Gudtrails
Gudtrails
Where: Revelstoke, BC
Year Established: 2024 (currently I’m in the KAST Venture Accelerator Program phase)
Website: headwatersmarketing.ca
Owner: Kirsten Silfvenius
Gudtrails are trail maps that are easy to update, free to use, and work offline, helping visitor centres and other trail managers create the best local trail maps for print, download and online use. We collect info from local land managers and update it instantly on public maps that can be viewed on phone or desktop, exported for download before heading into the backcountry, and printed for handing out at visitor centres.
Give us a brief description of your manufacturing processes and philosophy.
There’s a mismatch between the needs of people visiting outdoor recreation destinations and the capacity of the tools currently available to serve them. Technology can help solve that as long as it’s grounded in an understanding that the most current information that makes for a good trail report isn’t online or searchable by AI right now. It needs to work directly with the people who are building and maintaining these resources and prioritize their contributions. As someone who has made the choice to live and work in rural, tourism-based communities, I want to help bridge that gap for everyone’s enjoyment, my own included.
How many employees and/or contractors do you work with?
From 0-4 depending on the project.
What brought you to the Kootenays and how long have you been here?
The skiing! And healthcare. I moved here in 2017 from New Hampshire, USA, and became a citizen in 2023. I wake up every day grateful to be here.
Tell us about the history and relative work experience of your founder(s).
I am a marketing and events contractor who operates under the name Headwaters Marketing and who moonlights as an Alpine Club section chair and Search & Rescue volunteer in Revelstoke, BC. After growing up and starting a career in New Hampshire as a rental cabin manager and chamber of commerce executive, I moved to British Columbia in 2017 for the snow and healthcare. Since then, I’ve specialized in outdoor recreation events and marketing, from Revelstoke Mountain Resort to outerwear brands and Tourism Revelstoke events.
Describe the mission, vision, goals, and aspirations of your company.
My goal is to give outdoor recreation communities and destinations the tools to grow and manage success on their own terms.
