Skiing, whitewater rafting, backpacking, hang gliding. You name it. Ryan Soares has done almost every outdoor recreational activity.

“The one thing I have a hard time with is focusing on one sport or activity,” he said. “I’ve led three expeditions in South America and climbed over 20,000 foot peaks, but I still have a lot to learn.”

The recreational administration lecturer recently set the record for hang gliding at a new PR distance, and also set the record of the fastest known time in the mountain community for skiing across the Sierra in only 19 hours, 50 minutes. Not only that, but he was mentioned in news stories back in September for once taking Davante Adams and Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders teammates and former Fresno State football players, on a harrowing whitewater rafting trip when they were students.

When he isn’t on his great adventures in the Sierras, the Fresno State alum is on campus running the ropes course, between the University Dining Hall and South Gym. The EDGE (Experientially Designed Group Effort) ropes course, which has been on campus since 1993, is designed to foster leadership and build teamwork

“I think that what people need is skills on how to work better together. How do we get people to work better together?” he said. “Like football for example, they practice their sport before they go do it. In companies and businesses, there are not a lot of opportunities to practice their sport. Leadership recreation does just that.”

The ropes course team has worked with over 6,000 people in the last year. Soares said that although the course has changed over the years, the most significant part is that it has shifted from self- to team- based.

“Right now, I’m seeing leaders need to be vulnerable, allowing people to see them for who they are, and allowing them to bring out who they are to their projects,” Soares said. “There is a trend for leaders to change who they are, rather than bringing who they are. That ‘who piece’ is incredibly valuable. We all crave to be seen, yet at the same time it is so scary to be seen. If leadership was a simple one plus one equation, everyone would do it.”

And although Soares has made several accomplishments, his greatest one is being a father to his two children and a husband to his wife.

“My first experience with recreational activities is with my dad. He was a pilot and took me hang gliding when I was just five-years-old. I thought it was normal to go hang gliding every weekend,” he said with a laugh. “Now, I’ve got two young children and I even took my son hang gliding at five years old, and my dad was right up there flying with us. Three generations flying together, it’s a moment I will never forget.”