The North Face Founder Douglas Tompkins, 72, Dies in Tragic Kayaking Accident

Douglas Tompkins, who was known as an esteemed conservationist and the founder of The North Face and Esprit, died on Tuesday after a kayaking accident on General Carrera Lake located in the Patagonia region of southern Chile. Aged 72, his death was confirmed by Coyhaique Regional Hospital and was caused by complications related to hypothermia. Tompkins co-founded Esprit in 1968 with his then-wife, Susie Tompkins Buell. As the brand grew to reach $1 billion USD in sales Tompkins grew cynical with his role in consumer culture, an opinion that he would later openly vocalize through media channels. When Tompkins and Buell eventually separated, the former began to divert his focus towards the outdoors. In the ’90s, he left the world of business and moved to the Chilean Patagonia where he became an active voice against the various ecological threats from human activity that he witnessed in southern Chile. Although widely recognized for his efforts, Tompkins still faced much antagonism from numerous Chileans and Argentines who were concerned about American intrusion within the fields of national sovereignty and economic development. You can head over to The New York Times to read the full story.