North Face founder dies in Chilean kayak accident
North Face’s founder, maker of the jackets Bostonians know and love, died Tuesday in a kayaking accident in the Patagonia region of Chile.
Douglas Tompkins, 72, was kayaking with five other visitors on General Carrerra Lake when their boats capsized, The Boston Globe reports. Tompkins was flown to a nearby hospital with severe hypothermia, and died in the intensive care unit.
The Globe reports the lake is known for unpredictable weather conditions, and Tompkins spent considerable amounts of time in water under 40 degrees Fahrenheit. A military patrol boat rescued three of the group, while a helicopter lifted out the other three. No one else was seriously injured.
According to the Globe, Tompkins founded the Esprit clothing company in 1968. After the company hit $1 billion in sales, in 1990 Tompkins moved to Chilean Patagonia, and focussed his attention on large-scale conservation efforts.
Read the rest of the story at the Globe.
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