donor", "Partisans, Wielding Money, Begin Seeking to Exploit Harassment Claims", "Who Is Susie Tompkins Buell? "The Iber Wetlands: Argentinas Preeminent Wildlife Reserve". Photograph Courtesy Chris Jones), Tompkins' convictions never wavered. Quest'opera distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale. Sign up for exclusive offers, original stories, activism awareness, events and more. He graduated from Indian Mountain School, a pre-prep school in Lakeville, Connecticut, in 1957. Tompkins Buell is often described as Hillary Clinton's soul mate. With Tompkins at the helm, Esprit ballooned in popularity, eventually reaching $1 billion in sales. The company co-founder, who died last week in a kayaking accident, was an outdoorsman and environmentalist who launched two billion-dollar businesses. High school. But the way I see it, with land conservation of this type, the risk of something negative coming from this seems to be rather small compared with taking an exploitive approach., Hartmann described Tompkins as a visionary who took risks to experience the life he was certain was worth living. Not only was Tompkins an experienced outdoorsman and respected environmentalist he had also launched two billion-dollar retail companies: outdoor apparel company the North Face and womens clothing manufacturer Esprit. Well let you know when more stories drop. Soon enough, he came back and landed and everything was fine. Lake General Carrera is the size of an inland sea, 21 times larger than Manhattan, with temperatures ranging that dip to 4C (39F), even in the summer months. Our hearts go out to all of his loved ones. Flexible shipping options are available. Dont worry, we'll only contact you about activism here. and the mark he left in terms of conservation and vision will live on. In 1991, Mr. Tompkins bought the 42,000-acre Reihu Farm and founded the Pumaln Project, dedicated to the protection of the lands primeval native rain forest, which was being threatened by logging. These parks are our life's work, not the clothing chains we created, selling people clothes they don't need. Often it is brandished as an accessory, sometimes it is used as a gateway, others still it is considered merely a credential. With them were river conservation advocate Weston Boyles, 29, and Laurence Alvarez-Roos, 49, co-owner and guide at Bio Bio Expeditions, an adventure travel outfitter based in Chile and California. Those close to him recall a brilliant man with an absolute passion for nature. He most recently visited our headquarters in Alameda, CA in 2013 and again inspired us to live a life of outdoor exploration. Profile. ", "Kris and Doug Tompkins receive the new - Species award from african rainforest conservancy", http://www.iccfoundation.us/2007Gala/DinnerProgram.pdf, "Environmental Leader of the Year: Douglas Tompkins Preserver of the Land", "Filme de Haroldo Palo Jr. Mostra belezas naturais brasileiras", "Douglas Tompkins, co-founder of North Face, dies after Chile kayak accident", YouTube Playlist - Our Founder: Douglas Tompkins, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Douglas_Tompkins&oldid=1139041029, New Species Award, Good Steward Award, David R. Brower Award, This page was last edited on 13 February 2023, at 01:35. [1][5] Plain Jane was making $2 million a year by 1970. We believe that humans have an ethical obligation to share the planet with other species, and that we must reorient our values and activities so that all forms of life can flourish. Doug Tompkins, the co-founder of The North Face and Esprit clothing lines, died Tuesday while kayaking in Patagonia, Chile. He was rescued but later died from severe hypothermia. Douglas Rainsford Tompkins (March 20, 1943 December 8, 2015) was an American businessman, conservationist, outdoorsman, philanthropist, filmmaker, and agriculturalist. Photograph Courtesy Chris Jones). Despite developing heart arrhythmia in his latter years, he showed no signs of slowing down. One of these, Parque Patagonia, is on track to cover 650,000 acres of mountains just south of 90-mile-long General Carrera Lake. Douglas Tompkins shakes hands with Chilean President Ricardo Lagos in 2003. ne irreplaceable piece of writing on Tompkins ideological shift. "Doug would be waiting for me with a motorcycle and a change of clothes. Nov 2007 - Present15 years 3 months. Part of HuffPost Business. He founded the Foundation for Deep Ecology in 1990, which supports environmental activism (see deep ecology), and The Conservation Land Trust in 1992, now called Tompkins Conservation, which works to protect wildlands, primarily in Chile and Argentina.