Posts by Freddie Wilkinson
Head 2 Head: Mind Games With Will Wild
Fear is a funny thing. When I first started lead climbing I was terrified of falling. I felt helpless on the wall, unable to move above my last clip and into the unknown territory of the iminent whipper. I climbed below my level for a long time trying to build the confidence to push myself.…
Read more...The 10 – 4 Rule: Why Projecting Might Be Holding You Back
Local hardwoman and Team Salt Pump coach Alison Crofton-MacDonald on Ride The Lightning (V6) at Pawtuckaway State Park. Climbing has a tendency to bring out the obsessive side in all of us. We all know the feeling of getting sucked into trying that one boulder problem or route that’s a step (or two) beyond your…
Read more...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...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
THE THRILL OF STARTING FROM THE BOTTOM If you have ever been to North Conway, you have seen Cathedral Ledge. Although it doesn’t dominate the landscape like Mount Washington, it holds its own. Just beyond the village to the Northwest, you will see it – standing 500 feet tall, a sheer rock face of beautiful,…
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