Polar adventurer comes in from the cold

Mike Horn was on an expedition around the arctic polar circle Keystone Archive

The Swiss-based adventurer, Mike Horn, has been flown back to Switzerland for frostbite treatment following a failed arctic expedition.

The South-African born adventurer finally arrived in Switzerland on Friday evening after days of delay.

He was immediately transferred to a specialist hospital in Chamonix, France, where medics hope to save his severely frostbitten thumbs.

Horn’s press spokesman said that it had taken three days to get the 35-year-old adventurer home.

Horn decided to abandon his 18-month expedition by foot around the arctic polar circle on Tuesday because of the pain in his hands, caused by frostbite.

He was more than a month into his journey and was 600km short of the North Pole. He had been battling temperatures of minus 30.

Russian doctors

Before he was rescued by Russian doctors, Horn had to give himself morphine injections to alleviate the pain. The doctors then returned to Dickson in Russia, with Horn on board their helicopter.

But bad weather soon put an end to any immediate plans to airlift Horn back home. Horn was hospitalised for twenty-eight hours before the weather cleared.

Despite his injuries, Horn’s spokesman said the adventurer would not be put- off future expeditions to the ends of the earth.

Horn still intends to resume his 20,000km journey around the arctic polar circle in two months time. His epic journey would take him across Canada, Alaska, Siberia and Greenland.

swissinfo with agencies