Yvon Chouinard

Biography

Yvon Chouinard, born November 9, 1938, in Lewiston, Maine, USA, is an American climber, mountaineer, and entrepreneur of French-Canadian descent. He built a reputation as a fearless climber, innovating hand-forged climbing equipment to finance his adventures, including the notable ascent of Mount Fitz Roy in Patagonia in 1968. Chouinard later founded Patagonia in 1973, dedicating it to sustainable and environmentally responsible manufacturing. In 2022, he sold Patagonia to planet conservation organizations.