Posts by Freddie Wilkinson
Meet Brittney Martin
This June, Salt Pump welcomed Brittney Martin to the team as our new Youth Programs Manager. Brittney was born and raised in New Portland, Maine, and studied Outdoor Recreation at Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, Vermont. With work experience at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and Camp Laurel, she is excited to grow the…
Read more...Coaching Adult Team: A Final Gladness, Part II
Note: In August, long-time coach and guide Zack Sawyer will be moving on from Salt Pump and New England as he pursues new adventures with his partner Suzy in the desert of southern California. Zack joined the Salt Pump team soon after we opened, and his positive attitude, lust for learning, and quirky good wit quickly became part of…
Read more...Our Spring Fling Equinox extravaganza is coming!
Join us on March 20th, 2019, from 6 – 9 p.m. for our annual Spring Equinox Party, featuring the legendary Spring Fling Dyno Comp. We’ll have gear to demo from Unparallel and Mammut, beer from Lone Pine Brewery, kombucha from Urban Farm Fermentory, and one very cool non-profit organization, the Community Bicycle Center, on hand…
Read more...Two Nationals Competitors Recount their Experience
If you had not heard, two of our youth team members, Ian Frost and Maddie Gillis, made USA Climbing Nationals. Through their stellar performances in the local, regional, and divisional stages, they both qualified to compete with 48 other athletes in their age bracket. Along with their families and Team Salt Pump head coach Michaela,…
Read more...System of the Down – Closing the Lowering System
Close the system A common and preventable cause of climbing accidents is being lowered or rappelling off the end of a rope. As experience, studies, and anecdotes (#FreeSolo) attest, it’s not just new climbers having these accidents. The fix is a tight, well-dressed, double overhand knot with a 12 inch tail minimum. When extra security…
Read more...Member Spotlight: Cole Kohei Corbin
Cole Kohei Corbin found climbing only a little over a year ago, but he’s already going places. After quickly progressing through Salt Pump’s Lead Class and Skills Seminars, Cole graduated to outdoor climbing – managing his first sport and trad leads before the New England winter forced confined him to Salt Pump’s walls. A 42-year-old…
Read more...Winter Solistice 2018 Recap!
Thanks to your generous donations and raffle ticket purchases, we raised $379 for Scarborough Land Trust! Another Winter Solstice Success! A few weeks ago, we had our fourth Winter Solstice member appreciation event, featuring the Feats of Strength competition! Over 30 competitors tackled our head routesetter Tino’s four maniacal challenges: the heavy bag lift, kneebar…
Read more...One Day at Pawtuckaway
When the Salt Pump crew hits Pawtuckaway, they try hard and laugh often in equal measure. Each fall, as the leaves begin to drop and the air starts to chill, the razor sharp boulders of Pawtuckaway State Park in Nottingham, New Hampshire, lure bloc-hungry climbers from near and far. When a youthful crew of some…
Read more...Conquering Cathedral Ledge
Thanks to your generous donations and raffle ticket purchases, we raised $379 for Scarborough Land Trust! Another Winter Solstice Success! A few weeks ago, we had our fourth Winter Solstice member appreciation event, featuring the Feats of Strength competition! Over 30 competitors tackled our head routesetter Tino’s four maniacal challenges: the heavy bag lift, kneebar…
Read more...What Goes Up Must Come Down – A Lesson in Lowering from Above
The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn… -Alvin Toffle Seldom taught are quality methods for lowering a climber from above. Yet this skillset, which often gets lumped in with other multi-pitch processes like rappelling, anchor building, and transitions, is…
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