Ryan was skiing a bluebird day at Mad River Glen on St. Patrick’s Day following an amazing snow storm in Vermont. Unfortunately, the mountain was not forgiving that day and Ryan suffered a burst fracture of the L1 vertebrae and an incomplete spinal cord injury while landing a small drop during a morning run. He was airlifted to University of Vermont Medical Center where he underwent surgery to fuse his T12 to L2 and reduce the compression on his spinal cord.