US billionaire Douglas Tompkins dies in kayak accident in Chile

[webfact]

US billionaire Douglas Tompkins dies in kayak accident in Chile

The US clothing billionaire Douglas Tompkins has died in a kayaking accident in southern Chile aged 72.

The North Face and Esprit founder died of hypothermia after the kayaks he and five others were in capsized in strong waves, authorities said.

He was taken by helicopter to hospital in Coyhaique but had stopped breathing when he arrived, doctors said.

Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35048095


-- BBC 2015-12-09

[puukao]

I knew that north face jacket for $957 was over-priced!!! billionaire? nice..

I'm creating South Face......jackets start at 2 million baht....

since this is on TV, i hope he gave tons of money to the poor here.....

or at least liked the Chinese rip-off NF coats for 200 baht!!!

[webfact]

Wealthy environmentalist Tompkins dies in Chile accident
EVA VERGARA, Associated Press

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Douglas Tompkins, a wealthy U.S. businessman and environmental activist who bought up large swaths of land in South America's Patagonia region with the aim to keep them pristine, has died. He was 72.

Tompkins died Tuesday from severe hypothermia in a kayaking accident in Chile, authorities said.

The Aysen health service said Tompkins, who was a co-founder of The North Face and Esprit clothing companies, was boating with five other foreigners when their kayaks capsized in a lake in the Patagonia region of southern Chile. Tompkins died in the intensive care unit of the hospital in Coyhaique, a town 1,700 kilometers (1,056 miles) south of Santiago.

"He had lost consciousness and wasn't breathing" when brought to the hospital by helicopter, Dr. Carlos Salazar told local television stations.

Chile's army said strong waves on General Carrerra Lake caused the group's kayaks to capsize. A military patrol boat rescued three of the boaters and a helicopter lifted out the other three, it said.

After retiring in 1989, Tompkins was active in conservation and environmentalism. He owned hundreds of thousands of hectares (acres) in Patagonia, a sparsely populated region of untamed rivers and other natural beauty that straddles southern Chile and Argentina. On his Chilean land, he created Pumalin Park, 290,000 hectares (716,606 acres) of forest, lakes and fjords stretching from the Andes to the Pacific.

"Doug was a passionate advocate for the environment," said The North Face in a statement. "His legacy of conservation will help ensure that there are outdoor spaces to be explored for generations to come."

Tompkins was one of the founders of The North Face, an activewear company that is now owned by VF Corp. of Greensboro, North Carolina. He also founded, with his wife, the Esprit clothing company.

An active outdoorsman, besides buying up land to preserve it, Tompkins also sometimes got involved in local environmental issues in Chile and Argentina. Many credit him with helping to raise consciousness about the toll that large man-made projects, such as dams, can have on ecosystems.

"For the environmental movement, not just in Chile but internationally, (Tompkins' death) is a huge loss," said Sara Larrain, a long-time friend of Tompkins who leads a Chilean environmental group. "This is somebody who put all his energy, all his fortune and his spirit in preserving ecosystems."
__

Associated Press writers Luis Andres Henao and Patricia Luna in Santiago, Chile and Peter Prengaman in Buenos Aires, Argentina contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-12-09

[khwaibah]

RIP. General Carrerra Lake where Douglas Tompkins had his accident and where he bought up large tracks of land in Chile and Argentina is only 500 km from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids 15,000 acre cattle ranch and hide out.

[MaeJoMTB]

At 72, he should have known better than to be out on a kayak.

[craigt3365]

I knew that north face jacket for $957 was over-priced!!! billionaire? nice..

I'm creating South Face......jackets start at 2 million baht....

since this is on TV, i hope he gave tons of money to the poor here.....

or at least liked the Chinese rip-off NF coats for 200 baht!!!

Show some respect. He was an inspiration to many and a true success story. His environmental projects in Chile and Argentina are second to none anywhere else in the world. An amazing man. RIP.

