Double amputee’s incredible journey to climb highest peaks on every continent
At 46 years old, Hari Budha Magar has achieved what few mountaineers can claim: he has summited the highest mountain on every continent.
Completing the formidable Seven Summits challenge is an extraordinary feat for any climber, but what sets Hari apart is that he did it as a double above-knee amputee, relying on specially designed prosthetic legs to carry him to the roof of the world.
Born in Nepal and now based in Kent, Hari is a former Gurkha soldier in the British Army.
However, his life changed irrevocably in 2010 during a deployment in Afghanistan, when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near him. The blast caused catastrophic injuries, and both of his legs were amputated above the knee.
For many, such trauma would mark the end of physical ambition. For Hari, it became the beginning of a new chapter defined by resilience and purpose.
He admits that initially, after losing his legs, he suffered from PTSD, saying he ‘felt lost and had no confidence’ after defining his career as a tough, action-focused soldier.
‘I couldn’t focus, my brain got foggy, I couldn’t remember things and got irritated very easily,’ Hari tells Metro.
While treatment provided by UK-based charity Combat Stress helped him manage his mental wellbeing, Hari found that it was being in the mountains that served as the best medicine.
Determined not to be defined by his injuries, he turned to conquering some of the world’s biggest peaks as a way to test the limits of his body and, more importantly, to inspire others living with disabilities.
His journey into the mountains was not immediate or easy. It required years of rehabilitation, mental recalibration, and learning how to move again using prosthetics that were never originally designed for extreme alpine environments.
‘Life is all about adaptation, and nothing is impossible,’ he explains. ‘I have come to learn that whatever happens, happens for a reason. We can’t change our past, but we can choose our future.’
His first major breakthrough came in August 2019, when he successfully climbed Mont Blanc, Western Europe’s highest peak.
The ascent marked a turning point, proving that the world’s great mountains were not beyond his reach. From there, his ambitions grew.
In May 2023, Hari captured global attention when he became the first double above-knee amputee to summit Mount Everest.
The achievement was historic not only for its physical difficulty, but also because he had to challenge and overturn restrictive Nepalese regulations that previously barred amputees from attempting Everest.
Enduring extreme cold, altitude, and exhaustion, he stood on the world’s highest point as a symbol of perseverance and inclusion.
Just a few weeks ago, on January 6, Hari completed the final chapter of his Seven Summits quest by reaching the top of Mount Vinson in Antarctica, at 4,892 metres.
With that ascent, he completed the prestigious challenge, which comprises Mount Everest (Asia), Aconcagua (South America), Denali (North America), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Elbrus (Europe), Vinson (Antarctica), and either Puncak Jaya or Kosciuszko (Oceania).
While photographs from his summits show Hari smiling triumphantly, ice axes raised against sweeping backdrops of snow and sky, he is candid about the suffering that lies behind those images.
‘Climbing mountains as a double amputee is complex,’ he explains.
‘It affects everything I do, from my daily routine to the actual climb itself. I have almost died several times.’
Hari recalls a touch-and-go moment on Mont Blanc, when his guide slipped on a slope, and it was only the right crampon attached to Hari’s stump that stopped them both from sliding further.
‘We were shaking for a while and then carried on,’ he says. ‘If the crampon hadn’t been attached to me, we would both have died, as we were tied to the same rope.’
Then, while climbing Everest, Hari also stared death in the face when he ran out of oxygen above the ‘death zone’. In a moment he remembers vividly, his guide gave him his own oxygen to save him before descending to a lower camp to get help.
Despite these near-death experiences leaving their mark, Hari says that each time he ran into difficulty, ‘I took a long breath, adjusted my mind, learned from my mistakes, and carried on.’
The physical toll is immense. Hari estimates that he moves at around one-third the speed of able-bodied climbers and burns three times as much energy.
His prosthetic legs – custom-adapted with ice-gripping technology – add extra weight to his pack, while friction causes painful rubbing and blisters around his groin and stumps.
Following his Vinson ascent, he developed infections on both stumps and is currently finding it difficult to walk.
Remarkably, however, he avoided frostbite and altitude sickness – common potentially life-threatening dangers even for elite mountaineers.
Training for the Seven Summits was another challenge altogether.
Without the financial means to hire a personal trainer and unable to train outdoors independently, Hari had to be inventive. He effectively recreated mountain conditions in his local gym.
‘I replicated mountain action using everyday workout apparatus,’ he said simply.
He trained two to three hours a day, often starting at 6am. His sessions focused on cardiovascular endurance, lower- and upper-body strength, conditioning, and balance – each element critical for hauling himself and his equipment up steep, icy terrain using prosthetics.
Nutrition, too, played a role, though Hari avoided rigid diets.
Instead, he ate small portions throughout the day rather than large meals. His staples included eggs, porridge, meat, vegetables, salad, avocado, rice, bread, and plenty of fruit. He abstains from alcohol and has reduced his caffeine intake to maintain peak physical condition.
Now that he has completed the Seven Summits, Hari is looking ahead. A father-of-three, he is keen to focus on projects that will extend the impact of his achievements beyond mountaineering.
‘Now I have more time to play with, I will focus on a book, a documentary, and my aim is to set up a foundation this year,’ he said. ‘So even after I am long gone, my legacy can still make a difference.’
His ultimate goal, he says, is to inspire future generations to embrace challenge rather than fear it.
For those who dream of following in his titanium footsteps, Hari offers advice grounded in humility and hard-earned wisdom.
‘You must just do it and never give up,’ he said, ‘but it is important to be sensible too and evaluate risk. Many people tell me that I am mad and crazy. It’s okay to be a little bit nuts – but not stupid.”
His greatest lesson from the world’s highest peaks is one of respect. ‘Mother Nature is beautiful,’ he reflected, ‘but unforgiving when you don’t respect her.’