The daily companion: Montblanc Wallets offer a variety of functions to carry everything you need for your daily transaction.The founder of the cold-weather clothing company North Face has died of hypothermia after falling into icy water while kayaking in a remote region of Chile. Retail entrepreneur-turned-environmentalist Douglas Tompkins, who built two clothing giants before moving to South America to devote himself to conservation, was on a lake in Patagonia with five other people when they were struck by a large wave and capsized. The kayakers had been paddling on General Carrera Lake, known both for its spectacular mountain surroundings and for its icy cold water, which rarely rises above 4 degrees Celsius. They were pulled from the water by a military patrol boat and helicopter. Mr Tompkins’ five companions all escaped without serious injury, but the businessman, who was 72, was reportedly in the water for some time before being rescued. He was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Coyhaique, 1,000 miles south of Santiago, where he later died of the effects of hypothermia.

Born in Ohio in 1943, Mr Tompkins grew up in New York state, where he began rock climbing in the Shawangunk Mountains at the age of 12. After moving to America’s west coast to ski and climb in Colorado and California, he founded North Face in San Francisco in 1964 as a mail-order business selling skiing and backpacking kit. Named after the coldest and least forgiving side of any mountain, North Face would grow far beyond its core constituency of outdoors people to become a leading global lifestyle brand, with revenues of $2bn (£1.3bn) in 2013.terrex bc 16 backpack Mr Tompkins, however, had moved on long before then. herschel backpack cebuHe sold the business in 1969 after just five years, by which time he and his first wife Susie Tompkins Buell had already founded another clothing line, Esprit, which would also grow into a multi-billion dollar retail concern. backpack highbanker

The couple, who had originally met hitch-hiking, divorced in 1989 but remained close until his death. “I’m incredibly saddened... but he lived on the edge,” Ms Buell told the San Francisco Chronicle this week. “He used to come home from adventures and say, ‘Well, I cheated death again.’ That’s the way he lived. He was a very inspired person. There wasn’t anything he thought he wanted to do that he didn’t do.”skybags sling backpack 03 (black) Notable deaths in 2015ossington backpack reviews After his divorce, Mr Tompkins left the retail world, selling his stake in Esprit for a reported $150m and declaring fashion “intellectually vacuous” and partially responsible for the environmental devastation that he hoped to ameliorate. tilopa backpack review

He had been visiting Chile ever since the 1960s, when he made the classic climbing documentary Mountain of Storms, about his ascent of Patagonia’s Mount Fitzroy. In 1992, he founded the Conservation Land Trust and began buying up swathes of Chilean and Argentinian wilderness in order to keep the land untouched and protected from development. The following year, he married his second wife, Kristine, the former CEO of the Patagonia clothing company. Together, the couple bought more than 2 million acres in Chile and Argentina – including the 290,000-acre Pumalin Park, which spans Chile from the Andes to the Pacific. Their efforts to protect wildlife and sustainable agriculture were praised by fellow conservationists but criticised by some Chilean conservatives. “If I were to go to the United States and buy a big area of Florida as an environmental preserve and tell people they can’t go here or there, I think the US would kick me out,” Chilean senator Antonio Horvath told The New York Times in 2005.

North Face said the company’s workers were “deeply saddened” by the news of their founder’s death. “Doug was special to many of us,” the firm said in a statement. “He was a passionate advocate for the environment, and his legacy of conservation is one that we hope to help continue.”This is the eleventh post in a 12-part series detailing my monthly highlights from a year long trip around the world. To start at the beginning: click here Month 11 of my trip brings the end of Argentina and the exploration of Chile before the final month of my trip in Peru. Some highlights from month 11 include: To end my stay in Argentina I met up with Mariale (a good friend of my Couchsurfing host) and she took me to a Basic Tango Lesson in a milonga. The lesson was awesome, although a bit awkward since I was pretty bad and even though I was in a beginner lesson, everyone was much more advanced. My favorite part of the evening was the intermediate/advanced lesson following the beginners lesson.

The energy of the teachers as they taught and demonstrated the different moves oozed of sexuality and confidence and I was enthralled with the quick footwork, longing glances and exaggerated movements. In the hallway of the milonga I found this piece of artwork which, I think, embodies the vibe the tango gives off. As I mentioned in a previous highlights post, while I was in Germany I met a gal at a bar and she taught me how to say “do you want to see my butterfly wing collection?” The phrase was hilarious to me and while I was in Santiago, Chile I met a gal from Finland and asked her to teach me the Finnish version. The brilliant thing about Finnish–it’s very phonetic, meaning it’s quite easy to read because it sounds just like you’d think when you’re trying to read it. She thought for a moment and said, “well, it’s only three words…” After Santiago I decided I was going to make it down to Puerto Tranquillo to see Las Capillas De Marmol (The Marble Cathedrals) as well as stopping in Aysen to meet Gringo Bob.

