Wigan dad breaks world record with sub-zero lake trek

Orrell father-of-four Mike Stevenson traversed Siberia’s Lake Baikal - solo and unsupported - in 11 days, 14 hours and 11 minutes, becoming the fastest person ever known to have crossed the 675km lake on his own.

Baikal, the world’s biggest fresh water lake, is frozen solid at this time of year and the mission was carried out on foot.

Mike endured extremely cold temperatures of -35c and winds of up to 140kph - powerful enough to knock him off his feet - in his quest to achieve the fastest known time.

But he is no stranger to the brutal Siberian conditions.

The 41-year-old was part of a three-man British expedition team which crossed the lake faster than any other group in history in 2018. Together with Scott Gilmour and Rob Trigwell, Mike covered a distance of around 640km (397 miles) in 12 days, 21 hours and 13 minutes.

The group attempted to break their own record last year, but Mike had to withdraw from the expedition due to injury.

And this year, he set his sights on another daunting task - to complete the treacherous challenge entirely by himself. And in doing so, he beat the previous solo time of 11 days, 15 hours, 28 minutes.

“The record really wasn’t a priority although I always knew it was possible,” said Mike who, when not crossing frozen lakes, is also a training officer for Bolton Mountain Rescue.

“Being solo added an extra dimension in terms of danger and safety and all decisions, strategy were made by me instead of having a team to plan and bounce thoughts around.

“So the real priorities were a safe trip and then full crossing. After last year’s withdrawal, the record was the icing on the cake.”

It would’ve been all too easy for Mike to be demoralised by how abruptly his previous crossing attempt was cut short by injury. Instead, he used the failure as motivation.

He said: “The motivation was never lacking, it was bursting! The previous failure did however install a fear of failure, and the reality that it could all go wrong again. So I was meticulous in everything from personal care whilst there - face, feet etc - and in preparation, which paid off. I spent hours stripping and rebuilding my stoves in prep and sure enough there were issues.”

He added: “Being solo also meant the was no let up. With a team you take turns on the stoves etc, giving you nights of for self care and admin.

“So being solo added to the strains and demands, but delivered the opportunity to really experience this magical place in solitude, which I relished and will never forget.”

Mike documented his expedition with his own blog, which can be read at frozentracks.com