Our Community

Steve Polovick is a Midwesterner and former Marine and 2d MARDIV infantryman, living and working in suburban Central Ohio with his wife and daughter.

Steve Graduated from Ohio Dominican College with his BA in Social Work, and Franklin University with a MS in Human Services and has enjoyed being a social worker for the last 30 years, serving low-income children and families.

Steve fell in love with the mountains of the Sierra Madre, while living in Mexico after the Marines. Steve has climbed volcanos and peaks throughout Mexico and Central America and seen summits on Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier, and Denali.

At the age of 56, Steve is the oldest active climber with Veterans Adventure Group, and encourages other older veterans and outdoor enthusiasts to keep climbing towards their dreams.

Steve can be reached by email at spolovck@yahoo.com

Weston has served in the U.S. Army since 2016. Beginning in 2022, he led mountain operations for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, pursuing the recovery of missing service members on remote, high-risk sites across the Far East — from the mountains of northern China to the jungles of Papua New Guinea and the islands of Fiji, with missions spanning Laos and Vietnam. A native Californian with roots in Colorado, his passion for the mountains grew from formative experiences like rock climbing in high school and summiting the Grand Teton, his first alpine objective.

He has completed the Army’s Basic and Advanced Military Mountaineering Courses as well as the Mountain Planner’s Course, and continues to build his skills through avalanche rescue training, ice climbing, and splitboarding. His civilian alpine pursuits include a SkiMo ascent of Mt. Hood and a summit of Mt. Rainier with summit camp, both through Veterans Adventure Group. Looking ahead, Weston is focused on deeper alpine objectives and expanding his experience in complex, high-altitude environments.

You can reach Weston on instagram @westoniannone or weston.iannone@gmail.com

Mike Cassar

April Martinez

Ross Erickson was raised in the Pacific Northwest. Less than a week out of high school, he joined the Marines and spent the entirety of his time stationed at 29 Palms, CA in the 3rd Battalion 7th Marine Division as a rifleman. He was deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Ross found his passion for the mountains while training to climb Denali. He spent several years training and taking courses to learn more about the sport of mountaineering and alpinism before he achieved his goal of summiting Denali with the Veterans Adventure Group in 2023. He loves the methodical nature of training programs, and spending time on the trails to prepare for his next big adventure.

Ross can be reached via email at ross.e@veteransadventuregroup.org

Haley Sustayta