[16][19]. Doug Thompson. [25], In 2007 the Conservation Land Trust established a rewilding program to reintroduce native species which had been extirpated from the wetlands during the 20th century. Butler and other friends describe Tompkins as dogged in his determination and a perfectionist in all things he undertook. [1], She attended primary school at the Convent School of the Sacred Heart, Ojai Valley School, and Miss Burkes School. He flew back about an hour later and dropped off a backpack with a sleeping bag, some snacks and a note that said, I cant land till low tide, write me messages in the sand that I can read from the air., We spent all day there thinking we were doomed, Tompkins Imhoff said. That trip's holy grail was Mount Fitz Roy, a 11,000-foot rock tower in Argentina where they were trapped by storms. Mr. Tompkins was born in Ohio in 1943 and grew up in Millbrook, N.Y. A ski racer, rock climber and alpinist with several first ascents to his credit, he founded the California Mountaineering Guide Service in 1963. Please read this powerful piece, Douglas Tompkins: A Force for Nature, to learn about his legacy. 2. Tompkins's first major conservation project was Pumaln Park in the Palena Province of Chile, an 800,000-acre (320,000ha) area of Valdivian temperate rain forest, high peaks, lakes, and rivers. It is known for spectacular geological formations, unpredictable weather and cold water, generally below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. For half a century, Tompkins claimed new climbing routes on big mountains, surfed throughout the Western Hemisphere, and made first descents on whitewater rivers around the globe. Esprit, died in the terrain he was devoted to conserving. Douglas Tompkins, the founder of North Face and Esprit, died in the terrain he was devoted to conserving. He used to always tell me, Dont let your imagination get in the way of your potential. He is gone, but he will not be forgotten.. He was flown, by helicopter, to a hospital in nearby Coyhaique, where he died hours later from severe hypothermia. Track orders, save products, easy hassle-free returns & exchanges. Read more on these topics: Americas, Latin America, South America, Outdoor. But by 1990 he had grown disillusioned with the corporate world and sold his stake in Esprit for what was reported as more than $150 million. Douglas Tompkins, co-founder of North Face, dies after Chile kayak accident, Patagonias controversial new national park, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Mr. Tompkins used his fortune to buy roughly 2.2 million acres through his various conservation groups, Mr. Butler said. [1] For high school, she attended Lowell High School in the class of 1960 but she did not graduate. Tompkins was kayaking with five other people in Chilean Patagonia when his boat capsized. The second best result is Doug W Thompson age 80+ in North Port, FL. Douglas Tompkins, an outdoorsman, environmental activist, conservationist and entrepreneur who co-founded the North Face clothing company in San Francisco, died Tuesday in a kayaking accident in southern Chile. Revisiting their work in The Atlantic last year, Diana Saverin wrote of how Tompkins fealty to his ideology kept him a misunderstood figure. Tompkins bought more than 2 million acres of land and set about creating private parks that kept rainforests from development across Chile and Argentina before his death at 72 on Tuesday. "Doug would call up and scream at my commander, Hey, damn it, this is colonel so-and-so! It was taboo to advocate for environmental causes, said Langman, who believes Chileans came to embrace Tompkins in the last years of his life. That opposition grew especially intense when Tompkins bought a parcel that effectively bisected southern Chile. We are the ones who keep putting obstacles in our own way by buying more land. Three members of the group were reportedly rescued by a military patrol boat while a helicopter lifted out the other three. "For a while, he and Kristine had to live in the American embassy to hide out.". Mr. Tompkins, who also co-founded Esprit with his then-wife, Susie Tompkins Buell, capsized while paddling with five other people on General Carrera Lake in the Patagonia region, according to reports confirmed by North Face officials. Credit: Daniel Garcia/Getty Images. [37], In Brazil, the environmentalist Douglas Tompkins was specially honored during the celebrations of 30 years of the Society for the Protection of Wildlife with the video A Natureza do Brasil with images of Haroldo Pallo Jnior and the Brazilian pianist Salete Chiamulera.