Climbing Blind

Blind climber Jesse Dufton’s ascent of the Old Man of Hoy

Climbing Blind

Acclaimed UK adventure filmmaker Al Lee tells the story of an incredible day in the life of blind climber Jesse Dufton.

Jesse was born with 20% central vision. At four years of age he was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa: a rare genetic disease that breaks down the retinas’ cells, and at age 20 he could no longer read. By his 30s Jesse’s vision was reduced to just light perception, with around 1 or 2 % field of view.

As a lifelong climber, he flies in the face of adversity and with his sight guide and fiancée Molly sets out on a fantastic challenge – attempting to be the first blind person to make a ‘non-sight’ lead of the iconic Old Man of Hoy sea stack in Scotland.

Climbing Blind was accompanied by short film The Big Deal (12 mins), an action-packed profile of one of the UK’s strongest female boulderers on rock; Frances Bensley.

Climbing Blind quad poster

Released spring 2020

  • Director: Alastair Lee
  • Year: UK 2020
  • Duration: 81 minutes
  • Cert: 12A
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Production company: Posing Productions

Official website

“the human story at the centre of it is extraordinary”

Rebecca Nicholson
The Guardian

Sign-up for more Tull Stories

Join our mailing list to stay informed about future film releases, cinema projects and development surveys, adventure cinema and more.