Gurkha soldier vows to fight on after ban on double amputees scuppers Everest dream
A FORMER Gurkha soldier who lost his legs in Afghanistan has said he will keep fighting to fulfil his dreams of climbing Everest after he was thwarted by the Nepalese government.
Hari Budha Magar, 38, from Kent, trained for 18 months with an experienced mountaineering team but had to fly back to the UK from Nepal after its government banned double amputees, blind people and solo climbers from tackling the world’s highest peak.
Mr Magar, who was born in Nepal, told The Daily Telegraph: “I’m very disappointed, but I’m working on what we can do about it.
Everyone who has supported me is very positive and helping me to see what we can do to change the Nepal government’s mind.”
The former corporal lost his legs above the knees when he was hit by an improvised explosive device while serving with the Royal Gurkha Rifles in Afghanistan in 2010. “It’s obviously disheartening after all the work I have put into my training,” he said. “The majority of Nepalese people have been very helpful.” The ruling drew criticism from disability rights groups around the world.
Mr Magar wears specially designed crampons attached to shortened, titanium prosthetics to climb, and has reached the summit of Mera Peak, in Nepal, and trained on Mont Blanc.
He said: “For the last 18 months, I have been training intensely hoping for this chance. It’s very unfair for amputees, and blind people – it’s not like I would be making an attempt without proper support and a good team. The government should be looking at each case individually.”
Since the IED took his legs, Mr Magar has strived to show amputees can still take part in an active lifestyle and to realise his dream of climbing Everest.