Climb Mt Everest with Amputations
Donation protected
This climb is about Hari.
Next Spring, Hari will be the first above knee, double amputee to summit Mt. Everest.
Which means it is also about people who have lost limbs. About Veterans who have served their country, and returned to their lives, changed. About people who have faced and overcome odds against them.
And about the people who care about and support them.
For that reason, this climb will be about you, too.
Hari lost his legs in Afghanistan, where he was serving with the Royal Gurkha Rifles, one of the toughest and most respected Special Forces on the planet.
He has decided to climb Mt. Everest to demonstrate to himself - and everyone else - that we can do anything we decide to do.
Hari will be supported on the climb by friends, other Special Forces veterans from the UK and US. Former Navy Seals and US Marines are represented.
We think you'll like Hari. It is difficult not to. He is modest and self-deprecating. He has an easy laugh. He is the first to step forward when you need a hand. Which is why people have stepped forward to help him make this climb. They know it is important to him.
Here's the Team that will be making the climb.
Right now, we're looking for financial support to cover the cost of Training: equipment, supplies and some help with prosthetic equipment for Hari. Specifically, the Team will be climbing Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps. This dangerous mountain has more deaths each year that Mt. Everest.
Mont Blanc has sufficient elevation to experience and address the risks of altitude sickness. Its exposed ridglines are also an excellent opportunity to practice rope techniques as a team. The Veterans will also adapt some military gear to aid in ascending ladders and vertical fixed ropes to make climbing smoother for Hari.
It is difficult enough to cross crevices and climb seracs at the altitudes we'll face on the Khumba Ice Falls. Imagine the courage and determination it will require to do it on prosthetic legs.
We are seeking $35,000 (US) for the Mont Blanc Training to cover travel, climbing fees, equipment, supplies and additional support for Hari's prosthetics. We are making these arrangements now, and will complete them by May 15th for the climb, scheduled for the last week in June and first week in July.
Mont Blanc is important in that the Government of Nepal will require us to demonstrate experience and capability before they will issue us permits for Mt. Everest. They are skeptical of a person with double amputations making the climb. We understand. It is one of the reasons we are seeking contributions only for our first Training Climb. We have a lot to prove. To you. To the Nepali Government. To ourselves.
It is difficult to prepare for Mt. Everest. It isn't one challenge. It is a string of impossibilities. You might enjoy looking at the obstacles climbers face day by day , complicated by extreme cold and a lack of oxygen.
An amputation complicates the challenge. Not to mention a double amputation....both above the knee. No one with such a condition has ever climbed Mt. Everest.
These are some of the specific risks and challenges Hari will face climbing with prostheses.
It is why our training regimen is so extensive. This is the training program we have planned to prepare ourselves individually and as a team.
Hari has wanted to climb Mt. Everest since he was a boy, growing up in its shadow. At that time, he couldn't afford it. Then he qualified for the Gurkha Rifles, and he didn't have the time. Now that he has retired after losing his legs, Hari says it is the perfect time in his life to climb Mt. Everest. That's Hari.
But this isn't just about Hari's dream. Every time one of us accomplishes something that has never been done, humanity grows. It unifies us. It makes us better.
Hari is not just doing this climb for himself.
He is doing it for you, too.
Come join us.
Thank you.
We hope you'll continue to climb with us. You can follow this crazy undertaking on Facebook.
Next Spring, Hari will be the first above knee, double amputee to summit Mt. Everest.
Which means it is also about people who have lost limbs. About Veterans who have served their country, and returned to their lives, changed. About people who have faced and overcome odds against them.
And about the people who care about and support them.
For that reason, this climb will be about you, too.
Hari lost his legs in Afghanistan, where he was serving with the Royal Gurkha Rifles, one of the toughest and most respected Special Forces on the planet.
He has decided to climb Mt. Everest to demonstrate to himself - and everyone else - that we can do anything we decide to do.
Hari will be supported on the climb by friends, other Special Forces veterans from the UK and US. Former Navy Seals and US Marines are represented.
We think you'll like Hari. It is difficult not to. He is modest and self-deprecating. He has an easy laugh. He is the first to step forward when you need a hand. Which is why people have stepped forward to help him make this climb. They know it is important to him.
Here's the Team that will be making the climb.
Right now, we're looking for financial support to cover the cost of Training: equipment, supplies and some help with prosthetic equipment for Hari. Specifically, the Team will be climbing Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps. This dangerous mountain has more deaths each year that Mt. Everest.
Mont Blanc has sufficient elevation to experience and address the risks of altitude sickness. Its exposed ridglines are also an excellent opportunity to practice rope techniques as a team. The Veterans will also adapt some military gear to aid in ascending ladders and vertical fixed ropes to make climbing smoother for Hari.
It is difficult enough to cross crevices and climb seracs at the altitudes we'll face on the Khumba Ice Falls. Imagine the courage and determination it will require to do it on prosthetic legs.
We are seeking $35,000 (US) for the Mont Blanc Training to cover travel, climbing fees, equipment, supplies and additional support for Hari's prosthetics. We are making these arrangements now, and will complete them by May 15th for the climb, scheduled for the last week in June and first week in July.
Mont Blanc is important in that the Government of Nepal will require us to demonstrate experience and capability before they will issue us permits for Mt. Everest. They are skeptical of a person with double amputations making the climb. We understand. It is one of the reasons we are seeking contributions only for our first Training Climb. We have a lot to prove. To you. To the Nepali Government. To ourselves.
It is difficult to prepare for Mt. Everest. It isn't one challenge. It is a string of impossibilities. You might enjoy looking at the obstacles climbers face day by day , complicated by extreme cold and a lack of oxygen.
An amputation complicates the challenge. Not to mention a double amputation....both above the knee. No one with such a condition has ever climbed Mt. Everest.
These are some of the specific risks and challenges Hari will face climbing with prostheses.
It is why our training regimen is so extensive. This is the training program we have planned to prepare ourselves individually and as a team.
Hari has wanted to climb Mt. Everest since he was a boy, growing up in its shadow. At that time, he couldn't afford it. Then he qualified for the Gurkha Rifles, and he didn't have the time. Now that he has retired after losing his legs, Hari says it is the perfect time in his life to climb Mt. Everest. That's Hari.
But this isn't just about Hari's dream. Every time one of us accomplishes something that has never been done, humanity grows. It unifies us. It makes us better.
Hari is not just doing this climb for himself.
He is doing it for you, too.
Come join us.
Thank you.
We hope you'll continue to climb with us. You can follow this crazy undertaking on Facebook.
Organizer and beneficiary
Ryan Hixenbaugh
Organizer
Seattle, WA
Christopher Pollak
Beneficiary
