News
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…
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…
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…