Jesse Dufton

Jesse Dufton
Personal information
NationalityBritish
Born1986 (1986)
Climbing career
Type of climberMountaineering, Paraclimbing
Known forFirst blind climber to lead an ascent on Old Man of Hoy

Jesse Dufton is a British mountaineer, paraclimber and member of the Great Britain paraclimbing team since 2017.[1] In 2019, Dufton became the first blind climber to lead an ascent on Old Man of Hoy in the Orkney Islands.[2] The climb, and Dufton's story, were the subject of the 2020 film Climbing Blind.[3][4] Dufton has rod-cone dystrophy; he was born with 20% central vision which has deteriorated to 1% today.[5]

  1. ^ Boudicca Fox-Leonard (14 October 2019). "'For me, climbing is safer than crossing the road': Meet the blind rock climber pushing the boundaries of what you can do without sight". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Blind climber leads an ascent of the Old Man of Hoy". BBC News. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  3. ^ Michael Hogan (20 May 2020). "Climbing Blind, review: an uplifting portrait of a man who won't be held down". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  4. ^ Rebecca Nicholson (20 May 2020). "Climbing Blind review – a tale of tenacity, adaptation and hope". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  5. ^ Ben Morse (4 December 2019). "Blind climber Jesse Dufton pushing boundaries after leading 449-foot climb". CNN. Retrieved 4 July 2023.