Our purpose? We want to make mountain hiking accessible to the greatest number while taking care of the hikers and their sports' environment!
Hiking & camping are at the heart of our mission
To protect hiking in the mountains and make it easier, at an unbeatable value/price ratio.
INNOVATION
Our exclusiveness ensures our promise to make the usage easier.
Our products are validated thanks to test protocols in laboratories and in the field
developed with our industrial partners
ECO-RESPONSIBILITY
Through the design of our products and their sustainability,
we ensure the enjoyment and protection of hikers thanks to
innovative products, respectful of mankind and its environment.
CO-DESIGN
Complete equipment co-designed by
our network of contributors and hiking ambassadors,
ensuring a technical intelligence to our products.
our network of contributors and hiking ambassadors,
ensuring a technical intelligence to our products.
The birth of the mountain brand
1997
About ten employees of the Decathlon group left the head-office site in Lille, and settled in the Alps to be as close to users as possible. The adventure begins in Mont-Blanc, in a 55 sqm apartment converted into offices. A brand which would become emblematic in the outdoor sphere was born: Quechua.
This same year saw the first Quechua-signed terrain test: the hiking products are put to the test in real conditions in Morocco.
This same year saw the first Quechua-signed terrain test: the hiking products are put to the test in real conditions in Morocco.
1998
Less than a year later, in spring 1998, the group's mountain brand offers its products in all Decathlon stores.
Designed and tested with and for sportspersons, Quechua products, right from the start, display bold terrain experience.
1999
A site completely dedicated to mountain sports:
Two years after its creation, the Quechua team set themselves up in a 1000 sqm store based in Domancy. Within these premises, 15 employees designed mountain hiking, climbing, mountaineering, ski and snowboard products.
2002
Wonderful stories alongside our sports ambassadors
The brand called upon the expertise of famous sportsmen such as Dawa Sherpa, a Nepalese ultra-trailer and skier, native to the Everest Valley, and a sportsman and humanist above all! Winner of the UTMB® in 2003, he also competed three times in the Olympic Games in 2006, 2010 and 2014.
2005
The "2 seconds" revolution was in full swing
"I dream of a tent which you can throw in the air and which assembles itself" stated a tester in 2003. The Quechua team succeeded 2 years later, after 18,730 hours of research and development!
2007
Quechua created the skiing brand, Wed’ze!
This year marked the creation of Wed'Ze. Dedicated to skiing and snowboarding, the new brand allowed Quechua to re-focus on hiking.
2009
The brand left mountaineering and climbing to Simond
2 years later, the Decathlon group repurchased the Simond brand, which was also based in the Chamonix valley. The brand has specialized in the development and creation of mountain equipment since 1860 and has its very own local factory in Houches.
Looking towards co-design: the Forclaz 50 fleece was 100% recycled
Owing to the collaboration of Emmanuelle François, Quechua product manager, this iconic product was made from 100% recycled materials. Ever since 2010, it has been made from Stratermic® knit, from plastic bottles and recycled mesh.
In 2014, this represents an average of 32,000 recycled 1-litre plastic bottles, or 2000 tonnes less waste for the planet!
Discover the behind the scenes of the manufacturing:
2014
The teams invested in a new headquarters: the Mountain Store by Decathlon. Temple of mountain sports, this building focusing on design, has all the infrastructures to enable our passionate teams to design better products every day: prototype workshop, Fablab, customer focus area ...
This unique place (20 km from Chamonix) is a genuine meeting point for our teams (designers, product managers, engineers...) and participants of outdoor sports around the globe! Essential for the development of innovative products in line with the requirements of our client-users. Thanks to this place, we can test our products directly in the field, in order to provide the improvements needed throughout the development process.
This unique place (20 km from Chamonix) is a genuine meeting point for our teams (designers, product managers, engineers...) and participants of outdoor sports around the globe! Essential for the development of innovative products in line with the requirements of our client-users. Thanks to this place, we can test our products directly in the field, in order to provide the improvements needed throughout the development process.
2015
In order to concentrate on hiking to offer improved products to it users, Quechua hands over trail to the Kalenji brand, specialized in running.
2016
Select your wake up time with Fresh & Black technology
Enabling hikers to sleep better even in daylight, Quechua focus on Fresh&Black technology. A combination of Fresh fabric reflecting the sun's rays to achieve a fresh temperature inside the tent (up to -17°C when compared to a classic tent); and black fabric ensuring 99% darkness in your tent...
2017
Live your camp experience in virtual reality!
Difficult to imagine your outdoor mountain trip where you see your tent folded in its cover on the shelf? In 2017, Quechua offered virtual reality to enable you to visit and compare all tents, and to ensure you make the correct choice to pass pleasant evenings!
Difficult to imagine your outdoor mountain trip where you see your tent folded in its cover on the shelf? In 2017, Quechua offered virtual reality to enable you to visit and compare all tents, and to ensure you make the correct choice to pass pleasant evenings!
2018
Room for co-design!
Motivated by feedback, we go even further proposing that you take part in our product design. So they better satisfy your requirements and expectations. Design selection, materials, colours, new concepts, tests in the field... You have the say!
