From the Training Pagoda: 4 Stretches That Will Improve Your Climbing Now
By Freddie Wilkinson Everyone knows that flexibility is critical to climbing performance, yet it’s still overlooked by many climbers. Moreover, the root cause of many climbing injuries are overworked, excessively tight muscle groups. Two of the most beneficial areas to target are the shoulders and hips. Here are a couple…
Member Spotlight: Dianne Roberts
Dianne Roberts, 69 years old, has been climbing for just two months. She is originally from the Portland area and now lives in Gorham. Between those two locations, about twenty years, she and her husband John early retired to Park City, Utah to ski and travel the west. They ‘ski…
Protect Mount Washington – Why Bother?
Looking out over the Great Gulf Wilderness, near the site of the proposed hotel. Image courtesy Protect Mount Washington. By Janet Wilkinson A web of trails, a road, and train tracks all lead to Mount Washington‘s summit. A year-round weather observatory, seasonal cafeteria and gift shop, and a 50+ car parking lot…
Introducing Our Camp Director, Trish Cloutier
Please join us in welcoming Trish Cloutier as Salt Pump’s Summer Camp Director! Trish has worked with adolescents in an outdoor setting for programs all over New England and in the Rocky Mountains. Originally from the Mount Washington Valley in New Hampshire, she still loves spending her free time adventuring…
Transitioning From Indoor to Outdoor Climbing
If you are looking for a trusted partner to share outdoor rock climbing with this season, we are here for you. The step from gym to outdoor climbing is both significant and consequential. One notable challenge is navigation: Choosing an appropriate crag to climb at, finding your way to…
John Patrick: Member Spotlight
Many Salt Pumpers know member John Patrick as the scrappy, bearded fellow who can’t get enough of our lead wall. Few may realize, however that John, an incurable climber, leads a double life as the Reverend of the Demark Congregational Church, “a small village Church with a big heart and…
Antifragility Training
The concept of antifragile, as developed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in a 2012 bestselling book of the same name, has been successfully applied to science, engineering, management, and finance. The basis of the theory is that if something is fragile, it breaks from stress. If something is sturdy, it withstands…
Inside Game no. 5: Hilary Sherman
Life changed for Hilary Sherman on a frosty day at Rumney in November, 2014. “Sally’s Alley is a route I’ve done – I can’t even tell you how many times. I’d been warming up on it for years. But that day, it was cold. There was ice that had…
NEW: Happy Hour, 3 Nights a Week, All Summer Long!
This summer, join us after your workout for a cold one on our deck. All beers are $3 from 6:30-8:30 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, now through August.
Memorial Day Annual Membership Sale!
This month, Salt Pump Climbing Co. is pleased to offer an extra-special Annual Membership Sale. For one week only, we’ll be taking $100 off adult annual prepaid memberships, and $125 off the same thing if you’re an activity duty or veteran service member. You do the math: that’s nearly 25 percent off…
2nd Annual Art Contest, Win a Free Week of Summer Camp
Would you like to go to Salt Pump Climbing Camp this summer? Enter our 2nd Annual Summer Camp Art Contest, with a grand prize of a FREE week at one of our Salt Pump Indoor Summer Climbing Camp sessions ($275 value)! Here’s how it works: >>Grab some paper no larger…
Why Trad Climbing?
By Janet Wilkinson Imagine it’s the late 1800’s and you are an avid hiker. Donning knickers or skirts and heavy leather boots, you are exploring a new mountain and you find a rocky outcrop that is impossible or impractical to go around. What do you do? The summit hungry individual you…
Inside Game no. 4: Joe Terravecchia
Joe Terravecchia first lay eyes on Pissing Mare Falls in remote Western Brook Pond, Newfoundland, twenty years ago. “Casey Shaw and I first tried to go there in ‘96, but they were having a shitty winter, so we went to Quebec instead,” he says. “The next year, we looked at…
How To: Dyno!
By Tino Fiumara A dyno is a large dynamic movement between holds and is an essential movement in climbing. Dyno-ing is often the only option when the hold is too far away to do statically or because trying to do a large move statically, especially in steeper terrain, is a…
Summer Camp Sale – up to $50 off per session
Immerse your child in the wonderful world of climbing adventure! Salt Pump Kids’ Summer Camps provide a fun and well-rounded introduction to rock climbing and its ever-welcoming culture. Appropriate for ages 5-16. We’ll have 9 weeks of daytime indoor climbing camps and 2 weeks of outdoor overnight camps – and we’re…
Lisa Harmon: Member Spotlight
“Heights aren’t my fear”, says Lisa Harmon. “It’s the falling”. Still that didn’t stop Lisa, a fifty-two year old mother of her two boys who works in code enforcement, from gamely signing up for our learn to lead class. Her enthusiasm and determination were obvious to everyone in the…
Avalanche Awareness Course Registration Now Open
We are pleased to share that registration is now open for a new two part Avalanche Awareness course taught by Blake Keogh. Part 1 will take place on Thursday March 2 from 6:30-8:30 at Salt Pump and cover how to reach advisory reports issued by NOAA and the Mt. Washington Avalanche Center,…
Giant Numbers in the Bouldering Area
“You don’t have to be a mathematician to have a feel for numbers.” – John Forbes Nash, Jr. While walking through the bouldering area Salt Pump, you may notice that the number tags on boulder problems are now in a large font that you can see from the benches…
Robbie Panta: Member Spotlight
Fourteen year-old Scarborough local Robbie Panta has been climbing less than a year. Last January, a friend suggested they visit Salt Pump to try climbing together. “I’m really energetic,” Robbie says, “and I like to play games and run around doing things, so climbing seemed like it’d be fun.” Robbie’s…
Retail Value Package Offerings, Winter 16-17
Effective immediately, the 15% Member Discount in our retail store will be replaced with an online price matching policy. Additionally, we are pleased to offer a set of Value Package offerings. All prices listed below contain ME 5.5% Sales Tax Helping Hands: Brooklyn Alchemist Hand Balm and a Finger Massager $18.94…