Dickinson was born in 1946 in Lancashire, United Kingdom. He attended Rossall Public School, during which time he started rock climbing in the Lake District and North Wales. He spent his first Alpine season in the Dolomites in 1966 and in 1970 secured the backing for his first film with Yorkshire TV resulting in an award-winning film Out of the Shadows into the Sun - The first filmed ascent of the Eiger.