REMARKABLE: This blind climber led 137 metres above the sea. On 4 June 2019, Jesse Dufton became the first blind person to lead the Old Man of Hoy, a 137-metre sandstone tower in Scotland’s Orkney Islands. He climbed ahead of his sighted partner, Molly Thompson, finding holds and fitting the equipment that would catch him if he fell. At the time, his remaining vision could detect light, but could not show him the next foothold. Before they started, Molly described the rock above and the features she could see. They wore radio headsets, allowing her to offer directions while Jesse searched with his hands and feet. Years of climbing together had taught them when to speak and when to leave space. Molly intervened when he asked for help or when she could see him struggling to locate a hold. But the tower had corners and bulges. Once Jesse moved beyond her view, she could no longer point out the next useful edge. He had to find the way forward by touch. A foothold can save a climber’s arms, but only once the climber knows it is there. Filmmaker Alastair Lee watched Jesse hold strenuous positions while useful footholds remained undiscovered nearby. The difficulty included the effort of searching, with his body still working to keep him on the wall. On one section, Jesse ran out of the larger pieces of protective equipment he needed. Unable to see the crack ahead, he had not known to save some for later. He described irritation and exasperation as he continued above his last protection. At the end of each rope-length, he built an anchor and secured Molly’s rope as she climbed up to join him. Together, they worked through all six sections without Jesse falling or using the rope to pull himself upwards. A wait for the wind to ease had delayed their start. They reached the summit at 10.10pm, with daylight running out. Molly was close to tears when she joined him, but there was little time to stay. Three long rope descents brought them to the bottom in darkness. The slippery scramble back towards the clifftop still lay ahead, with Molly guiding Jesse step by step. They reached their sleeping bags at 2.45am, as the sun threatened to rise again.