Kathmandu, April 5
The former Gurkha soldier who lost his legs in an explosion in Afghanistan, where he fought alongside Prince Harry, says he is not going to attempt to scale Everest this year.
Double Amputee Hari Budha Magar was preparing to scale the world’s highest peak last year when the government barred double amputees and visually impaired from attempting to climb the mountain. However, last month the Supreme Court stayed the new rule, paving the way for double amputees like Magar to get permits to climb the mountain.
The dad-of-three, who lives in the UK, said although the news of the court order was ‘fantastic’ he will not set foot on Everest this year. “We did not have enough time to prepare for the expedition,” said Magar from the UK. “We could not organise everything under such a short notice. The sponsors and the documentary crew were also not ready,” he Magar, who was horrifically injured after stepping on a bomb in April 2010.
Magar (38) began climbing with the support of fellow servicemen and has scaled numerous peaks including Ben Nevis and Mont Blanc, and is the only above-the-knee double amputee to summit the 6,476 metre Mera Peak in Nepal.
Meanwhile, China’s 70-year-old double amputee from Xia Boyu, who has already made four attempts to conquer the mountain, is all set to become the first double amputee to attempt a climb following the court order.
