Wealthy environmentalist Tompkins dies in Chile accident

Tompkins died on Tuesday due to hypothermia after an accident in a kayak, while he was on an expedition with two other Americans in the waters of Lago Carrera in the Aysen region, at southern Chile.

The exact sequence of events leading to the accident remain unclear.

DOUG TOMPKINS: The global economy, civilization itself and its overall enormous boot print that’s destroying the natural world. “He and his wife Kris have been among the most influential conservationists, not just of our generation, but in history”.

The five other kayakers survived without permanent injuries. Two years later, they opened a second shop.

“He flew airplanes, he climbed to the top of mountains all over the world”. “We became philanthropists.” Today, the logo for Chouinard’s company Patagonia is an outline of the Fitzroy massif.

But by that time, Tompkins had already retired from the rag trade. NPR’s Jim Zarroli reports that Tompkins and his wife have helped save millions of acres of pristine land in Chile and Argentina.

Gifford said the love Tompkins had for the preservation of Chilean land was no surprise, as Tompkins always enjoyed being in nature. “He was super fit and intense”. “Doug didn’t let that many people into his inner circle of friends but, if he did, you felt special”, says Montgomery. The rock band the Grateful Dead performed at the opening of the first store in 1966.

You can read the North Face’s complete heartfelt statement about the tragic passing of Douglas Tompkins below.

Tompkins founded The North Face outdoor clothing and camping label in 1964 with a partner.

Meanwhile, his wife along with he were beginning another garments company selling women’s dresses out of the rear of a Volkswagen bus. But Tompkins saw it as his duty to speak out widely and passionately about the environment.

Tompkins made his fortune with the North Face and Esprit before renouncing consumerism and devoting his life to conservationism and the environment. This conservation effort was sometimes controversial locally, but he was very committed to the project. Rumors swirled, the most persistent one being that he was trying to steal the area’s water to ship overseas. Tompkins’ efforts to preserve vast stretches of South America was rooted in the “deep ecology” movement enumerated by Arne Naess of Norway, who called for deep transformation of modern society’s assault on nature.

Tompkins will be remembered for his conservation work and his retail success.