Father and son businesses may seem old fashioned these days, but that’s how Track ‘n’ Trail got its start as a specialty outdoor store in 1984. Since then, the store has launched many a young athlete and adventurer, sponsored Olympians such as Amanda Ammar, and played an instrumental role in backing the Canadian Birkebeiner.
Today, Bob Schilf continues to uphold the tradition he and his father, Horst Schilf, established so many years ago. “I still love it; I still love the industry,” he says. “It’s a really positive industry, good energy. The skiing, the hiking, the climbing, it’s all still really fun.”
Of the few good things to come of the recession that hit Edmonton in the early 80s, Track ’n’ Trail was one of them. After being laid off as an architect in ’82, Horst decided he was done with the field and decided to seek a new career.
“He came to us one day and said, 'would you like to open a store with me?'” Bob says. Less than a year later, they were opening shop. With that, Horst shifted from designing buildings to building outdoor experiences.
