Thu, Apr 20, 2023 page16

• Double-amputee veteran ready to take on Everest

  • AFP, KATHMANDU
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  Gurkha veteran Hari Budha Magar grew up in the shadow of the Himalayas, but only after losing his legs did he resolve to make his childhood dream of scaling Everest a reality.

  Magar, 43, stepped on an improvised explosive device in 2010 while serving in Afghanistan with the Brigade of Gurkhas — a unit of Nepalese recruited into the British army.

  After years of rehabilitation and training, next month he plans to summit the world’s highest mountain, an endeavor promoted on his Web site under the slogan “no legs, no limits.”

  

  Climber Hari Budha Magar poses for a photograph during an interview in Kathmandu on April 3.

  Photo: AFP

  If successful, the expedition would make him the first double above-the-knee amputee to scale the 8,849m peak.

  “After losing both of my legs, my aim became to see what I could do physically. It opened my mind, and I attempted everything I could put my hands on,” Magar said before setting off for the Everest Base Camp.

  Magar grew up in Nepal, in the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range, and was always drawn to adventure sports.

  

  Double-amputee climber Hari Budha Magar, 43, sits next to his mountaineering gear before leaving for Everest in Kathmandu on April 3.

  Photo: EPA-EFE

  “When I would ski, the sight of the mountains would remind me of Everest. I would always wonder if I could climb,” he said.

  Two below-the-knee amputees have reached the peak in the past — New Zealander Mark Inglis in 2006 and China’s Xia Boyu in 2018.

  Magar began preparing for his own expedition the same year as Xia’s ascent, but was forced to suspend training to campaign against a since-revoked Nepalese law that banned climbers with disabilities on safety grounds.

  He climbs wearing a specially designed suit and grips attached to shortened prosthetics, with silicon liners under his thighs to prevent frostbite.

  Magar finally feels ready for the monumental task ahead after successful summits of Nepal’s Mera Peak (6,476m) and the highest peak in the Alps, Mont Blanc (4,808m).

  “There have been many difficulties, but finally everything is coming together for my dream,” he said.

  His expedition has echoes of the first-ever summit of Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, news of which reached the UK on the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.

  It is a happy coincidence for Magar that his summit coincides with next month’s crowning of King Charles III, almost 70 years later, giving him an opportunity to honor the country he served in battle.

  “That’s the crown I fought for. That’s the crown I lost my legs for,” he said.

  Magar wears shorts everywhere, even in the chilly Himalayan weather, to proudly flaunt his prosthetic legs — but it took him a long time to come to terms with his injury.

  “I thought my life was over, I thought I would have to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair,” he said.

  The father of three felt suicidal and developed a drinking problem before the thought of his children’s futures forced him to re-evaluate his own.

  “My main aim is to raise awareness about disability. Because if I was aware, I wouldn’t waste two years of my life. I would have made good use of it,” he said.
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