Dan Gilbert

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Dan was raised in the tiny farm hamlet of Millers Mills, New York — known for “Stepping Back to the Good Old Days.” The Gilbert family farm in upstate New York had recreational horses, which his parents hoped he’d love to ride. As it turns out, Dan made up his mind at early age that, to be worth riding, it should have a throttle. So much for horses.

Beginning at age 8, Dan worked on a nearby dairy farm, making $10 a month and all the milk he could carry home. After graduating from Mount Markham High School in West Winfield, New York, he continued working on the dairy farm, milking cows, operating heavy equipment, and keeping that equipment in tip-top shape as a mechanic. Dude’s pretty handy.

Dan headed to Colorado in September 1979, landing at Aspen Highlands, where he worked as a mechanic on snow cats and buses. He’d never skied before arriving in Colorado, but immediately strapped on a pair of skis in his first Rocky Mountain winter. Four years later, he joined 100 other candidates in a tryout for wanna-be ski instructors, and was one of 12 who were hired. He’s been teaching ever since.

At the time, Aspen Skiing Company had a bunch of instructors named Dan. They differentiated themselves with nicknames like Disco Dan, Dapper Dan, and in the case of Dan Gilbert, “Dr. Dan.” It’s how he’s known on the mountain at Snowmass — as a Doctor of Skiology and Professor of Powder.

Dan is fully certified as an alpine instructor, and also has certification in snowboarding, freestyle skiing, and teaching children. Now in his 42^nd season, he’s taught skiers from all over the world, including Saudi Arabian Prince Bandar’s son.

His first bike, at age 10, was a Bonanza mini-bike, with chrome fenders, high-rise handlebars and an Ace 100 Hodaka engine. There are usually at half-dozen or so (it’s hard to count them all!) motorcycles in the Gilbert garage, everything from a 1972 Honda Trail 90 to a 2009 BMW R1200GS, his road bike of choice. Dan also has a passel of cars, trucks and jeeps, which he lovingly restores – among them, a beautiful blue 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet.

He’s always enjoyed going fast, whether racing motocross as a kid, racing Porsches as an adult, or skiing with two titanium hips and a pair of replacement knees. Dan, who turns 73 in July, lives in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, with his wife Linda. Together, they have three children, three grandchildren, a cat named Lucy and a dog named Willie.

Dan joined the posse for week two of the 2025 Colorado Pass-a-Palooza™.

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