A father-of-three who lost his legs after a bomb blast hopes to become the first double above-the-knee amputee to scale the world’s tallest peak.

Hari Budha Magar, who lives in Canterbury, is setting off on his daring adventure to the top of Mount Everest today, despite having had both limbs surgically removed.

Magar spent 15 years in the Brigade of Gurkhas - an elite British Army unit with a reputation of being among the most feared soldiers in the world.

He worked as a sniper, in covert surveillance and as an army medic in deployments across five continents.

But while serving in Afghanistan in 2010, a blast from an improvised explosive device ultimately caused him to lose both of his legs.

“We were just walking on foot patrol,” said Magar, “then something went bang and my life changed.

“Then it was very hard. It was really, really difficult for me because I didn’t know much about disability so I thought that I would stay in my wheelchair for the rest of my life.

“But slowly I started doing sports and adventure and I learned that wasn’t the case - I can still do anything I want to, I just have to do things a different way.”

Magar is now set to attempt one of the greatest tests of human strength - hiking over 29,000 feet to reach the summit of the Nepalese mountain.

The challenge has long been an aspiration of the extreme adventurer and he is now on his way to Nepal to begin preparations.

Having grown up in Nepal, Magar would look at the mountain every day and often imagined himself climbing it.

Now, after years of planning and fundraising, he is finally about to make that dream a reality.

The 43-year-old will use prosthetics specially moulded to his stumps with built-in heaters to prevent frostbite, and feet that can be changed out to match different types of terrain.

“I’m feeling really, really excited - I’ve been waiting more than five years for this.

“But of course I’m slightly nervous as well. I am hoping everything goes as planned and there are no earthquakes or avalanches.”

When asked how he has been preparing for this historic climb, Magar said: “Well, I’ve been climbing mountains.”

He began climbing in 2006, and has since scaled many of the world’s most challenging elevations, including Mount Kilimanjaro and Mont Blanc.

Leading up to this latest trek, he has been juggling fundraising and physical training with his normal family life.

“I wake up at 5.30am and hit the gym at 6am, work out from 6am to 8am, then come back and take my son to school and do household chores.

“We haven’t quite reached our fundraising goal, but I’m pretty much ready to go. Well, whether I’m ready to go or not, I have to go, I’m flying out.”

The former British soldier says his motivation for the adventure is to change perceptions about disability and inspire others to “climb their own mountains”.

“Disability is not chosen; I didn’t choose to be disabled, and other people are the same way.

“In Nepal, many people believe that if you are disabled it is a punishment for sins of a previous life, and lots of people also believe that around the world.

“So it is important that we make sure that people who are disabled are encouraged to challenge themselves and have a good life.

“I couldn’t climb out of my wheelchair - now I’m going to climb Mount Everest.

“And other disabled people can also be successful and happy and live a meaningful life; they should be treated with dignity and respect and we need to raise awareness of this.

“What’s most important to me, and what I hope for, is that what I’m doing will encourage other people to climb their own mountain, whatever it is.”

Donations to Hari Budha Magar’s fundraising campaign can be made through his website.