What’s your excuse for not making it to the top? Hari Budha Magar’s not making any. The Nepalese mountaineer and Gurkha regiment veteran, who lost both legs above the knee on active duty in 2010, just summitted Mount Everest.
It’s the first time anyone with his disability (double above the knee amputation) has done it, and he frames the accomplishment as a message of perseverance.
“My lifetime goal is to change the perceptions people have of disability. My life changed in a blink of an eye. But whatever happens, you can still lead a fulfilling life,” he said in a video after the ascent, per the Associated Press.
Magar was serving as a Gurkha Corporal in Afghanistan when tragedy struck in the form of an improvised explosive device. And though he admitted he’s survived through dark days, his resulting condition hasn’t stopped him from exuding positivity.
Magar secured his groundbreaking summit of Everest late in the afternoon of May 19, 2023, marking the beginning of week of historical firsts for climbers with disabilities on Everest. (The first American team of Deaf climbers summitted May 22, and the first blind climber from Mexico reached the top on May 23.)
It’s just the latest episode in an ambitious mountaineering career. He’s also ticked the Himalayan peaks of Mera (21,247 feet) and Choubkal Far East (19,833 feet), Mont Blanc, and many others.
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