Signature Aviation Spring 2025

INFLUENCE THE BIG INTERVIEW

MikeHorn on resilience, fortitude and courage

Explorer Mike Horn has solo-expeditioned in some of the harshest climates in the world, defying death and staring down obstacles like anacondas in the Amazon, polar bears in the Arctic and freezing ocean temperatures when the ice he was standing on broke. Despite losing his fi ngertips and toes to frostbite, he continues to explore. He tells Elite Traveler ’s Roberta Naas what drives him

Mike Horn is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished explorers of our era, renowned for his extraordinary ability to thrive in brutal conditions. Over three decades, Horn has pushed the boundaries of human potential through feats of endurance, courage and sheer inner determination: He took on a solo circumnavigation of the globe along the equator without the assistance of motorized equipment; he also circumnavigated the Arctic Circle (a 12,000-mile, two-year journey) in the same manner, trekked to the North Pole in complete darkness during winter, and was part of the fi rst team to cross both the South and North Poles. His 1997 Amazon River journey remains a standout in his storied career. After training with Brazilian special forces, he solo-hiked from the Paci fi cOceanto the Amazon’s source in the Peruvian Andes, then navigated nearly 4,400 miles of river on a hydrospeed board — living o ff the environment while confronting anacondas and piranhas, plus breaking a bone, over the course of six months. These extreme adventures — along with high-altitude endurance after summiting four of the highest mountains in the world and doing two years’ compulsory military service — underscore not only Horn’s physical stamina but also his extraordinary mental strength: “I understood at 17 or 18, when I was sent to war, that physical strength is limited but the

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live at home, what is important is your family, your comfort. But as you move up the pyramid, your needs change. When you go to war, your things, your car, your house — they are not as important as survival,” he says. “When you live on the top of the pyramid, where all that matters is survival, nothing else comes into play, and that is where you live your life to its fullest.” Horn’s expeditions have often pushed him to the edge. He has been bitten by snakes, lost fi ngertips to frostbite, and narrowly escaped death more than once. He recounts his experience of falling into the polar ocean when he was crossing the ice. “First you think about fi nding a way out; then, when you are out, you have only minutes to get dry, get warm — or die. The entire process from falling in until death is only about 14 minutes and, while that seems like a long time, it isn’t. Your mind has to process and force your body to move quickly. So, survival is more of a trade. It is something life teaches you when you go through these experiences again and again.” Horn adds that luck de fi nitely plays a role: “In circumstances that are not under our control, we need a little bit of luck, as well. Luck is something that allows explorers to live a little bit longer.” However, he admits that luck is just a tiny part of it. “If you’re not serious in the extreme sport of being an explorer, you’re not losing a match, you’re losing a life. We can play life only once. So, the way we prepare

power of the mind can outlast it. If you are afraid, you can never engage 100%. It is a button you have to turn on in your mind. I understood that my willingness and determination to survive must be bigger than the fear.” Horn, a Panerai brand ambassador and a man who likes to draw analogies to help people understand the thinking behind these incredible feats, says he was inspired as a child by several factors — not the least of which was his active father, who was a rugby star and who believed in pushing limits. He also says his philosophy is inspired by Maslow’s pyramid (a theory that organizes human needs into fi ve levels), which he uses to explain the prioritization of needs. “When you “I understood when I was sent to war, that physical strength is limited, but the power of the mind can outlast it”