Our Team
Meet the passionate individuals working to bring world-class river surfing to the Gunnison River. Our team combines expertise in environmental stewardship, community organizing, and outdoor recreation.
About Gunnison Waves
Gunnison Waves is fully supported through countless volunteer hours. We are a group of people that take care of the places we love.
We are stewards of the river. We are elders, mothers, fathers, kiddos, and humans that care deeply about creating/maintaining spaces that bring joy and happiness to our community.
We are the unsanctioned lifeguards looking over everyone at the Whitewater Park. We are the people that wake up at 6am during high flows to catch a few waves before work, when it’s just above freezing, and the water temperature from melting snow is hovering in the low 40’s.
Meet the Team
The dedicated individuals making the Gunnison Waves vision a reality
Jason Lakey
CO-FOUNDER & Director of Stoke
Jason grew up around water from an early age, learning to navigate boats on the lakes & rivers of the Ozarks. He was a lifeguard all through high school. At age 13 he got the unique opportunity to spend time with locals on the north shore of Kauai and learn how to surf. Island living and stoke for adventure seeped into who he was. Snowboarding wasn't a very common thing to do in Missouri, but there was a tiny ski hill near his home town. He loved teaching himself how to snowboard each night under the giant lights that illuminated those icy runs. Eventually that passion for snowboarding led him to Colorado at age 19. Small mountain towns had such a similar feel to that island life he'd been chasing that it became easy to call Colorado home. Jason found riversurfing half way through the 2016 season. He was hooked that very first time donning a borrowed wetsuit with giant holes in it and a body board that put him at eye level with the smooth green part of the rushing Gunnison River. He surfed every day he could and pushed the season well beyond where the other surfers had decided the season was over. Jason found meditation during those numerous solo sessions and a love for the river he carries with him in his work with Gunnison Waves. He believes in the healing nature of water and has seen first hand how riversurfing positively impacts a persons mental health. Jason has lived in the Gunnison Valley for the past 20+ years. Many of those years were devoted to teaching/coaching kids and later as a founding member of the Crested Butte Development Team. He currently runs his own business as a Craftsman, but is especially fond of the time he gets to spend with his wife and 3 year old daughter.
PJ Brown
WOMXN’S CLINIC CREATOR & Stoke Facilitator
PJ grew up a wild water child in the North Georgia Mountains and discovered the art of surfing later in life while working in Costa Rica. From then on, Surfing changed her life trajectory to flow with the waves worldwide, teaching lessons in Nicaragua, New Zealand, and San Diego. She volunteered as a Surf facilitator with Groundswell Community Project, offering group surf therapy programs for womxn affected by addiction, trauma, and anxiety. As a survivor of domestic violence herself, surfing with Groundswell was the first time PJ ever felt safe and comfortable in the water. "It's a powerful and healing experience to be moving in the water, washing off the darkness from PTSD while also connecting to womxn who love and support you." Relocating to Colorado, she became a SUP whitewater guide as the next best thing to surfing. After several experiments with river surfing, she finally committed to the process in 2019 when she was introduced to the Gunnison surf community. The stoke was high from a big snow year and the guys were more than happy to lend her a quiver of boards to learn! With her background in mental health counseling and her desire to see more ladies in the lineup, she wanted to create a safe place for womxn in the Gunnison Valley to learn to river surf. She now offers Surf therapy Sister Sessions in Gunnison and Costa Rica focused on Mindfulness-based therapy, positive change psychology, and body-centered and expressive arts movement. She believes we all exist through life on unique vibrations of waves amongst the ocean, streams, rivers, and lakes, all interconnected by Mother Ocean. She encourages womxn to explore playfulness and fluidity within their bodies, to find grace riding their unique waves in and out of the water, and to receive a sense of collective empathy and confidence through community healing.
Want to Get Involved?
We're always looking for passionate individuals to join our mission. Whether you're interested in volunteering, providing expertise, or supporting our cause, we'd love to hear from you.