North Face founder dies in kayaking accident

MILLBROOK — Douglas Tompkins, 72, died in a kayaking accident in Coyhaique, Chile, on Dec. 8. The cause of death was listed as hypothermia. Born in Conneaut, Ohio, in 1943, Douglas Tompkins lived in New York City until his family eventually settled in Millbrook.  

He attended Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Conn., and Pomfret Preparatory School, also in Connecticut. He did not graduate, and returned to Millbrook. In the Hudson River Valley he learned how to climb in the Shawangunk Mountains. This exposure to the natural world in his teens may have been the start of his great love of nature and conservation.

Tompkins eventually moved west to Colorado, where he skied and climbed. He also spent time in South America, and became an environmentalist in the 1960s. He became an experienced outdoorsman, and passionate about conservation, wildlife recovery, park creation and bio-diversity.  He spent time in Chile, Patagonia and Argentina.

He was known as a visionary, philanthropist and agriculturalist, and was involved in making a film of a 1968 trip he made to Patagonia, which was recreated in the 2010 film “180 Degrees South.”  He created and endowed the Foundation for Deep Ecology, and was devoted to saving the wilderness and many species of endangered animals.

Although he was a high school dropout, he was an astute businessman. With his first wife, Susie, he founded both The North Face — an outdoor equipment and clothing line  — and Esprit — a separate clothing line. The two were hugely successful businesses.  Tompkins left the business world in 1989 and devoted himself to his other interests, primarily conservation efforts.

At the time of his death he was married to Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, and had two children, Summer Tompkins Walker and Quincey Tompkins Imhoff. His mother, Faith Tompkins, and his brother, John C. Tompkins, are still residents of Millbrook.

 

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