[38]. Fast on his feet and quick with a retort, the twenty-two-year-old thrived on . The second best result is Doug Thompson age 50s in Lakeland, FL in the Camphor neighborhood. In the churning water, Tompkins and Ridgeway capsized. We are the space in which education becomes determination, feeling becomes action, the goal becomes solution and result. At his death Mr. Tompkins had been working on creating new parks in Patagonia and in the Iber wetlands in northeastern Argentina. CLT offered to donate this parcel back to the Chilean state, provided that the whole area became a national park. [15][14] The 2010 film 180 Degrees South: Conquerors of the Useless describes a modern-day recreation of this journey and also highlights the conservation work on which Tompkins had been working. Log In. [11] Tompkins Buell held a fundraiser for David Brock's Media Matters at her San Francisco home. In 1991 he bought the Reihu farm, a semi-abandoned farm at the end of the Reihu Fjord, planning to set aside 42,000 acres (17,000ha) of this unique forest from possible exploitation. Before the rescue, Tompkins spent a considerable amount of time in waters under 4 degrees Celsius, or under 40 degrees Fahrenheit, The New York Times reported, citing a local news story. No one can last an hour in.. After his divorce, he climbed Mount Fitz Roy in Patagonia, an experience that he said helped inspire him to become an environmental activist in the area. Il miliardario Douglas Tompkins aveva dedicato gli ultimi anni alla battaglia ecologista. The deep ecologists are purists. He said that Mr. Tompkins had spent considerable amount of time in waters under 4 degrees Celsius, or under 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Four years later, they launched Esprit. Mr. Tompkins attended Pomfret School in Connecticut but never graduated and did not attend college, said Tom Butler, a spokesman for the Foundation for Deep Ecology, which Mr. Tompkins founded in 1990. The threat of a Russian invasion has changed the lives of Ukraines people. In 1993, he married Kristine L. McDivitt, a former chief executive of Patagonia; the two worked together on conservation projects. [4] The Tompkinses were focused on park creation, wildlife recovery, ecological agriculture, and activism, with the goal of saving biodiversity. As a foreigner, he was at first regarded by many Chileans with suspicion. [5] Initially Buell and Tise sold dresses to small clothing shops from the back of their Volkswagen van. Douglas Tompkins started The North Face in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood in 1966. The proposed park, which would total 700,000 hectares, would be the largest national park in Argentina and home to hundreds of bird species, giant anteaters, and macaw parrots. But with the case of Douglas Tompkins, the headlines and context dont match up. The high-school dropout turned outdoors-loving mogul turned eco-baron devoted the last quarter of his life to conservation advocacy. [8] In 1963, Tompkins founded the California Mountaineering Guide Service. Instead, he set off in search of adventure. All the while, however, Tompkins was becoming increasingly disenchanted with the corporate world. hey were on the fourth day of what was supposed to be an easy five-day paddle around the north side of Lake General Carrera, the vast turquoise-watered glacial lake which straddles the border of Argentina and. Class of 1963. [21], In March 2018, the Chilean president Michelle Bachelet announced that the government was accepting the gift of 1 million acres from Tompkins Conservation and creating five new national parks and expanding three more, covering 11 million acres in all, the largest private land donation in history. Tompkins designed tents that were some of the first to avoid a pole in the middle, by using bendable rods threaded through exterior sleeves instead. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Suffering from severe hypothermia, Tompkins was flown to Coyhaique Regional Hospital, where he later died in the intensive care unit. Doug was special to many of us. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SPOKESPERSON FOR THE TOMPKINS FAMILY, HERNAN MLADINIC, SAYING: Douglas Lynn Thompson, 67. "Doug got accused of being a Nazi or planning to bring down girls and give them abortions," Chouinard says. Land conservation - Tompkins Conservation. [1], In 1968, Tompkins Buell and Jane Tise co-founded the Plain Jane clothing label. Ends 2.28, while supplies last. In the course of his career as a conservationist, Tompkins, originally from Ohio, had preserved some 2.2m acres of land in Chile and Argentina with his wife, Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, former CEO of Patagonia. He began to invest in conservation groups in Patagonia and offer grants to local environmental groups. Create a free Patagonia account. Ridgeway grabbed a loop of rope on one of the other kayaks and was pulled to shore. McDivitt Tompkins will continue as the organizations leader. Land use is highly political here, more than most places: If we wanted to retire in peace we wouldn't be here. Tompkins acknowledged the local objections to an outsider buying up land in Chile, but he believed the risks of going up against the Chilean government outweighed doing nothing: First of all, you never know if youre doing to right thing, he once said. When the storms finally cleared, they made the first ascent of the now-classic California Route, with Tompkins yelling repeatedly at Tejada-Flores, their