In April 1997, Mike launched his first big expedition: the six-month solo traverse of the South American continent. He left on foot from the Pacific Ocean and climbed to the source of the Amazon River high in the Peruvian Andes. From there he descended the 7,000 km of the Amazon River by hydrospeed, until he reached the Atlantic Ocean.

Mike gained world fame in 2001 after completing a solo journey around the equator without motorized transport. He left from Gabon in 1999 westwards and crossed oceans and continents by foot, boat, bike, kayak until he reached his point of departure 18 months later.

In 2002, Mike set off on his next big solo adventure: the circumnavigation of the world via the Arctic Circle. It was a solitary voyage of two years and three months without motorized transport (boat, kayak, ski kite and on foot) on 20,000 kilometers odyssey. Mike left North Cape in Norway and went through Greenland, Canada, Alaska, Bering Strait and Russian Siberia before he reached North Cape.

In a world-first, Mike set off on a 60-day voyage on skis without dogs or motorized transportation during the Arctic night with Norwegian explorer Borge Ousland in 2006. From February to March they dragged pulkas from Cape Artichesky in Russia to the North Pole. For two months the pair walked in total darkness, and often on paper-thin ice.

In 2008, Mike started the Pangaea expedition for which him and his team launched the Young Explorers Program (YEP). On this 4-year journey around the globe, over 100 Young Explorers were selected to join Mike on his sailing vessel Pangaea to explore the world and implement social and environmental projects along the way – following the motto “explore – learn – act”.

In May 2016, Mike embarked on a three-year circumnavigation of the globe via the South and North Poles including ocean crossings and overland expeditions. In November 2016, Mike sailed from Cape Town to Antarctica where he became the first person to cross the Antarctic continent at its largest via the South Pole and in record timing.