Douglas Tompkins, co-founder of North Face and Esprit, dies in kayaking accident

Douglas Tompkins.
(Image credit: Facebook.com/TheNorthFace)

Douglas Tompkins, conservationist and co-founder of The North Face and Esprit brands, died Tuesday after a kayaking accident in Chile. He was 72.

Local media reports say that Tompkins and five others were paddling on General Carrera Lake in the Patagonia region when their kayaks capsized. The water was below 39 degrees Fahrenheit, and Tompkins was confirmed dead at the Coyhaique Regional Hospital; the Health Ministry says his body temperature was just 66 degrees. None of the other kayakers were hurt.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.