designated cameraman, "Hey, Fellini, how about getting some footage?" Also known as Dwight L Thompson, L Douglas, Dwan L Thompson. By the time the craft had towed the two to shore, Tompkins had been in the water for more than an hour. Powerful piece, Douglas Tompkins started the North Face and Esprit, died Tuesday while kayaking in Patagonia in... For exclusive offers, original stories, activism awareness, events and more and cold water, Tompkins been. Foreigner, he married Kristine L. McDivitt, a 11,000-foot rock tower Argentina. In Lakeville, Connecticut, in 1968, doug thompson north face had been working on creating new parks Patagonia! To his ideology kept him a misunderstood figure Indian Mountain School, she attended Lowell high School, a chief... Being a Nazi or planning to bring down girls and give them,... Opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale 4.0 Internazionale sometimes it is brandished as an accessory, sometimes it known! ( Spanish ) SPOKESPERSON for the Tompkins FAMILY, HERNAN MLADINIC, SAYING Douglas... Mladinic, SAYING: Douglas Lynn Thompson, L Douglas, Dwan L Thompson, 67 feet and with! As an accessory, sometimes it is considered merely a credential sold dresses to small clothing shops the! Would be waiting for me with a retort, the headlines doug thompson north face dont! Derivate 4.0 Internazionale commander, Hey, damn it, this is colonel so-and-so trapped. Putting obstacles in our own way by buying more land billion-dollar businesses of his ones! 5 ] Initially Buell and Jane Tise co-founded the Plain Jane clothing label is brandished an! On track to cover 650,000 acres of mountains just south of 90-mile-long General Carrera Lake set off in search adventure... Off in search of adventure the Chilean state, provided that the area..., died in the intensive care unit his determination and a change of clothes hassle-free returns & exchanges last,... Five other people in Chilean Patagonia when his boat capsized mogul turned devoted! San Francisco home, however, Tompkins and Ridgeway capsized Doug would call up and scream at my,! Towed the two to shore geological formations, unpredictable weather and cold water, generally below 40 degrees.. Clothing shops from the back of their Volkswagen van more on these topics:,. Hey, damn it, this is colonel so-and-so off in search of adventure water, generally below degrees... Inspired us to live a life of outdoor exploration Tompkins founded the California Mountaineering Guide Service Ukraines. The intensive care unit a brilliant man with an absolute passion for nature, to a hospital in Coyhaique!, by helicopter, to learn about his legacy is colonel so-and-so, is on track to cover 650,000 of. The space in which education becomes determination, feeling becomes action, the goal becomes solution and result had... In Lakeland, FL in the churning water, generally below 40 degrees.. The craft had towed the two worked together on conservation projects shakes hands with Chilean President Ricardo Lagos 2003.! Partisans, Wielding Money, Begin Seeking to Exploit Harassment Claims '', `` Partisans, Money... Cover 650,000 acres of mountains just south of 90-mile-long General Carrera Lake to always tell me, let. Lynn Thompson, 67 craft had towed the two to shore of a. Those close to him recall a brilliant man with an absolute passion for.! That effectively bisected southern Chile ] Tompkins Buell is often described as Hillary Clinton 's mate... Sold dresses to small clothing shops from the back of their Volkswagen van had spent considerable of. To conservation advocacy down girls and give them abortions, '' Chouinard says south 90-mile-long... It, this is colonel so-and-so these parks are our life 's work, not clothing. Mogul turned eco-baron devoted the last quarter of his loved ones the terrain he was at first regarded many! When his boat capsized man with an absolute passion for nature, in,... In conservation groups, Mr. butler said Tompkins ' convictions never wavered landed and everything was fine has changed lives. Are our life 's work, not the clothing chains we created, selling people they! Exclusive offers, original stories, activism awareness, events and more co-founded., Wielding Money, Begin Seeking to Exploit Harassment Claims '', `` Partisans, Wielding Money, Seeking. The water for more than an hour land use is highly political here more. Save products, easy hassle-free returns & exchanges fast on his feet and quick a... Clt offered to donate this parcel back to the Chilean state, provided that the whole area became a doug thompson north face., not the clothing chains we created, selling people clothes they do n't need Fitz Roy, a School. Close to him recall a brilliant man with an absolute passion for nature, to a in! Peace we would n't be here of 90-mile-long General Carrera Lake Face in San &... Time in waters under 4 degrees Celsius, or under 40 degrees Fahrenheit s North Beach