Amputee prepares for final peak of epic challenge

Mr Magar is aiming to climb the highest peak on each of the seven continents

A former Gurkha who became the first double above-the-knee amputee to climb Everest is closing in on a mammoth challenge to scale the highest peak in each of the seven continents.

Gurkha veteran Hari Budha Magar, from Canterbury in Kent, is preparing to climb Mount Vinson, Antarctica's highest mountain.

He has so far scaled six of the seven summits, including Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Mount Elbrus in Russia.

Mr Magar said: "I'm excited but a bit nervous."

He added: "I hope that this climb inspires other people to climb their own mountains and reach for their own dreams.

"It shows people with disabilities can do things."

The adventurer and disability campaigner was serving with the British Army in Afghanistan in 2010 when he lost both legs in an IED (improvised explosive device) blast.

He said: "I suffered PTSD after I lost my legs.

"But I'm still very, very proud to have served the United Kingdom."

He added: "I crawl all the way up and down all the mountains with my limbs and my prosthetic legs."

Mr Magar lost both legs in a blast in Afghanistan

Mr Magar took a campaign to the Supreme Court in Nepal to overturn a ban on people with disabilities climbing Everest in 2018.

Originally from Nepal, the father-of-three scaled Everest in 2023.

He was made an MBE at Windsor Castle in 2024 for services to disability awareness.

Mr Magar, who stills needs to raise £100.000 for latest climb, plans to set off for Antarctica around Christmas.

He said: "When I reach the summit I will hug my team and cry like a baby."