In a staggering display of human resilience, a former British Army Gurkha who lost both legs in a Taliban bomb blast has made mountaineering history. Hari Budha Magar, 46, has become the first double above-knee amputee to conquer the highest peak on every continent, completing his seven-year quest this week on the frozen slopes of Antarctica.
From Battlefield to the World's Highest Peaks
Mr Magar's life changed forever in April 2010 during a patrol in Afghanistan's Helmand province. Just a fortnight into his deployment, an improvised explosive device detonated beneath him, resulting in the traumatic loss of both legs above the knee. The injury ended his military career with the Royal Gurkha Rifles and plunged him into a deep depression, leading to a suicide attempt and reliance on alcohol and painkillers.
However, after ten months of gruelling rehabilitation to learn to walk on prosthetic limbs, the Nepali-born soldier found a new purpose. He began with skydiving and skiing before setting his sights on a childhood dream: climbing Mount Everest. In May 2023, he reached the summit of the world's highest mountain, overturning a previous legal ban on disabled climbers in Nepal to do so.
The Final Gruelling Ascent in Antarctica
The culmination of his global challenge came at 10pm on Tuesday, when Mr Magar, now a father-of-three living in Canterbury, Kent, stood atop Mount Vinson in Antarctica. The final climb involved a 400-mile journey inland across the frozen continent and a brutal three-day ascent in temperatures as low as -25°C (-13°F).
"The climb was very tough, I was literally crawling on all fours, battling my way up the mountain," Mr Magar said after descending. He described the moment he reached the rocky summit ridge, taking in views where "spectacular Antarctic mountain peaks pierced a thin layer of cloud below."
A Mission to Inspire and Raise Awareness
Mr Magar's extraordinary achievement, completed using specially adapted ice and snow prosthetics, is about far more than personal glory. His mission has been twofold: to raise significant funds for charity and to fundamentally challenge perceptions of disability.
"My message to the world is to everyone, whether living with a disability or able-bodied: anything is possible with enough determination," he stated. "Yes, you might need to adapt your approach, get help, or think differently, but you can do it. A disability shouldn't limit the size of your dream, or your ability to achieve it."
His journey to this point began in 1999, when he was one of just 230 selected from 12,000 applicants to join the elite Brigade of Gurkhas. Born in a cowshed in Nepal, he was recruited and began training in Kent. Before his injury, he served on tours across the globe from Kenya to Kosovo.
For his services to disability awareness, Hari Budha Magar was awarded an MBE, which he received from the Princess Royal at Windsor Castle earlier in 2024. His story stands as a powerful testament to the Gurkha motto he lives by: 'Better to die than be a coward.'
