Our story... since 1953

Attracted by a growing selection of specialized products, a wider clientele began showing interest in the store. La Cordée then opened its doors to the general public and quickly became an undisputed leader in outdoor equipment sales in Quebec. It rapidly evolved into a camping and hiking store. Climbing gear also made its appearance, making La Cordée the very first store in Quebec to offer such equipment.

In 1974, the first store, located at Berri and Ontario, moved to Sainte-Catherine Street East. During this decade, La Cordée became the largest cross-country ski retailer in the province, with exclusive European imports for its clientele.

La Cordée established itself as one of the leading bicycle retailers in the Greater Montreal area. For a long time La Cordée was the only true specialist in bike touring, it also became a pioneer in mountain biking in 1984. That same winter, La Cordée introduced a backcountry ski binding to the Quebec market for the very first time. Then, in 1985, for skiers eager to experiment, La Cordée introduced a new type of ski: telemark.

Water sports made their way to La Cordée, which quickly became a major player in canoeing and kayaking. In September 2001, the Laval store opened to serve the growing North Shore clientele. Then, in October 2005, to better serve customers in Montérégie, La Cordée opened a third store in Saint-Hubert.

At the turn of the decade, La Cordée launched the transactional side of its website. This new online store allowed outdoor enthusiasts in remote regions to shop more easily. In 2015, La Cordée acquired the store Le Yéti on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Montreal, later renamed La Cordée Boutique. Continuing its expansion, in 2018 La Cordée acquired the sporting goods store La Vie Sportive in Quebec City. Renamed La Vie Sportive by La Cordée, the store specialized in alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and cycling.

At the beginning of the decade, Mach Capital became La Cordée’s majority owner. In 2023, La Cordée inaugurated its new store in the heart of Sainte-Catherine Street in the Promenades Cathédrale. The following year, Matt Gowar, a key outdoor industry player in Europe, joined Mach Capital and became La Cordée’s majority shareholder. At the end of 2024, Robert Brunet, founder of Le Yéti in 1985, was appointed CEO of La Cordée. Robert joined to continue growing the company in Quebec. In 2025, the Sainte-Catherine East store relocated to Promenades Cathédrale to better serve the downtown clientele.