Interviews
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…
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…
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…
Member Spotlight: Jean Juliano
Maine life comes easy to Jean Juliano, even if her current home in Portland is a long way from where she was raised – the island of Kaua’i in Hawaii. “I like living the coastal life like I did growing up on an island, but here I can venture farther…
Inside Game no. 8: Michaela Tracy
Michaela Tracy on “Numb Thumb” (V7) at Pawtuckaway State Park. FINDING HER ZONE Michaela Tracy has always struggled to define home. The daughter of two American ex-pats, she was born in London, where her father Jack worked for more than twenty years. As she spent the majority of her early…
Inside Game no. 7: Mike Morin
Our Man in the Trenches “It’s funny, people’s idea about what a bolt or fixed protection is,” says Mike Morin, the Access Fund’s Northeast Regional Director. “If you’re not a climber, ‘bolting’ can sound so ominous. A big part of my job is to explain and break down those barriers.”…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Got Skills? Big Wall Climbing with Freddie
In an effort to share our excitement about the new Skills Series programs, we thought we’d introduce you to each Series’ instructor and have them tell you about the program in their own words. The Big Wall Climbing Series, scheduled for the evenings of December 1, 8 and 15, will be taught by Freddie Wilkinson. …
Got Skills? Ladies Sport Climbing with Janet
In an effort to share our excitement about the new Skills Series programs, we thought we’d introduce you to each Series’ instructor and have them tell you about the program in their own words. The Ladies Only Sport Climbing Series, scheduled for the evenings of October 27, November 3 and November 10, will be taught…
Got Skills? Trad Climbing with Zack
Salt Pump’s new Skills Series programs are three part programs that encourage more comprehensive skill development on a given subject matter. This fall we’re offering two different Trad Climbing Skills Series, one of them on October 5th, 12th and an outdoor day on the 15th, the other one on November 30th, December 7 and December 14…
Got Skills? Sport Climbing with Tino
In an effort to share our excitement about the new Skills Series programs, we thought we’d introduce you to each Series’ instructor. The Sport Climbing Series, scheduled for the evenings of October 6 and 13 plus an outdoor day on October 15, will be taught by Tino Fiumara. SP: Which skills series are you…
Lydia Ball: Member Spotlight
The next participant in our Member Spotlight series is Lydia Ball. Lydia’s 25 years old and works in sustainability with the Ahold Delhaize Group. She’s only been climbing for two years, yet she has an acute understanding of the mental aspects of the sport and an appreciation for the community that a gym climbing…
Inside Game no. 2: Andrew Drummond
There are 48 mountains over the elevation of four thousand feet in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. For peak baggers dwelling across New England, collecting each one of these summits represents a lifetime goal. Really motivated climbers might do them all in winter, or over the course of…
Inside Game no. 1: Matty Zane
Matty Zane grew up in the small town of Freedom, Maine. Both his parents worked at the nearby college in Unity, and growing up, Matty and his older brother Cody lived for soccer. Then, at the tender age of 14, Matty’s adventurous mother Nancy took him climbing for the first…
“These Little Ninjas Scale Full Sized Walls”
Check out this short video and article about our ‘Little Ninjas’ classes! Thanks to Troy R. Bennett / Bangor Daily News for the visit and write up.