President & Founder

Austin McCall, born and raised in Texas, joined the Army in 2005 where he served 11 years. During this time he had 13 consecutive deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with 2nd Ranger Battalion. Stationed in WA, he fell in love with mountaineering and honed his skills and leadership through various military mountaineering schools as an instructor and program director.

Since 2016, Austin has continued his passion for mountaineering, building small teams of capable veterans while planning, resources, and leading several successful climbs on Mount Rainier (WA), Mount Hood (OR), and Denali (AK). When not actively planning future expeditions with Veterans Adventure Group, he's improving his ski mountaineering skills taking on solo summits of big mountains.

Austin can be found on Instagram: @regnar_mac or by email at austin.m@veteransadventuregroup.org

Jocelyn Brackney is a born and raised Washingtonian living in Seattle. After graduating high school, she enlisted in the US Air Force as a Command Post and Airlift Operations Controller, spending the duration of her enlistment overseas with the 728th Air Mobility Squadron in Turkey and the 313th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron in Germany.

Upon separating from the Air Force, Jocelyn moved back to her home state of Washington and found refuge amongst the mountains in her own backyard, falling in love with the mental and physical challenges that mountaineering entails. Jocelyn can be found on the trail, climbing rocks, kayaking the nearby lake, or catching the next flight in search of another mountain to cross off her ever-growing list. 

Jocelyn can be found on Instagram: @inspiredillusion or by email at jocelyn.b@veteransadventuregroup.org

Dustin Wintczak is a native Washingtonian raised in the Pacific Northwest. His love for the outdoors started with family camping trips and fishing, which evolved into hiking and climbing later in his life.

Since 2017, Dustin has served as a volunteer mountaineering school instructor for the Intermountain Alpine Club. In 2018, he was fortunate enough to partner with Veterans Adventure Group through a high school classmate and veteran who was invited to climb Mount Rainier. After a successful summit in 2018, he's returned each year to help the mountaineering program lead climbers up Mount Rainier and Mount Hood.

When he's not climbing, Dustin stays busy with his family; his partner Molly and their three children, Shaelyn, Hunter, and Thatcher.

Dustin can be found on Instagram: @sunny16_rule

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

April Martinez is a first-generation Filipina-American residing in Southern California. She enlisted in the Army as a Radiology Specialist and worked with wounded warriors in Texas. After spending time at West Point, she commissioned as a Logistics Officer, serving with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. 

When stationed in Washington in 2021, she swiftly developed a passion for solo hiking and backpacking in the Pacific Northwest and realized she was a Type-2 Fun enthusiast. It wasn't until the fall of 2022 that she summited Koma Kulshan (Mount Baker) and found herself captivated by mountaineering. In less than a year, she conquered all five Cascade volcanoes, most recently achieving the summit of Tahoma (Mount Rainier).

April can be found on Instagram: @april_onthego
 

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