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John Mac
Trad climber
Littleton, CO
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Dec 11, 2015 - 11:18am PT
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There was a nice piece on pbs about him and his wife last night.
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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Dec 11, 2015 - 06:26pm PT
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Watching 180deg south....It's on Netflix...go watch it if you have not.
Damn... we really lost one of the good ones way too soon... :(
I hope his friends who were there are coming though ok. Sounds like a perfect day with friends in the place they loved gone terribly wrong..So rough.
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Chris Jones
Social climber
Glen Ellen, CA
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Dec 11, 2015 - 07:04pm PT
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Doug Tompkins was a natural athlete of the first rank. He had the ability to succeed in almost any sport - and did much of this as essentially a weekend warrior. I remember seeing him in a downhill race at Squaw Valley. Although he had been a very serious and nationally ranked ski racer, at that time he drove up from San Francisco when he could. He was up against any number of locals skiers who were at it all season. He won the race, grinning from ear to ear at the finish. It was fitting that downhill was his speciality; he had the stomach for balls-out risk.
As a climber he was very impressive - the sort of person who could have done almost anything in that era. When in Canada in 1967, driving along the always-exciting Banff-Jasper Highway, Chouinard pointed out the ominous north Face of Mt. Temple, recounting that he and Doug had made a tentative to above the “Dolphin” before the Greenwood, Locke first ascent in 1966. Not for the faint of heart. This attempt was likely in 1965, the same year he, Chouinard, Eric Rayson and Jock Lang made the first ascent of the south face of the north Howser tower, continuing on to complete the first traverse of the Bugaboos’ Howser Spires.
In 1968 he was running his North Face business, so it was a bit of a surprise for we Camp 4 know-it-alls to learn he and Lito Tejada-Flores were about to launch up the Salathe Wall. A bit of a shock to our complacency actually. As I recall they trained by running in San Francisco. Then the most-sought-after big wall, the Salathe had had just 5 ascents, and all by Yosemite stars. Yet up they went, retreating when their haul bag failed. Not long after Doug returned with Chouinard and TM Herbert and shared the 6th ascent with them.
Speaking of the North Face store in North Beach, I purchased some snappy red Fischer Alu skis from Doug. Boy were they pretty. They were to replace my first pair of black Head skis which Royal Robbins had persuaded me I needed for my forthcoming move to California when we were both knocking around in Chamonix. He would be ski instructing at John Harlin's International School of Mountaineering that winter in Switzerland, and would not need skis presently at his home base in Modesto. Taking the skis for their first outing at Mammoth Mountain, with the name Royal Robbins etched on, I kept wondering if those riding the lifts would turn to me and exclaim: “Royal Robbins, wow; El Capitan, man …” Never happened. Unlike in Europe, climbing and climbers were totally unknown.
On the Funhogs 1968 trip down thru South America, Doug was the driving force. One of his motivating phrases was: “let’s kick some ass.” If Lito was not behind the camera, he might yell: “Hey, Fellini, get some footage.” He had put quite a bit of money into a projected film, and was not about to give up. He pulled rabbits out of the bag at every turn. If taking a US vehicle into South American countries one had to post a bond, which we had done. We had a very impressive book with stamped documents which we were to present at the various borders. Except we had no such stamped document for Argentina, our ultimate destination, where the bond was a then-astronomical $10,000. I recall accompanying Doug to a tiny shop in Santiago where they made rubber stamps. “Valid for Argentina” our new stamp said, and he carefully used it and some others. This was all very good in Santiago. But the rainy night we slowly drew up alongside the lonely guard post on the Argentine border my heart was beginning to race. They would surely see through it, and their weapons casually slung over their shoulders and glistening in the rain were menacing. But Doug had a bit of banter with the guard who then waved us on. Did we crank up the music as we drove away, possibly Dylan with “Like a Rolling Stone!”
