Hari Budha Magar successfully climbed Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica on December 8. With this ascent, Budha Magar has become the first double above-knee amputee climber to complete the Seven Summits – the highest mountains on all seven continents.
He left the United Kingdom for Antarctica on Christmas Eve accompanied by his support team, Aviral Rai, Mingma Sherpa, and Jangbu Sherpa. He completed the climbing in three days scaling the 4,892-metre summit at 10 pm on January 6, 2026.
Struggling the extreme cold of minus 25 degrees Celsius, fierce winds, and steep icy slopes with the help of prosthetic legs, Budha Magar has made a message to the world that “nothing is impossible.”
Budha Magar said he planned the Seven Summits campaign to raise awareness about disability and to inspire others like him to fulfil their own dreams of climbing mountains.
Before Mount Vinson, Budha Magar had already climbed the highest peaks of six continents. He summited Mont Blanc (4,810 m) in Europe on August 13, 2019, Kilimanjaro (5,895 m) in Africa on January 8, 2020, Mount Everest (8,849 m) in Asia on May 19, 2023, Denali (6,194 m) in North America on June 28, 2024, Aconcagua (6,961 m) in South America on February 22, 2025, and Carstensz Pyramid (4,884 m) in Oceania on October 18, 2025.
He also made history by becoming the first person without both legs to summit Denali and Carstensz Pyramid.
Budha Magar’s family currently lives in Canterbury, the United Kingdom. Last year, he received the prestigious MBE award from the UK.
Born in Mirul, Thawang Rural Municipality of Rolpa, Budha Magar joined the British Army at the age of 19, dreaming of building a better future. At 31, while serving with the Royal Gurkha Rifles, he stepped on an improvised explosive device during deployment in Afghanistan in 2010, losing both legs above the knee.
When he regained consciousness after the blast, he felt life was over. He went through prolonged physical and mental trauma as well. Budha Magar travelled to Europe and the United States to ski and became Nepal’s first athlete with a disability to take up skiing. After receiving mountaineering training, he also worked as a mountain instructor, learning that with willpower, nothing is impossible.
