Stoked Skate Camp returns with new organizer

Revelstoke’s beloved Stoked Skate Camp is back on after a bit of leadership limbo put the camp at risk of being cancelled for the summer. The camps run Monday, July 28 to Friday, Aug. 1 and Monday, Aug. 11 to Friday, Aug. 15.

City of Revelstoke’s Park, Recreation and Culture announced Benoit Pageau as the new organizer of Stoked Skate Camp, the collection of week-long summer camps for youth ages seven to 14 that focuses on skills building, small group coaching and a host of skate focused games and activities. The camp has been a staple of Revelstoke summers since its inception. 

Stoked Skate Camp founder Adrian Giacca wanted to try and run the camp from a distance in Ontario, using the opportunity to train up one of the other coaches to eventually take on leadership. But other commitments kept that plan from taking off and Stoked Skate Camp hung in limbo for 2025. Between seasonal work and with a newborn making longer schedules a little harder, Pageau toyed with the idea of taking the helm. 

“People were really bummed, kids were sad,” Pageau told Revelstoke Mountaineer. “That’s part of what drove me to say, ‘I’ll do it.’ Because this has to go on.”

After hearing concerns from the community that there would be no skate camp, Pageau reached out to Giacca to see if he could take on the mantle.

“It allows me to pass on this passion for a sport that I’ve been doing for a very long time and that I really enjoyed and shaped who I am today,” Pageau said.

Growing up in Montréal, skateboarding was just as much a means of transportation as it was a recreational activity for Pageau. Picking up the sport around age nine, the same age many camp participants start, he learned skateboarding by watching more experienced boarders and spending long hours at his local skate park. Stake camps now provide a whole new experience to learn and grow community.

“To have a bit of structure and someone to coach you through some of the learnings in skateboarding that aren’t talked about as much. Like how resilient it makes you, how much of a creative outlet it can be and how it kind of teaches you that falling and getting up is part of life.”

Only two camps will be held this summer, but that’s just a small blip in Stoked Skate Camp’s run. A wider roster of skate camps will return next year with a little more planning and preparation. Still, Pageau wants to make sure the camps this summer celebrate the legacy of youth skateboarding Giacca created over the years.

“Next year I’ll be putting a bit more of my own spin on it. We’re two different skateboarders with two different backgrounds,” Pageau said.

Registration is open for either camp at $425 per participant. For more information and to register, head to the City of Revelstoke Parks, Recreation and Culture Department page.