BANFF – At an emotional ceremony filled with memories, admiration and appreciation, two long-time Bow Valley instructors were honoured by peers for building up the Bow Valley’s grand snowboard scene.
The Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors (CASI) honoured Kevin Eaton and the late Peter Jensen with inductions into the organization’s exclusive hall of fame in late November.
Surprised and humbled by the immense recognition, Eaton said he’s lucky to have made a career out of one of his passions.
“To be recognized by your peers, those same peers that recognize it as a profession is pretty special,” said Eaton.
“I plan on continuing for a long time to come so that being said, I have been doing it for quite a few years so that’s pretty special.”
Described as a consummate professional, Eaton, who is a CASI Level 4 Instructor, Level 4 Evaluator, Park 1 Instructor, and Park 1 Evaluator, has spent more than 25 years mentoring, teaching and evaluating snowboard instructors.
Originally from Truro, Nova Scotia, Eaton’s early influences on the slopes came from a school trip and from his uncle. He purchased his first snowboard came to be when he was working at a sports shop that was closing down. With a little extra time on his hands, he picked up the sport and soon after got his Level 1 and 2 certifications.
After finishing a recreation management program at Nova Scotia Teachers College in 1996, he got a call from a friend that would change his life forever.
“A friend was looking for me to drive his car out [to Banff] for him and I had finished my practicum and had a little bit of time, so I thought I’d come out and maybe work for the winter and see how that turned out,” said Eaton.
“The moment I drove into Banff and looked at the mountains, I knew this was the place to live.”
He’s been working at Lake Louise since 1997, first starting out as a ski instructor and then moving into a supervisory role where he mainly trained staff and certified instructors.
He’s been the director of Lake Louise Snow School since 2012.
“People take [snowboarding] very seriously at times,” said Eaton. “But ultimately, if you keep it simple, you do the basics better and you look at the individual and give them the sort of the most basic and most important skill or skill component to work on then they’re gonna have to maximize their fun and safety and enjoyment of the sport, and hopefully they’ll remain a sport enthusiast for life.”
Oftentimes, a ski or snowboard instructor can be perceived as not being a real profession.
However, Eaton’s biggest impact on the sport has primarily been developing a professional approach to snowboard instruction to deliver memorable moments for customers.
“Many people are coming here for their vacation. They save up for a lifetime at times or maybe this is their one opportunity each year to come out,” said Eaton. “They may live on those memories and that experience and draw that for weeks or months or years to come and it can be very impactful, so it’s just to recognize that there is a level of importance to what we’re doing.”
Peter Jensen, also known as PJ, passed away suddenly in February 2023 due to complications from an enlarged heart. He was 50. Jensen had resided in Canmore by way of Winnipeg.
With his wife, Carol, brother, Chris, and dog, Stanley, in attendance, Jensen’s dear friends, Marc Tanguay and Rob Stevens, spoke on his behalf during the ceremony at the Elk and Oarsman in Banff on Nov. 20.
A Level 4 Instructor, he was described as a “rock star snowboarder” whose friendly personality had an abundance of new-to-the-sport boarders eager to learn in his group when he was teaching courses.
“Those who knew PJ, I can drop the mic right now … you know why he’s in the hall of fame,” said Tanguay. “Those who don’t, maybe we should take a moment to explain.
“PJ brought cool to the game, right away. When we were trying to be cool, Pete brought the cool. He was a fantastic rider. He was aggressive, he was fast, he was technical, he was tactical.
“Some are in the hall of fame for other reasons. PJ is in the hall of fame because was impactful from the very beginning with his riding and with his teaching and his aura and his persona.”
Stevens said: “Pete was always the gung-ho guy to get the job done.”
During the 2024 induction ceremony, which also commemorates the 30th anniversary of CASI, six were inducted, including Eaton, Jensen, Greg Daniels, Christian Hrab, Doug Mooder and Yukiko Kawada.
Only eight had been put in the hall of fame prior to the six this year, one being Stevens of Canmore in 2016.
