Hari - Record Breaking Legend, Conqueror of Everest

Hari grew up in the midst of the brutal civil war where most people of his age went to fight for the rebels, but he was fortunate enough to join the Gurkhas. Hari joined the British Army at the age of 19 and served with the Royal Gurkha Rifles for 15 years. During his service he saw some of the harshest environments in the world, along with some of the most beautiful. 

While on patrol in Afghanistan in 2010, Hari stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) and his life changed in a split second. He lost both of his legs above the knee, and sustained multiple other injuries. When Hari woke in the hospital bed, he felt desolate and hopeless. He questioned what kind of life he would be able to lead in the future, and whether it would even be worth living. 

Hari spent a month in hospital and worked tirelessly over 12 months, learning to walk again on his prosthetic legs. With time and determination, Hari took control, regained his self-esteem, and challenged himself to exceed the limitations put on ‘disabled’ people by society. “Everybody in life has ups and downs, and when they’re low, that’s the time they need help: family, charity, friends, community. It’s make or break. I was privileged to serve in the army and had good prosthetic legs. I was treated by the charity Combat Stress for six weeks. Slowly I started doing sports. It was through golf and the On Course Foundation that I started to get my confidence back and I began to see what I could do physically.” 

Since his injury, Hari has battled to rediscover his confidence through an array of sports and adventures. He has done everything from skydiving to kayaking, cycling to skiing, and golf to climbing. Hari was the first ever disabled person to ski in Nepal, and was one of the first double above-knee (DAK) amputees to kayak around the Isle of Wight. He holds the world record for being the first ever DAK to summit a mountain over 6,000m, and, in May 2023, summited Mount Everest.

We caught up with Hari after his record breaking achievement.  

 I am 44 years old and currently live in Canterbury.  I climbed Mount Toubkal with Tribal Tracks in June 2022, and I viewed it as a training climb for my Everest attempt.  I also wanted to take part to support my friend and fellow DAK amputee, James Rose, who was also ex-military. I wanted to raise funds for the charity BLESMA and also experience the culture and nature of Morocco.