Don Lemos - Maverick ski instructor

Don Lemos, ski instructor and iconoclast, passed peacefully in his sleep on December 10, 2023, in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. He was 85 years old.

Born in New York City, Lemos fell in love with skiing in his 20s and in 1959 moved to Aspen, Colorado. In the 1970s he became certified as an instructor but worked illegally as a high-profile “underground instructor.” Lemos reportedly wore disguises to avoid detection on the Aspen slopes.

In his effort to teach skiing independently, Lemos sued the U.S. Forest Service but lost in federal court. He took his case to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and lost again. He was jailed for trespassing on Aspen slopes, which are on Forest Service land. Eventually, in 1980, Aspen invited him to join its ski school, and he ended up teaching for the ski company during his later years. He was a member of PSIA for 55 years.