Former British soldier, Hari Budha Magar arrived in Kathmandu yesterday to start his final preparations for a record setting attempt to be the first Double Above the Knee Amputee (DAK) to climb Everest.
Hari’s climb is planned for May which coincides with both HRH King Charles’ coronation and the 70th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest by Edmond Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953.
Through the expedition, Hari aims to raise awareness of disability and changing perceptions on what is possible showing that with the right mindset everyone, irrespective of their disability, can climb their ‘own mountain’.
“I would like to give courage to others to climb their own mountain whatever that might be and follow their dreams,” said Hari.
“We can achieve anything if we have a positive attitude and right mindset and adapt our life according to a particular time and situation.”
Before his departure and in the days leading up to his climb Hari was joined by fellow veterans, Gurkhas and supporters of his world first Everest climb for an emotional send off at the Oriental club in London.
At the event, he was delighted to receive long time supporter, and national acting treasure, Dame Joanna Lumley, who addressed the attendees, talking of her support for Hari’s mission to show there are no limits for those with a disability.
During his climb Hari is raising funds for five veterans charities – Team Forces, The Gurkha Welfare Trust, Pilgrim Bandits, Blesma and On Course Foundation, with the aim of raising £884,900 – the height of Everest plus two zeroes.
The former Corporal, who served for 15 years in the British Army’s Gurkha regiment, will take on the world’s tallest mountain and face the world’s toughest conditions despite losing both legs in Afghanistan in 2010 after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded while on patrol.
Whilst addressing the event, Lumley said “He [Hari] is literally taking on the toughest challenge on the planet.”
“My father served in Gurkhas, and there is something about their infectious, can do, optimistic, good humoured, grasp of life, and Hari is simply an inspiration to us and the wider world.
“For those people who have disabilities of any kind who think it’s going to be hard, they can look to Hari who has faced an end-of-life experience, who quite apart from losing his legs endured the phycological trauma of being blown up in a hostile land.”
As she doffed her expedition cap, Dame Joanna Lumley finished by saying, “Chapeau to you Hari – we are all behind you.”
As he headed off to the plane Hari commented: “Having grown up in rural Nepal looking up at mountains – it’s always been a dream to climb Everest.
“I totally understand its dangerous. Some of my family even think I’m mad taking on the climb, but it’s a lifelong dream and we trained hard and put everything in palace to make it possible.
“As it’s going to take me three times longer to climb than able bodied climber, we’ve had to rethink a lot of the logistics and technologies to make it possible.
“I’ll also be aiming to climb more at night than other climbers. Not only is that to give me more climbing time, but it’s also better to climb on the firmer ice, rather than snow.
“It’s been 5 years in the planning with new prosthetic technologies, a rigorous training programme and planning that has added an additional camp to the traditional route. Our Everest expedition is pushing boundaries further than they have ever been pushed.”
Around 12-15% of the world’s population has some kind of disability, and Hari is on a mission to change perceptions of disability.
Hari’s Everest expedition is being led by Krish Thapa, former Chief Mountain Instructor at the SAS and world-renowned climber. Through Krish’s expert support and guidance Hari has already made history as the first double above-knee amputee to trek to the Everest Base Camp.
Reaching the 8,849m (29,029ft) Everest summit will be the ultimate test. The human body is not designed to operate at that altitude.
Krishna Thapa, who has been training with Hari since 2016, said: “I’ve worked with some tough guys in my time, but Hari is up there with the toughest. If he puts his mind to a task, you are damn sure that he’s going to give it every fibre of his being to get the job done.”
“There are no words to describe the monumental challenge that he’s undertaking, but we’ll be there every step of the way – and in six months’ time I can’t wait to share that special moment with Hari on top of the world.”
Hari’s recent training climb on Himlung Himal, has helped prepare him and his team to be more resilient against some of the challenging weather conditions and circumstances that they could face on Everest.
To support Hari’s Everest Appeal expedition, visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/harieverestappeal
Hari is supported by his presenting partner Team Forces and partners Barratt Developments PLC, Branding Science Group, the Oriental Club, Ottobock and Therabody, along with over 20 other amazing official supporters who have made the climb possible, details of which can be found on his website www.haribudhamagar.com
