Jesse Dufton is a blind climber, best known for his trad on-sighting. He has on-sighted trad routes up to E3 including many British test-pieces.

He has a degenerative genetic condition, rod-cone dystrophy, that affects his eyes. Born visually impaired, he gradually lost the remainder of his vision during his twenties. A lifelong climber, Jesse has always refused to let his disability curtail his climbing. Notably, in 2019 he climbed Scotland’s iconic ‘Old Man of Hoy’, leading all 6 pitches non-sight, earning him a Guiness World Record. In 2020, Jesse climbed the infamous ‘Forked Lightning Crack’, a gritstone classic, sandbag, and Jesse’s first E2. This was particularly significant as, through his training, Jesse had now climbed harder without his vision than he ever had when he retained limited sight. Jesse has continued to develop his trad climbing with non-sights across the world. Notably ‘Illusion Dweller’ in Joshua Tree, ‘Tizgut Crack’ in Morocco, as well as ‘Internationale’ on the Isle of Skye and ‘Destiny’ on Lundy Island to name a few. In addition to his trad climbing, Jesse has flashed 7a sport and leads ice routes up to WI4. He has established first ascents in Greenland and in Morocco.