A Wild Idea

The incredible true story of the entrepreneur turned conservationist—the founder of the iconic companies The North Face and Esprit who used his fortune to protect over 12-million acres of land from development and exploitation and battle to save the wild. Expelled from high school in 1959, Douglas Tompkins sought his freedom in San Francisco, where he opened a ski and outdoor equipment shop he called The North Face and Esprit clothing company. Over the next twenty-five years, Tompkins built these modest shops into 2 of the world's most beloved brands. Esprit became the envy of retail, upending the way fashion apparel is produced, marketed, and sold. Breaking from traditional corporate leadership, Tompkins practiced what he called, "management by absence," calling into the office four to six months a year from Tibet, the Swiss Alps, Siberia, and other remote locations where he could kayak, ski, trek across a glacier, or climb mountains. ...