Budha Magar, 43, a former member of the British Army born in Nepal, will embark on the challenge of a lifetime in May: trying to become the first double above-the-knee amputee to summit Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world . the world, whose summit is at 8,848.86 meters above sea level.
The former soldier, who has several mountaineering success stories, served in the British Army for 15 years. But in 2010 disaster struck: he lost both legs during a mission in Afghanistan and stepped on a mine.
For 18 months he went into a deep depression, with suicidal tendencies and indulged in alcoholism – “I thought my life was over, I often thought about suicide, I started drinking too much and became an alcoholic,” he admitted in one of the many interviews you’ve given.
Until a conversation with an ex-combatant changed his life. He started playing sports and found in these challenges the escape he needed to not give up. “It was my turning point, especially in terms of confidence. I always thought it was better to die than to be a coward. And I started to realize that I could do a lot of things even without both legs,” he recently told The Guardian.
Sports became his life – kayaking, golf, mountaineering, table tennis, archery, basketball, among others – until he devoted himself entirely to mountaineering. In 2017, he became the first double amputee above the knees to climb a mountain over 6,000 meters, Mera Peak, in the Himalayas. And he also ventured to Mont Blanc, Chulu Far East and Kilimanjaro.
The challenge now goes through Everest. The logistics weren’t easy, starting with fundraising (about $150,000) and trying to stop local authorities from approving it. to make the climb, a 2017 Nepalese law drafted in the wake of several deaths on the mountain banned singles, double amputees and the blind from climbing Everest. But he got permission and the expedition is about to start – it will start in the first two weeks of May, weather permitting.
Special prosthetics and logistics
The adventure has been thought out in detail (he will have a great team to accompany him) and Budha Magar will use a special prosthetic made especially for this challenge, with spikes for a better grip on the ground. But all the power will be at the base of the arms. “The prostheses were designed by an American mountaineer and they are very useful. I am fully prepared and hope to successfully complete my mission, but nothing is guaranteed. Basically, I will climb Everest with the strength of my arms and hands. I would say 60% of the climbing will be done by hand.”
To give you an idea of the feat, and because of his enormous limitations, the Nepalese adventurer takes three times longer to reach the top of Everest than a normal human. It will be a 60+ hour climb, discounting time in camps and rest. But nothing made him give up the idea: “I didn’t know how powerful the mind can be. I thought it was all a physical thing. But if we mentalize ourselves, our body can do it.”
Budha will be joined by eight Sherpas and other teams in this challenge. Instead of four camps during the ascent, five or six are planned. Something that the Nepalese do not even consider exaggerated, thinking about the beginning of the climb of Everest: “Sir Edmund Hilary and his Sherpa made 10 camps and took 500 porters with them.”
If you manage to complete the odyssey you will become the first double above the knee amputee to do so. Earlier, two other people managed to climb Everest, but in both cases they were double amputated below the knees. New Zealander Mark Joseph Inglis was the first, in May 2006. And more recently, in 2018, China’s Xia Boyu also accomplished the feat. Now it’s Budha Magar’s turn to make history.
Source: DN
