North Face clothing founder dies after kayaking accident
The founder of the North Face outdoor clothing brand died on Tuesday of hypothermia following a kayaking accident in Chile. He was 72.
Entrepreneur and conservationist Douglas Tompkins was with a group on a lake when waves capsized him in the Patagonia region of southern Chile, where he had a home.
He was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Coyhaique 1 400km south of Santiago, where he died. No one else in the group was seriously injured.
Born in the US state of Ohio, Tompkins set up the first North Face shop in San Francisco in 1966 and a few years later founded casual clothing retailer Esprit, with his then-wife Susie. He later sold his stake in Esprit for a reported $150 million.
He used his millions to set up The Conservation Land Trust which bought large areas of land for environmental projects in Chile and Argentina. He donated lands such as the 700 000-acre Pumalin Park in Chile, which includes areas of primeval rain forest, to be administered and preserved as national parks.
“He was a passionate advocate for the environment, and his legacy of conservation is one that we hope to help continue in the work we do every day,” North Face said on its Instagram page.