Shawn Ryan began his career in exploration in the early 80’s working with the Kidd Creek Exploration geophysics team and various other local contracting firms. In 1996, while living in Dawson City, Yukon, he decided to try his luck as a prospector. He focused his prospecting in the Dawson District looking for the sources of alluvial gold. His research led to perfecting a deeper soil sampling technique that became a Yukon industry standard.