Amputee Climber Makes History on Everest
Six years after a Nepal banned double amputee climbers from Everest, Hari Budha Magar has reached the summit
Hari Budha Magar has made history for becoming the first double above-the-knee amputee climber to summit Mount Everest. Magar lost both legs above the knee after stepping on an improvised explosive device while serving in Afghanistan more than a decade ago.
The former soldier started up Everest April 17, along with hundreds of other climbers, but had to wait above base camp for eight days while the weather improved. “I hugged all the Sherpas and cried like a baby, I was so happy,” Magar said in a video released by his press office.
“All of my jackets were completely freezing,” Magar to the Associated Press. “It was all frozen. Even our warm water, we put hot water in the thermos, and that was also frozen and we were not able to drink. When I came down we ran out of oxygen. The guys came up with oxygen, I was bumping down on my bum and we had 30, 40 minutes of oxygen, and we still had about two, three hours to get down.”
In 2017, Nepal banned solo, blind, and double amputee climbers from Everest. Magar called the ban as discriminatory and was part of the effort that saw the Supreme Court of Nepal overturn the dumb rule. “My lifetime goal is to change the perceptions people have of disability,” he said. “My life changed in a blink of an eye. But whatever happens, you can still lead a fulfilling life.”If a double above-knee amputee can climb Everest, you can climb whatever mountain you face, as long as you are disciplined, work hard and put everything into it.”
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