Puerto Montt is a the furthest south you can get by bus, so, it’s where I headed. After arriving and asking around, I found out about Puerto Montt’s amazing fish market. I asked the recommendation of the colectivo (taxi) driver who dropped me off and he told me I had to get the Curanto from Don Nelson’s place. The market doesn’t have many directional signs and it’s filled with shops, restaurants and fresh seafood stalls, so actually locating Don Nelson’s took a bit of effort. However, I found it (I will always be successful on the hunt for a good meal) and ordered their curanto as my prize. I didn’t even know what it was… This is what came out: 10-15 mariscos (clams and mussels), a chicken drumstick, 2 sausages, pork, 2 fish cakes, salsa, bread and broth. From Puerto Montt I took a plane down to Balmaceda where I took a transfer into Aysen to meet up with Gringo Bob and Andrea. Gringo Bob is an expat who has been living down in Chile for the past 15 years.

I met him over Skype through my buddy Steve who met him while he was teaching English down in Chile for a year. And just like that, not only did I have a place to stay while I was in Aysen, but it was with Gringo Bob, who is in a word: legitimate. My first night there Bob, Andrea (Bob’s girlfriend), Carlos (Bob’s buddy) and I dominated a huge filet of the BEST smoked salmon I’ve ever had in my life (on Bob’s recommendation I bought it at the Seafood Market in Puerto Montt) and we washed it down with wine, pisco (a type of brandy made in Chile and Peru) and vodka while drunkenly telling travel stories and sharing pictures from our adventures. I knew right then I was in for an amazing stay. Bob is an accomplished fisherman and him and Andrea have taken their Ubhi (pronounced you-bee-hi) all throughout Chile, fishing and eating salmon along the way. I wish I had had time to go with them for a crazy adventure down to Tierra Del Fuego or something, but Bob still made sure we got to go fishing in some of the pristine, rarely touched areas around Aysen.

We took a trip out to Catalan Beach to visit Oswaldo, who is about as off the grid/living off the land as you can get. Before the road was made (by dam companies) in 2008, the only way to this beach he lives on was by row boat, which could easily take half a day. Oswaldo has been living in his makeshift hut for 40 years! There is fresh water in abundance, he is an amazing fisherman and so he lives off the land, selling and trading salmon for anything he needs. He has no internet or phone, and I’d wager he probably has no idea who the Chilean president is and he couldn’t care less. On our trip out to Rio Blanco I was able to experience my first completely naturally powered vehicle transport. The platform is large enough to hold two cars at a time and is attached up top by guide wires. Then, by using the current of the river, the platform transfers from one side of the river to the other. We were able to also visit Laguna Las Palas and Lago Riesco, which were incredibly tranquil and calming.

I was already feeling pretty isolated, but since the vehicle transport can only take 2 vehicles across for a limited time during the day, it keeps the area extra remote. We also took a trip out to Coyhaique, stopping to see La cascada de Virgin and the panorama overlooking Coyhaique. One of my favorite memories was a BBQ Bob threw at his Campo. The plan was to have a BBQ and relax outside since the Campo was being worked on, but it started raining so we ended up clearing out the wood storage shelter and moving the party in there. There’s nothing quite like being warm when it’s cold outside in good company with a full belly, and slightly buzzed, while listening to the rain on a metal roof. Thank you again for the amazing hospitality Bob and Andrea! The morning after the BBQ I took a few buses from Aysen down to Puerto Tranquilo. It was an absolutely gorgeous drive on unpaved roads through snow covered mountains. I stayed with Manuel (a good friend of Bob and Andrea) in his peaceful house right on Lago General Carrera (the 2nd largest lake in South America, after Titticaca).

The reason I made the journey down to this small town was for Las Capillas De Marmol. It was a breathtakingly beautiful and cold 30-minute boat ride out to the caves, but totally worth it! This has to be one of the top highlights of the entire year, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking for this hidden gem of the world… While I was in Argentina I met Ignacio and Pedro, two Chileans, in a hostel. When I got back to Santiago from my trip down south we all met up and they showed me around their city. First up was having some Terremottos (earthquakes) at La Piojera (translates to flea nest). A terremotto is an extremely strong drink; it has sherbet in it and if you drink two you will have trouble walking–like you would if there was an earthquake going on. After the terremotos we made our way to have my first “café con piernas” experience. This translates to coffee with legs and it’s a style of coffee shop very popular in Chile. They are normally located in business districts and it’s where you can go and order a coffee and a scantily clad lady will serve it to you.