>> reporter: spending every summer working as a commercial salmon fisherman in coastal clam gulch.d down three generations. >> it's what makes it so special. this is kind of how it's always been. family comes down. we're here for the summer. and we work and we enjoy the time that we have. >> reporter: setting nets, picking fish, selling the catch. it's life according to the tides. >> from the time he was young, he would always say it really is about the journey. >> reporter: a lot of people might think snowboarding, fishing. how are these two things similar? >> i do think that being a fisherman has given me a work ethic and a hard drive. that really translates to my snowboarding. >> reporter: a tough landing sidelined ryan in 2016. but he has climbed back to the top to the olympics. >> when i go this next time, it's for one thing and one thing only. i'm there to medal. i'm here to play. >> reporter: focused, fit, and ready, as snowboarders say, to just send it. catie beck, nbc news, anchorage, alaska. >> we're ready too. and a reminder you can catch all the olympic action right her