New Climbing Art
Welcome, Rumney! In honor of the autumnal equinox, we’re excited to introduce a new climbing art design – in honor of our favorite sport-climbing venue. The photo was taken by local Jay Conway, and design was by Scott Whitehouse. Members are welcome to a 11×17 collectable print beginning this Thursday…
From Gym to Crag: Salt Pump Kids’ Outdoor Climbing Day
Young climbers in our after-school programs have been spending time at Salt Pump learning the skills they need to get outside, including how to belay, manage ropes, read routes, and rappel. This spring, they got the chance to try their stuff on some of New Hampshire’s finest rock when the…
Community Lead Route Grading Project
Community Grading Project Thank you to everyone who has participated in the Community Grading Project. Our goal was to take the grades proposed by climbers that have sent the routes,share them with the community, and use the data to improve future lead sets. It is always interesting to see how…
Rest your paws!
Climbing is 90 precent resting. We are psyched to introduce this new climbing cartoon from Kerry Bernard. Kerry’s a seasoned A.T. through-hiker and commercial designer who sells her own White Mountain inspired artwork on Etsy under the trail name Sherpa Ant. Follow her on Instagram, and stay-tuned for more Salt…
Maine Breaks
Maine Breaks It’s no secret that climbing and surfing go together like peanut butter and jelly. In fact, on certain fall days when the swell is up, it would not be a surprising sight to see a plurality of the Salt Pump management team spending elongated lunch breaks down at…
Inside Game No. 6: Ethan Pringle
“Failures are always interesting,” Ethan Pringle muses. “That’s where you probably try your hardest, because you didn’t actually do it, so you didn’t have to give it just 80 percent, you had to give it 100 percent… and still not do it.” Ethan was eight years old when his father…
Taking Flight, or, How to Dyno
By Henry Fitts Hips swinging, legs kicking, and bodies flying. “Dynos” have always been dramatic eye-catchers. Dyno as in dynamic. Dynamic motion is the only option for bridging the gap between holds when a static motion is not possible or in some cases just not favorable. Regardless of climbing experience…
Setters’ Favorite New Lead Wall Routes
By Tino Fiumara We just finished the new Lead Wall reset, resulting in 37 routes from 5.9 to 5.13b, with the majority of climbing in the 5.10 and 5.11 range. We’ve introduced colored volumes for Yellow and Blue – meaning that a Yellow volume is only for Yellow routes, etc.…
Member Spotlight: Nick Woodman
A twenty-five year old Machinery Mechanic at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Nick Woodman grew up in Saco, where he played defensive end on the Thorton Academy football team and was active in the outdoor adventure club. His early adventures focused on sea kayaking, road cycling, and hiking in the White…
April 7 USA Climbing Youth Sport Local Climbing Competition
Salt Pump is pleased to host a USA Climbing Youth Sport Local Climbing Competition on Saturday, April 7, 2018. Details Pre-Registration Required – Must register before April 5th @ 6pm Flash Format Competition – a strict running order will be assigned (Schedule TBD) Randomized Running Order will be posted on April…
Becoming a Climbing Family
By Trisha Cloutier There is a certain moment when a person undergoes a metamorphosis, transforming from someone who climbs to a climber. For this family, their youngest son Declan was the catalyst for that transformation. Not only did Declan become a climber, but his family became a climbing family. Now, Declan, his brother Eamon,…
Banff Mountain Film Festival Returns to Portland February 11-12
We’re proudly sponsoring Banff Mountain Film Festival’s Portland stop, February 11 and 12 at State Theater! Buy tickets at Salt Pump for $18 in advance (students $15 with school ID), or at the door. The official Press Release: Hot on the heels of the largest and most prestigious mountain…
From the Training Pagoda: Treadwall Training Tips
By Matty Zane Winter is now officially here! Which for most New England rock climbers marks the start of the training season. One of the many training tools that Salt Pump offers is the tread-wall. The tread-wall can be used in all sorts of ways to train your endurance, power,…
Member Spotlight: Mark and Debbi Currier
Mark and Debbi Currier joined Salt Pump earlier this year. In the few brief months we’ve known them, we’ve been inspired by their powerful psyche for the sport of climbing, and impressed at their ability to squeeze visits to Salt Pump into their extra-hectic day-to-day lives. 1. Where is…
Route Setting Update: Lead Training Routes
By Tino Fiumara Hello from the world of route setting. It has been a busy fall and we hope that everyone has enjoyed new sets that have been going up. All of the bouldering (over 110 problems) and the entire Lead Wall (37 routes) were reset and now we’ve been…
New Yoga Classes and Schedule
New Salt Pump Yoga classes begin November 13 THE SALT PUMP YOGA ROOM HAS GOTTEN A FULL MAKEOVER, NEW CLASSES HAVE BEEN ADDED TO OUR REGULAR SCHEDULE, WE HAVE A NEW YOGA RETAIL SECTION IN OUR PRO-SHOP, AND WE ARE RUNNING A YOGA GEAR GIVE-AWAY! Salt Pump is excited to…
Halloween Costume Contest Winners
Congrats to our Halloween Party Instagram Costume Contest Winners!
Salt Pump in the news: Maine Thing Quarterly
Check out this nice feature about climbing in Maine, and at Salt Pump, in ‘The Maine Thing Quarterly’! “While Maine’s outdoor climbing scene is truly phenomenal, there’s the whole other realm of climbing that’s become a phenomenon of its own. That would be the great indoors. How great? Taki Miyamoto…
Salt Pump Halloween!
Halloween at Salt Pump means vertical trick-or-treating, Kai’s world famous Haunted House, and a costume contest, plus other themed games, prizes and refreshments to enjoy. All FREE after cost of gym entry (day pass, punch of your punch card, or member check-in). Check out the latest party plans and updates…