In the early 1970s Doug and his wife Susie were creating the Esprit clothing brand. This was just a rocket taking off. I was then doing research at the Sierra Club library in San Francisco and stayed with Doug from time to time. He would run me downtown on the back of his motor bike, which was a stimulating way to start the day. Later, when his business moved to an impressive complex on Mariposa Street, my wife and daughter would be delighted to get to private sales held there. Doug would be typically on the phone and busy as heck. His ability to run such a business, yet still carve out time for trips all over the world, (which is a trait shared with Chouinard), is remarkable. Others have posted here about his extraordinary accomplishments in conservation. His life and work is an inspiration.
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#310
Social climber
Telluride, CO
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Dec 12, 2015 - 08:10am PT
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Want to bump Doug back to the first page. He did change the world. I want more Doug stories - especially the one about Doug and Jack Miller flying back from Santiago with a secret passenger and outwitting the Chilean Air Force.
RIP Doug!
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kirkadirka
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Dec 14, 2015 - 06:50am PT
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Never had the chance to meet him in person, but I have been to several of his parks here in Chile and he had a major impact on my view of the world. This is such a huge loss for Chile and the environmental movments, but his seed is surely planted and his ideas and influence will live on. What a life, RIP.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Dec 14, 2015 - 07:47am PT
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Great to read stories by his friends. I muchly appreciate you folks posting up.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Dec 14, 2015 - 07:51am PT
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Doug was laid to rest on Saturday in Valle Chacabuco, the centerpiece of what will soon be Patagonia National Park.......a fitting memorial to a great conservationist.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Dec 14, 2015 - 11:06am PT
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Thanks Jim. Must have been a somber moment for a life well lived.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Dec 14, 2015 - 11:37am PT
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Valle Chacabuco. Makes sense to me. A beautiful place to rest.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Dec 14, 2015 - 10:30pm PT
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An eternal repose in paradise...and well deserved.
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bpope
climber
Sunnyvale, CA
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Dec 15, 2015 - 09:03pm PT
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To Those Who Loved Doug
by Rick Ridgeway
Posted to The Cleanest Line (Patagonia blog)
http://www.thecleanestline.com/2015/12/to-those-who-loved-doug.html
A very thoughtful memorial, with some details of the accident...
In the days that have followed—days that seem like years—“survival” has been a theme that every one of us has raised independent of the other. Specifically, it is this profound realization that Douglas Rainsford Tompkins is surviving, more strongly than ever, inside us. He is pushing on us already, reminding us that “no detail is too small,” inspiring us “to commit and then figure it out,” helping us realize that the first commitment is to beauty because out of beauty comes love, and only with love can we hope to approach his inextinguishable tenacity to protect what is beautiful, what is wild.
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bajaandy
climber
Escondido, CA
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Dec 16, 2015 - 08:37am PT
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Beautiful memories here. Thanks bpope for the Patagonia blog link to Ridgeway's post. Powerfully written.
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Chris Jones
Social climber
Glen Ellen, CA
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Dec 16, 2015 - 09:58am PT
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Thanks to Rick Ridgeway for the heartfelt tribute on the Patagonia website linked-to above.
This photo used by permission of Malinda Chouinard, who wrote: "Peaceful now."
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Russ
Trad climber
Ventura, CA
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Dec 17, 2015 - 09:01am PT
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Such a sad loss, but he went out doing what he loved and lived enough for 3 lifetimes. RIP Doug.
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labrat
Trad climber
Erik O. Auburn, CA
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Dec 17, 2015 - 10:17am PT
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Thank you Doug Tompkins for helping us in trying to take care of our planet. Hope your legacy lives long and prospers. I would like to get back down and visit one or more of the places you have protected again some day. The short time I spent at Pumalin was not enough.
Erik
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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Dec 17, 2015 - 10:19am PT
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He went out with his boots on. Not wasting away in a hospital bed.
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Fossil climber
Trad climber
Atlin, B. C.
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Dec 17, 2015 - 11:01am PT
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What an incredible legacy! Thank you, Doug - I wish more of us could do so much good.
And my deepest sympathy to companions who tried so hard to save him. Sometimes the odds are just too great and the time just too sort.
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Bruce Nyberg
Trad climber
Sheridan, Wyoming
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Dec 17, 2015 - 12:44pm PT
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A legend lost, a legacy for all to follow.
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