From the age of two, Ryan skied the Green Mountains of Vermont. As he grew up, Ryan was quick to add other adventures to his repertoire. An avid mountain biker, climber, lacrosse player, and skier; Ryan was a gifted athlete who was passionate about his core values. He was widely known and admired for his kindness and his unerring capacity to treat everyone he met with even handed warmth that made them feel important. There was no such thing as a problem in Ryan’s life; only opportunities for a solution. His never-ending smile would light up the room and make everyone feel better.

As a graduate of the University of Vermont’s College of Engineering, Ryan pursued his love of free-skiing as a founding member of the Green Mountain Freeride Team and an admired competitor, he was known as “Flyin Ryan” on the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour. In 2011 during the Kirkwood, CA Tour stop, Ryan sustained injuries from a fall that claimed his life. Ryan will always be remembered for being a true participant in life who lived every minute. The Flyin Ryan Hawks Foundation has been established to extend Ryan’s humanness in an effort to enrich the lives of young adventurers and make the world a better place.