North Face founder dies in kayaking accident

US environmentalist and businessman Douglas Tompkins, the founder of outdoor clothing and equipment company The North Face, died on Tuesday during a kayaking trip in Chile, local health officials said. He was 72.

Tompkins was on General Carrera Lake in Patagonia in southern Chile with a group of five others when his kayak flipped and he fell into the icy waters, the Aysen regional health service said in a statement. Local media reported that he was knocked over by a strong wave.

The service said he was admitted around 1:30 pm to the regional hospital in Coyhaique, some 1,832 km south of Santiago, but was pronounced dead of severe hypothermia hours later.

Tompkins’ body temperature was 66° Fahrenheit (19° Celsius) after being taken out of the water, the statement said. All five of his companions were unharmed.

Tompkins founded The North Face, now part of VF Corporation, in the 1960s as a small ski and backpacking retailer in San Francisco.

The company markets clothing and gear to hikers, mountain climbers and other outdoor enthusiasts.