Among the world’s exploding population of rock climbers, extremely few can claim “first ascensionist” status. Why? Because it’s hard, dirty, scary, gnarly work.
Most of us (looking straight at myself here) would much rather choose known routes than grind through the myriad difficulties FA’s introduce. “The unknown” is one of our closest associations with fear.
So what about climbing a new route if you’re blind? The only person we can find who’s ever done it (with traditional protection, no less) gave a somewhat surprising answer.
Climber Jesse Dufton, who is blind, is that person after the first ascent of Morocco’s 300-foot Eye Disappear (4b, or YDS 5.7) in mid-March. The Brit led the first leg of the three-pitch affair, in all likelihood becoming the first blind person to put up a trad first ascent.
And he said it was pretty much business as usual.
![Dufton leading eye disappear on light-brown rock](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2023/04/IMG_0414-1-copy-700x467.jpg)
“Everyone has asked, ‘What did it feel like climbing into the unknown?’ And I’ve been like, ‘Just like every other time I go climbing?’” Dufton joked in a phone interview. “In a lot of ways, for me, normal climbing is a lot more similar to new routing [than for a sighted climber].”
‘Non-Sighting’ Doesn’t Hold Him Back
Dufton has rod-cone dystrophy, a genetic condition. He was born with around 20% of his sight, and now it’s deteriorated to the point that he can only distinguish between light and dark in an “extremely restricted field of view.”
But that hasn’t stopped him from building his adventure resume. Dufton is both well-traveled and unafraid to push his limits. He became the first blind climber to lead the storied Old Man of Hoy in 2019. His “non-sight” bids have earned him deserved acclaim.