Altitude Sports

The retailer's first store opened on Montreal's St. Denis Street in 1984.[7][1] The company was known as Altitude Sports Plein Air, selling and renting outdoor equipment and clothing for outdoor activities. The Altitude-sports.com website was created in 1999 and was one of the first online outdoor retail sites in Canada. The Last Hunt, a sister outlet site, opened in 2010. In 2011, the company was acquired by Alexandre Guimond and Maxime Dubois, employees who became majority owners after the purchase.[8][5] 2016 saw Altitude Sports partner with Quartz Co. and Monark to design and produce the world's first parkas insulated with milkweed.[9]

In 2016, revenue from the bricks-and-mortar retail stores made up only 2% of the company's total sales, with most of the business being generated online. The St. Denis Street store closed in 2016, the beginning of a shift to a 100% online retailer.[7] In early 2018, BDC Capital became a minority shareholder of Altitude Sports.[10] In the fall of 2019, with items from 430 brands available, the company expanded, creating an online marketplace.[3][4][11][12] In September 2019, Altitude Sports launched its first ready-to-wear collection, Vallier, which included coats, t-shirts, socks, sweaters. According to a number of sources, the collection is for the most part made from sustainable materials such as organic cotton, Japanese wool and others.[13]

• Vallier (2019)[13][14][6]

The company's environmental initiatives included cooperation with The World Wildlife Foundation Canada (WWF - Canada), and Protect Our Winters Canada (POW).[15] Altitude Sports has also partnered with The Trans Canada Trail (TCT) as part of initiatives addressing nature conservation and climate change issues.[16][17]