Jesse Dufton – Blind Climber and Keynote Speaker

Jesse Dufton is a blind rock climber and keynote speaker on the topics of resilience, change and adversity. He focuses on enabling organisations to achieve the seemingly impossible with the resources they have.

Profile picture of Jesse Dufton

About Jesse

Guinness World Records awarded him a world record for becoming the first blind person to lead climb The Old Man of Hoy. He has also established new routes on previously unclimbed mountains in the Arctic and in Morocco’s Anti Atlas Mountains.

In addition to his climbing, he has excelled in the academic and corporate spheres. He holds a doctorate in Materials Chemistry and works in the field of Intellectual Property as a Patent Specialist for a global clean energy technology firm.

About Jesse’s Speaking

Jesse’s compelling keynote presentations address the topics of resilience, change, adversity and adventure. Covering a unique mindset and practical framework which empowers individuals and organisations to achieve the seemingly impossible with the resources they have.

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Jesse on stage giving a keynote speech
Climbing Blind 1 poster showing all the awards

About Jesse’s Films

He is the subject of several films, including the multi-award-winning features Climbing Blind and Climbing Blind 2.

Climbing Blind is a breathtaking profile of resilience that captures Jesse Dufton’s historic sightless lead climb of the Old Man of Hoy. This deeply moving documentary celebrates the power of human spirit and the profound trust of a remarkable partnership.

Climbing Blind 2 is a raw and intense illustration of courage in the face of adversity as Jesse takes on the infamous El Matador on Wyoming’s Devil’s Tower.

Trad Stars is an electrifying tour of cutting-edge British trad climbing, including Jesse’s spellbinding non-sight ascent of Howling Gale in the iconic proving ground that is Pembroke

brit rock films

About Jesse’s Sight Loss

Jesse has lost all his useful vision to Rod-Cone Dystrophy. A genetic condition that causes the light-sensitive cells in the eyes to degenerate.

He was born severely sight impaired having an extremely limited level of vision until, during the first year of his doctoral studies in his mid-twenties, the little sight he had been born with gradually degenerated and he lost the ability to read and write in the literal sense. Today he has lost the last of his useful vision.

While climbing, he is totally reliant on touch and on verbal guidance from his climbing partner, his wife Molly.

Jesse's eye being the main focus on a camera screen as he is being filmed for an interview

Testimonials

“His talk was captivating and inspirational. Jesse does a great job of bringing the listener along for the climb, describing the challenges and problem solving he uses to achieve his goals. We received lots of enthusiastic praise from our members for booking Jesse.”

Joe Blandino – Director of Quality Assurance, U. S. Steel

“Jesse epitomized our theme of ‘Culture, Collaboration, and Change’ at our summer event. His speech was truly fantastic, engaging everyone in the room during the Q&A session. What made it even more special was that he spent considerable time chatting with the team afterward. The feedback from the attendees consistently described his presentation as ‘AMAZING.’

Hazel Pattison & Sara Jones – Mobile Operations, BT

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Watch Jesse in action

Climbing Blind trailer by Brit Rock Films
Blind Ascent by GORETEX
Stick to the Plan by Good Habitz
  • Jesse climbing The Bludgeon E1, Borrowdale, Lake District. The picture shows an overhanging rock wall on the left and a luscious green area of fields and trees in the valley below on the right. Jesse is wearing a red t-shirt and is hugging a rock spike with his left arm, while reaching high with his right hand. The climb looks quite improbable from this angle as it is so steep. The radio ear piece is visible in his left ear.
  • Jesse climbing Cool For Cats E1 5b, Pembroke, Wales. The picture shows a steep rock wall on the left hand side of the image and a beautiful blue sky and calm blue sea on the right. Jesse is high on the rock face silhouetted against the sky, he is reaching down with his left hand in search of a foothold. His feet are on a small edge and his right hand is high just out of view round the arete. His ropes dangle down below him and he stands out in a bright red t-shirt and white helmet.
  • Molly climbing Left Out 5.10d Red Rock, USA. The picture shows molly in the centre of the image, climbing a steep wall. Her left hand is reaching high into a horizontal break and her right hand is crimping on a small edge at her eye level. Her right foot is stepped high into a small depression and her left foot is on a large ledge. She is wearing a blue t-shirt and black trousers. The sun is blazing in the background over the scrub-land, but the crag is in shade.
  • Jesse climbing The Fox 5.10d, Red Rock USA. The picture shows Jesse in the center of the image, hanging onto a small ledge with his left hand on the left side of large soaring corner. He is dipping for chalk with his right hand. Large cams hang from his harness and his right foot is perched on a tiny edge on the right wall and he is leaning back with straight arms. It looks like a strenuous position but his face looks calm and chilled.
  • Jesse climbing the Sentinal E2 5b, Peak District, UK. The picture shows 3 large prows of rock jutting out stacked against each other. Jesse is hanging on with both hands on the hold from the further prow. He has gear placed by his waist and rock above his head. The next moves look steep and overhung. There are grey clouds in the sky and greens trees below him glistening in the sun.
  • Jesse climbing Rubicon 5.10c, Joshua Tree, USA. The picture shows a very large rounded boulder with a thin seam arching up and round to the right. The boulder is set against a clear blue sky. The base of the boulder is out of view, only the top half is visible, with Jesse, a small blue dot, two thirds of the way up the arching seam. His left foot is in the seam, as are both hands and his right foot looks to be flagging against the blank wall to the right.
  • Jesse climbing Internationale E3 5b on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. The picture shows a large expanse of grey ocean to the right of the image and a vertical pleated rock face on the left. Jesse is reaching high with both arms and looks really stretched out. His feet are underneath a bulge and he only has a few moves left to reach the top of the crag. The top is a flat plateau of Heather with an abseil rope in view.
  • Jesse climbing Forked Lightning Crack E2 5c, Yorkshire, UK. The picture shows Jesse laybacking to the left in the middle of a lightning shaped cracked that splits the crag vertically. He is wearing shorts, what was he thinking.

Latest Instagram posts…

La Pedriza was fantastic. Just what we needed, beautiful sunshine, amazing climbing and great company! A bit of trad, a bit of sport, single and multi-pitch, pine forests, blue skies and large birds sweeping below. Hearing the birds woosh past below, is one of my favourite things to experience. The Uber classic Via Sur Clasica on El Pajaro was absolutely brilliant! It was the first trad route this year, so pretty pleased to bosh out the first pitch (6a) on-sight. Thanks to Molly for taking the lead on the unprotected slab pitches 😉. And thanks to Lea and Heiko for being wonderful hosts 🙏. Whether it's in remote rural China or a rain‑lashed UK, I've been putting my Next‑Gen GORE‑TEX® Pro Jacket through its paces. It’s taken all the abuse I've thrown at it in stride. Built to last, it’s kept me warm and dry throughout, and I couldn’t have asked for more. The best kit is the stuff you don’t need to think about—freeing you to focus on your climbing, or whatever else drives you. One of my fondest memories from 2025, a great shout from @janegallwey to point me at this one. It might have seemed improbable, no obvious feature or crack to follow, but Molly did an awesome job of guiding, the sequence she spotted worked, all I had to do was crank hard. Christmas films...you're thinking Die Hard or Home Alone?! Well, the latest vintage of BritRock films are ready to be uncorked, unquestionably the best Christmas tele there is! Treat yourself and get planning those trips for 2026.