The sporting goods line he started is one of the best in the world for high quality and innovative gear. Though he's not been involved for a long time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Tompkins

Despite considerable controversy within Chile and Argentina, Tompkins' environmental work has won him respect and accolades outside of South America: in 2012, the African Rainforest Conservancy awarded Doug and wife Kris their "New Species Award";^[11] in 2007, the International Conservation Caucus Foundation awarded their "Good Steward" award to him and his wife Kris;^[12] in 2008, the American Alpine Club awarded him the David R. Brower Award in 2009, for his work preserving mountain regions; in 2009, Latin Trade named him the "Environmental Leader of the Year".^[13] In 2007, he was appointed as an honorary member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, in recognition of his work restoring damaged landscapes.^[14]Eco Barons Edward Humes's 2009 account of the "dreamers, schemers, and millionaires who are saving our planet," uses Tompkins as the first example of this new group of philanthropists.^[15]

[BKKBrit]

At 72, he should have known better than to be out on a kayak.

What a horrible and inane comment. If I make it to 72, and I am as fit and agile as he was, then great. It's called living and enjoying life.

There really are some miserable people in TV.

[craigt3365]

At 72, he should have known better than to be out on a kayak.

What a horrible and inane comment. If I make it to 72, and I am as fit and agile as he was, then great. It's called living and enjoying life.

There really are some miserable people in TV.

There are few people in the world who've done the outdoor adventures this man has. He's better at 72 with these activities than most of us are no matter the age. I've spent some time in Patagonia. Weather changes in an instant. Beautiful one minute, and a mess the next. RIP.

[Ulic]

RIP. Love my North Face clothing. You will be missed by the outdoor loving community.

[atyclb]

At 72, he should have known better than to be out on a kayak.

What a horrible and inane comment. If I make it to 72, and I am as fit and agile as he was, then great. It's called living and enjoying life.

There really are some miserable people in TV.

"At 72, he should have known better than to be out on a kayak."

is not completely without merit. we assume he took all safety precautions like wearing an appropriate wetsuit for water temp.

ive surfed my entire life and also lived in hawaii for many years. theres waves i would not likely try even under the guise of enjoying life to the fullest . cold water compounds things.

[squarethecircle]

At 72, he should have known better than to be out on a kayak.

Dunno, saw how my elders died at 80-85 years, in nursing homes, smells like piss and crap and death, think hypothermia while doing what you love is much better.

[Kiloman]

At 72, he should have known better than to be out on a kayak.

This kind of accident could have happened to anyone. Kayaking is a risky sport.

[chiang mai]

There's an irony associated with the owner of North Face winter gear dieing of hypothermia.

[dexterm]

A few years ago I was travelling the Carretera Austral and bemoaning the fact that there weren't convenient transport options from O'Higgins through to a border crossing to Calafate in Argentina, so I had to backtrack all the way back up to Puerto Montt and Bariloche to continue south. Maybe Douglas Tompkins and his vast land holdings had something to do with that...who knows.. maintaining the pristine state of southern Chile. If so, now I understand and applaud his efforts. A very beautiful part of the planet well worth preserving.

RIP Douglas Tompkins.

Edited December 9, 2015 by dexterm

[kaorop]

At 72, he should have known better than to be out on a kayak.

What a horrible and inane comment. If I make it to 72, and I am as fit and agile as he was, then great. It's called living and enjoying life.

There really are some miserable people in TV.

if you've seen many of his other posts, then its par for the course, just ignore

RIP, went out doing what he loved, maybe to soon, condolences to his family and i hope his environmental work lives on.

[SOTIRIOS]

...ironic...

[dogpatch55]

A sad loss.. RIP.. At least he died doing something he loved..

[arend]

At 72, he should have known better than to be out on a kayak.

LOL...at 72, living life to the fullest and making an awesome contribution to a better world for future generations...sounds like a winning formula to me...

[h90]

At 72, he should have known better than to be out on a kayak.

Well I prefer to die with 72 active on the kayak, than get cancer with 80 and stay the next 10 years in bed with the nurse clean my excrement of me.