Here are the press communiqués published last spring (2002) when Mike Horn with frozen fingers had to give up on Arctic ice-pack

VISIT MIKE'S HORN WEBSITE

Tuesday 16 April : Mike is back home (his last press communiqué)

We are very sorry for the lack of news over the last few days. It's hard to believe that in such a short time Mike has already been repatriated back to Switzerland and has undergone treatment for his three frozen fingers. We imagine most of you in Switzerland have been kept well informed of the happenings by the press. Others however may not have been so well informed so we'll quickly update you.

10th of April - Following to the advice of his doctor, Mike stays in his tent and bathes his hands in warm water. The pain in his frostbitten fingers becomes almost unbearable and the day is long. Mike contacts the doctor again and is told to take the morphine tablets he has with him in his pharmacy. The morphine soon takes the edge off the pain and Mike finally sleeps knowing that Groupama Assistance are organising a repatriment plan. The helicopter will soon be with him and medical treatment will be given.

Mike is awoken at 2400hrs GMT by the sound of the approaching MI8 helicopter. It's unbelievable a helicopter would fly with such strong winds!! The helicopter strategically hovers above the unstable ice, drops the ladder and Mike is able to scramble aboard, pulling his equipment up behind him. The helicopter was unable to land with these winds and also because Mike was situated on a very small island surrounded by thin ice. Once on board Mike was immediately greeted by a Russian doctor and film crew. It's a welcoming sight for Mike but a very sad moment for him to leave the ice. After a moment of reflection, Mike bids goodbye to the ice, his home for the last 45 days, and the helicopter departs. Mike is taken to a meteorological base called Dickson, a flight of 8 hours with refueling stop on the Island of Sredny. On his arrival to Dickson he was immediately greeted by an ambulance and taken directly to hospital. At long last Mike is in a warm environment and the healing process can now begin. Mike spends one evening in Dickson and the following day is transported to Noril'sk, the biggest town North of the Arctic Circle.

In the meantime, Groupama Assistance have organised a private jet from Paris to collect Cathy and Dr Cauchy in Geneva (Dr Cauchy is the frostbite specialist from Chamonix). They fly directly to Moscow, refuel then continue to Noril'sk where they finally meet Mike. It's an emotional greeting and a happy one.

12th of April - 1800hrs - Mike arrives in Geneva, Switzerland, and is driven immediately to Chamonix with Dr Cauchy. The same evening he starts the first of three 6 hr intravascular vasodilator injections along with regular antiseptic soaks. This intravascular treatment virtually pushes the blood to the extremities encouraging a regrowth of dead tissue. The treatment finishes three days later and on the16th of April he is finally able to return home to Switzerland.

MEDICAL REPORT

Mike has three fingers affected with frostbite, the two thumbs and the ring finger on the right hand. They are grade 2 burns so he fortunately will not need to have an amputation of the joint. We are looking at the removal of only the upper part of the two thumbs descending half way down the nail. We believe the bone has not been affected but may possibly need to be cut for aesthetic purposes only. The ring finger on the right hand is not affected as badly as the two thumbs and most of the tip will be saved. A scinthigraphy has confirmed this information.
The decision to return home was very difficult for Mike beacuse he was only 25 to 30 days away from the Pole . Luckily the decision was made at the correct time and he was able to save further damage to his fingers. We are optimistic he will regain full use of his fingers and will continue is expedition once they have healed.
and to coninue....
Mike is now at home with his family and will return to Chamonix in 8-10 days for the removal of the three affected finger tips. He has every intention to continue the ARKTOS expedition but may delay the departure point and date to coincide with the complete recovery of his fingers which may take 4-5 months.
It's a great disappointment for Mike to return home now when he was so close to the Pole, but even so, he is happy with the progress he made. He managed 45 days on the ice over the most difficult terrain, with a heavily laden sledge and extremely bad weather conditions. He arrived at 85°N, the point where it's all the way downhill to the Pole, the terrain flattens out, the kite can now be used and the sledge is lighter. Not a bad effort at all. He is very happy with the equipment he used and now has all the knowledge and experience needed for the Arktos expedition. He is very optimistic that all will continue as previously planned.
He would like to thank all those people who supported him over this difficult period, the healers, the prayers, those who wrote letters, SMS, phonecalls etc. He now has a backload of mails to get through so has enough to keep him busy and out of mischief with for a while.
We intend to keep you constantly updated on this site, keep you informed of Mikes progress, his rehabilitation after surgery and his eventual departure on the Arktos expedition. We are awaiting photos from the Pole and will download them as soon as possible.

Many thanks again to you all. Next update soon !

Friday 12 April

A week ago, Mike Horn developed frost-bite on both his thumbs and his right index-finger just by removing his gloves for a few seconds to tie his shoelaces at -40°C! On the advice of his doctor received by Internet, he treated himself by soaking his hands for an hour a day in hot water, but Horn is going to be picked up, and will suspend his expedition temporarily, in order to have treatment: the pain was just unbearable.
Mike Horn abandoned on 9 April. He has already announced that once his injuries have healed, he'll be back.
He had reached position 84°38' N / 88° 33' E.

Monday 1st April

Position 1 April: 84° 01' N. / 90° 26'.

27 March: 83° 45' N / 91°12'. Mike has reached the 700 km mark, and only has another 698 km to go before reaching the North Pole. His progress on the hummocked terrain of the ice floe is still difficult, but his morale is good and recent days have been rather calm.
Extract from his web site: "By chance, I have not met too many bears, although I have seen their tracks and those of the Alaskan tundra hare. The temperature remains extremely cold and the relief is still a nightmare. Once you have succeeded in dragging the sled over one iceberg, you immediately have to repeat the feat by hoisting it over the next one. It is tough going, and very frustrating. I would like to find some flat ground and try my kite again".

Tuesday 19 March

Mike Horn was dropped by Cerpolex at Cape Arktishevksi on 2 March. But having observed a vast expanse of open water which lay on his route north, he preferred to wait for the helicopter to return two days later with three other teams of polar adventurers on board to hitch a ride and have himself dropped off 20 km further, at 80° 35' N, while the other three teams were dropped at latitude 80° 45'.

Mike Horn experienced a heavy storm at the start of his journey. But he was not too badly affected. Has progressed by about 10 km per day since the start, and saw two bears mating (let's hope he remembered to take some photos).

The latest news was posted to his site on 18 March. Rest day for the South African adventurer. He needed it after a fortnight of difficult progress. Not only did he have to mend some of his equipment, but he also need to treat a few blisters on his feet but more seriously, he had frostbitten ears which were hurting.

What is more, his ski skins. In other words, rather a tough start.