MIKE HORN t i f e : U h H A t D & Mike Horn May, 2016: Mike Horn embarks on his latest project, the Pole2Pole expedition. The venture will see Mike circling the globe via the two Poles in two years. The breaking of many world-firsts will be on Mike s daily agenda, the most striking being the crossing of the Antarctica continent via the South Pole on skis, while pulling a 200 kg sledge. The sledge will carry all of Mike s sport equipment for ski touring and snow kiting, as well as his food provisions to survive during the four months he will spend traversing the Antarctica continent. The world s greatest modern day explorer seeks to make the 7 000km traverse of the Antarctica continent in record time, both by ski touring and snow kiting, taking advantage of the strong polar winds. In order to achieve his goal, Mike needed to come up with the ideal solution that could increase his chances of making it through Antarctica in the fastest and safest possible way.
MIKE HORN During his previous polar expeditions, Mike learned that it was not possible to use the same boots for ski touring and snow kiting: the boots were in fact not stiff enough to withhold his body weight against the pressure of the kite. Having to switch boots at a temperature of -40 C, the explorer needed to set up a tent just to be able to change his shoes without freezing his feet. The whole process of setting up and warming the tent took approximately 2 hours each time he needed to switch to snow kiting boots to make the most of the favourable polar winds. Surely finding a more efficient solution was a priority for Mike, if he wanted to take a shot at making the traverse in record time. It was at this stage that he approached Nicolas Frey, DAHU Sports Company s founder, at the 2016 edition of the International Sport Business Exhibition (PO) in Munich. Mike s interest into DAHU was driven by the product s versatility, as it combines warm and comfortable all-terrain footwear, inside an innovative exoskeleton. This piece of gear will allow him to potentially save up to four weeks during the overall Pole crossing.
MIKE HORN Excited about the challenge of helping Mike fulfil his dream, the DAHU team has been working towards the creation of the ideal boot that could fit Mike s endeavour. The combination of Mike s knowledge and experience of the extreme polar conditions, paired with DAHU s technical expertise in ski boots making has resulted in an exceptional collaboration that has allowed for the creation of the ideal shoe for Mike s unique needs. It truly is the perfect fit! After our first contact in Munich, we had the opportunity to have a first official meeting with Mike in order to establish his primary boots needs. Having set the guidelines, the second step was to find potential solutions to accommodate to Mike s requests. The DAHU exoskeleton is built with some of the most resistant materials available in production, therefore only a few adjustments were needed in order to make it Pole-proof. The buckles were made in high strength aluminum alloy with stainless steel base, fitting into simplified ratchets that would facilitate closing the boot. The Norwegian expedition boot perfectly fitting inside the DAHU exoskeleton, the final solution includes two entirely compatible systems, allowing Mike to use the same boot for walking, ski touring and snow kiting. The entire system is then as functional as possible with everything being interchangeable and easy to adjust even while wearing large gloves.
MIKE HORN EASY-TO-USE CLOSURE SYSTEM MADE OUT OF HIGH STRENGTH ALUMINUM ALLOY POLYVALENT WINDPROOF HOT ADJUSTABLE DAHU SHELL EXCLUSIVE GRILAMID MATERIAL, HIGH RESTANCE TO IMPACTS AT VERY LOW TEMPERATURE 1 PIECE ONLY REINFORCED POWER BEAM ADAPTIVE AND EASY-TO-USE STRAPS SYSTEM TAYLOR-MADE REAR BINDING, SIMPLE, AND USING AVIONAL SUPER-STRONG ALLOY TOE BOX COVER; THERMAL INSULATION, REINFORCEMENT AND PROTECTION AGAINST ICE DAHU SHELL INTERFACE, WITH HIGH TORSION STRENGTH TAYLOR-MADE FRONT BINDING, MADE OUT OF AVIONAL, WITH INTEGRATED SHOCK ABSORBER INNER BOOT BINDING FROM ROTTEFELLA, LIGHT AND EASY-TO-USE
MIKE HORN dahusports.com