Hari Budha Magar Summits Aconcagua!

The story of Hari reaching the summit of Aconcagua begins long before he set foot in Argentina, or for that matter, on any mountain. Hari lost both his legs in an IED attack while on duty with the UKSF, and upon returning back to his home in Nepal, he fell into a deep depression, one that almost took the life out of him. The sequence of events that took place from this moment on up to this historic achievement is one that resonates with so many of us, myself included, on the power of adventure to transform our lives.

Early Beginnings

Rami and Hari first met on the flanks of Mont Blanc. After exchanging a few greetings, they both continued on their own separate climbs – Rami leading an LHO community group, and Hari on his personal quest to climb all 7 summits. It wasn’t until a year later that Rami was approached by the team behind Hari for Life Happens Outdoors to be the expedition organizer for his attempt on Aconcagua. As the community behind Fred Sfeir’s ascent of Kilimanjaro last year, we couldn’t help but oblige.

The Mission

Hari is planning to climb the 7 summits, becoming the first double-above-the-knee-amputee to complete the challenge of climbing the highest mountain on each continent. With Everest, Kilimanjaro, Denali, and Mont Blanc behind him, he set his sights on Aconcagua in Argentina. At 6,961 meters, Aconcagua is no joke. It is the highest mountain in the Americas and requires endless patience, skill, and luck to reach its summit. Known for its strong Andean winds that continuously batter its slopes, one must be ready to climb in tough conditions.

Upon arriving to Mendoza, the starting point of the expedition, Hari and the team spent the following week trekking to base camp, which sits at an altitude of 4,367 meters. It took the team 14 hours to arrive from Confluencia. After doing the rounds up to Camp 3, shuttling food, gear, and acclimatizing along the way, the team was ready for their summit push. Departing at midnight, they arrived to the summit at 2:00 pm local time after a grueling 12 hour push. Rami reports that along the way, climbers were in awe of Hari’s resillience and positive spirit throughout the climb, greeting everyone he met and sharing words of encouragement to everyone crossing his path.

Celebrations ensued and not long after, the team descended down to a make-shift Camp 4 in another 6 hours. They chose to spend the night there due to the sheer exhaustion they experienced from climbing up to the summit, and were soon back down to base camp the following day to conclude a historic ascent of Aconcagua in true mountaineering fashion.

Our Pledge

If there is anything we can promise as a company and as a community, it’s that we are committed to supporting everyone find transformative experiences in the outdoors regardless of their perceived limitations. Our love of the outdoors is more than just a vocation, it is the blood running in our veins and our compass in the darkest times. Here’s to Hari, the guide team, and the entire community of adventure-loving lunatics.

Climb on!

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