” he said, remembering his days in the military service when he was sent to Angola and first witnessed death. “I was only an 18-year-old kid when I discovered one will do anything to stay alive”.
He studied Human Movement Science at the University of Stellenbosch in Western Cape, South Africa.
Mike says he first felt the call of the wild at 24 years old. He quit his comfortable sports science job, gave everything away and moved to Switzerland. From there, he embarked on a series of adventures, including descending by delta plane from a 22,000-foot mountain and riverboarding the world’s deepest canyon.
Mike was married to Cathy Horn. She died in February 2015 due to breast cancer. Mike Horn has two daughters, Annika (b. 1993) and Jessica (b. 1994).
Horn uses his experiences to motivate sportsmen and other people involved in challenging work such as deep sea drilling. During 2010 and 2011, he conducted motivational sessions for the Indian Cricket Team at the request of its coach, Gary Kirsten. The team went on to win the 2011 Cricket World Cup for the second time after 28 years. Members of Indian Cricket Team acknowledged Horn's motivational work.
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Wikipedia