douglas tompkins

Douglas Tompkins started The North Face in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood in 1966. He later eschewed the business world to focus on environmentalism, purchasing large swaths of land for conservation in Chile and Argentina.

North Face Founder Douglas Tompkins Dies In Kayaking Accident In Chile

5:40pm December 09, 2015

by Jim Zarroli

Tompkins created The North Face and co-founded Esprit, but abandoned the business world to devote himself to environmental causes. He was 72.