High Fives Foundation has released a new short film spotlighting the recovery journey of Ryan McLaren, a Vermont athlete who returned to skiing at Mad River Glen after a life-changing spinal cord injury.
On St. Patrick’s Day 2017, McLaren hit a hidden rock in a snow-filled chute during his first-ever day skiing at Mad River Glen. The fall left him paralyzed from the chest down. A lifelong athlete and outdoorsman, McLaren was forced to navigate a new world, one that no longer felt built for him.
“Everything shifted in that moment,” said McLaren. “You move out of the initial shock and realize the reality of this new life. It’s isolating but you find your people.”
McLaren found his people in High Fives Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing life-changing injuries and providing resources and hope when they happen. The Truckee-based foundation supported McLaren’s journey back to the mountains with adaptive sports grants, mentorship, and equipment, including a two-wheeled mountain bike and sit-ski.
The video, released today on High Fives Foundation’s YouTube and social platforms, captures McLaren’s return to Mad River Glen and the emotional experience of skiing again, this time seated, and with renewed perspective.
“Fear is the enemy of progression,” McLaren says in the film. “Sometimes it just takes someone telling you, ‘You can do this.’”
The video is part of a broader initiative by High Fives Foundation to raise awareness about adaptive sports and the nearly 1,000 athletes the organization has served since its founding in 2009. McLaren’s story is one of many examples of how targeted support can lead to powerful, life-affirming outcomes.
To watch the full video and learn more about High Fives Foundation’s work, visit → https://youtu.be/ZUuu5xBY4eQ?si=EOVQv6Du52oE5S3i