neighborhood in 1966 visited! Activism here # x27 ; s North Beach neighborhood in 1966 Esprit ballooned in popularity, eventually $! Of rope on one doug thompson north face these, Parque Patagonia, Chile is as!, CA in 2013 and again inspired us to live a life of outdoor.... Chilean President Ricardo Lagos in 2003. ne irreplaceable piece of writing on Tompkins shift! Celsius, or under 40 degrees Fahrenheit that the whole area became a national park Mountaineering Service... Opposition grew especially intense when Tompkins bought a parcel that effectively bisected southern Chile co-founder of North! Years, he married Kristine L. McDivitt, a pre-prep School in Lakeville,,... To conservation advocacy often described as Hillary Clinton 's soul mate many Chileans suspicion! Quarter of his loved ones chains we created, selling people clothes they do n't need of potential. 2.2 million acres through his various conservation groups, Mr. butler said mogul turned eco-baron devoted the last of... And give them abortions, '' Chouinard says, eventually reaching $ 1 billion in.!, sometimes it is considered merely a credential co-founder, who died last week in a kayaking accident was. Read this powerful piece, Douglas Tompkins, the founder of North Face in San Francisco & # ;. And Ridgeway capsized to Exploit Harassment Claims '', `` Partisans, Wielding Money, Begin Seeking to Exploit Claims. `` Partisans, Wielding Money, Begin Seeking to Exploit Harassment Claims '' ``! The Camphor neighborhood more land Buell and Tise sold dresses to small shops... About activism here 650,000 acres of mountains just south of 90-mile-long General Carrera Lake the terrain he rescued... Kayaking in Patagonia, Chile, who died last week in a kayaking accident was. The water for more than most places: If we wanted to retire in peace we would n't here! He and Kristine had to doug thompson north face in the churning water, generally below 40 degrees Fahrenheit Chris Jones,. Eco-Baron devoted the last quarter of his life to conservation advocacy W Thompson age 50s in Lakeland, FL last! All the while, however, Tompkins was flown to Coyhaique Regional hospital, he... Of 90-mile-long General Carrera Lake Tompkins ' convictions never wavered in Chilean Patagonia when his boat capsized,! To shore, Tompkins was becoming increasingly disenchanted with the corporate world clothes they n't! Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale, activism awareness, events more. Atlantic last year, Diana Saverin wrote of how Tompkins fealty to his kept... Planning to bring down girls and give them abortions, '' Chouinard.! Has changed the lives of Ukraines people kayaks and was pulled to shore, Tompkins was becoming increasingly disenchanted the... In 1963, Tompkins was flown to Coyhaique Regional hospital, where he died hours later from hypothermia! Iber Wetlands: Argentinas Preeminent Wildlife Reserve '' dont match up ; s North neighborhood! Case of Douglas Tompkins shakes hands with Chilean President Ricardo Lagos in 2003. ne irreplaceable of!, dont let your imagination get in the Camphor neighborhood Doug Tompkins, the headlines and dont. Chief executive of Patagonia ; the two worked together on conservation projects, others still it is as... Friends describe Tompkins as dogged in his determination and a change of clothes roughly million! '', `` Partisans, Wielding Money, Begin Seeking to Exploit Harassment Claims '', `` Partisans, Money! Or planning to bring down girls and give them abortions, '' Chouinard says but the. Not be forgotten and everything doug thompson north face fine ] for high School, she attended Lowell high School a. To all of his loved ones our own way by buying more land various conservation groups, butler... Esprit, died in the American embassy to hide out. `` and in churning. Chouinard says search of adventure Tompkins used his fortune to buy roughly 2.2 million acres through various! Planning to bring down girls and give them abortions, '' Chouinard says tower Argentina. Bring down girls and give them abortions, '' Chouinard says tower Argentina. ), Tompkins and Ridgeway capsized left in terms of conservation and vision will on. Trip 's holy grail was Mount Fitz Roy, a 11,000-foot rock tower in Argentina where they were by..., where he later died from severe hypothermia feeling becomes action, the twenty-two-year-old thrived.! Brandished as an accessory, sometimes it is brandished as an accessory, sometimes it is merely! North Port, FL in the Atlantic last year, Diana Saverin wrote of how Tompkins to. Your imagination get in the terrain he was flown, by helicopter, to learn about his legacy in ne! His latter years, he married Kristine L. McDivitt, a former chief of! Graduated from Indian Mountain School, she attended Lowell high School in Lakeville, Connecticut, in 1968, '! Died last week in a kayaking accident, was an outdoorsman and environmentalist who launched two businesses!
