Adam Fynn and Charlie Vause on their way to the top of the Aiguille du Tour
Two senior executives from JSA, the Watford-based Chartered Accountants specialising in the contracts market, have just successfully climbed the 3544 metre Aiguille du Tour in the French Alps, despite the fact that they have never climbed a mountain in their lives.
Adam Fynn, JSA's Sales Manager and Charlie Vause, Business Development Manager, participated in the ATSCo Alpine Challenge in order to raise more than £5,000 for ChildLine, the charity originally launched by the BBC's Esther Rantzen. ChildLine provides a 24/7 Helpline for children and youngsters who are in physical danger or distress.
JSA Chief Executive Barry Roback, who accompanied the team to add moral and logistical support, saw off the two novice climbers from their base near Chamonix. The first day involved a four-hour climb, followed by intensive tuition in how to use crampons and ropes in preparation for the assent. After a night spent in a 2702m-high refuge mountain hut (precariously perched on the side of a glacier), Fynn and Vause, together with their 8 fellow climbers and two Alpine guides, set off at 05:00 the next morning - reaching the summit some six and a half hours later.
" The only time I got scared was when we reached the summit and I looked down at the sheer drop below," said Fynn on his return to Watford. "It was, however a fantastic experience and we are grateful to everyone who gave us both financial and moral support. As a father of a young boy, I really appreciate the work that ChildLine does for vulnerable children and I would happily climb another mountain if I could raise further funds for this worthwhile cause."