Hi my name is Ryan Moody and as long as I can remember I have loved being outdoors.
Growing up on 15 acres in rural Geelong, Victoria, I had a better than average backyard playground, with a pine plantation and native bushland, that we made into our own adventure playground. I say ‘we’ referring to my two older sisters, cousins, and best friends.
Our family was also lucky to have access to a bushland and riverside camping spot on private property halfway between Geelong and Ballarat, where we spent countless weekends over a decade with 4 other families. Sleeping in a tent became somewhat normal, and I would even resort to camping in the backyard on school holidays, just to get my outdoor fix.
I had grandiose ideas of hiking and camping my way through mountains and other great places that I saw in magazines and on television. As a 10-year-old, whilst family camping, I would hike 20-30 minutes away from camp with my first portable stove (hexamine) and supplies to cook breakfast. Some of the other kids would sometimes join me, but often I went alone, making the adventure mine! I think this is where it really all began. I would study outdoor books, survival manuals, practiced tying knots, and staring through outdoor shop windows.
Alpine skiing and my Aunt are responsible for introducing me to the mountains, which are always more beautiful when covered in snow, and I forever fell in love with them. During the summer months, we would still head to the mountains, but to enjoy the high country by taking day walks and breathing in that fresh mountain air.
At age 13 I started road cycle racing, and spent the next 12 years trying to make it to the top, putting my other interests predominately to the side.
Now I have stepped back from the road scene, and spend my time doing all the ‘stuff’ that I had put off. I took up rock climbing, trail running, mountain bike racing (enduro), x-country skiing, and snowshoeing. I pulled out my ski gear, brought new skis and re-acquainted myself with alpine skiing. I made more frequent trips into the wilderness with nothing but my pack, exploring many of the places I had once dreamt of.
My road bike still gets much love, but it’s an open relationship with the rest of my ‘toys’.
As I head towards ticking some of my goals, I will keep you posted on the ‘Adventures of Ryan’.
