Tips and Tricks
Out of Shape Butterfly
Route-setter and coach Ara Morton sending a few laps on the lead wall back in the before-the-virus days. by Ara Morton I returned to Salt Pump for the first time on Wednesday, June 17, a few hours early for my shift and our grand re-opening in order to get in…
The Home Sessions: Tino on Fingerboarding
Hi Salt Pumpers, A big howdy from my overcrowded garage where my hangboards live. These days I spend a lot of time with my energetic 3+yo son, working on my wrist mobility kneading a lot of dough and I’m quickly wearing the tread down on a pair of runners to…
The Home Sessions: Will on Shoulder Stability
Hey Folks, A lot of things have changed lately and I know many of you have been adapting to the new normal… It’s important to strive to find balance during such a dynamic time, and keeping our bodies balanced is important for when we return to the sport we love.…
The Home Sessions: Will on Core
Hey Salt Pumpers, Will here with a few ways I like to keep my core in tip top shape when I’m not at the gym. I’m self quarantined here in my apartment and I have limited workout equipment at my disposal. I get very bored with planking for 10 minutes…
The Home Sessions: Ara on Therabands
Therabands are a must have item for any climber or athlete… especially one stuck working out in their basement or garage! The range of uses and applications make it one of the most cost efficient workout tools out there. Here are a few of Coach Ara’s favorite ways to band…
Training At Home
A global pandemic is as good a time as any to invest a little in your home gym scene. But what gear to get, and what exercises to do? The fitness industry is rife with overly complicated, expensive workout equipment, but at Salt Pump, we like to keep our training…
Training for Climbing: Step Zero
Although it may not feel like it right now, spring is just around the corner. That means it’s a great time to start thinking about what you can do to improve for the upcoming rock season. Training for climbing is hardwork, but finding the motivation to commit to a training…
Stay Hip: Working the Glutes, Hamstrings, and Core
You need strong hips to support the work being done by our pelvis and core – the hinge point of so much climbing motion. When these muscles aren’t strong enough, you begin to compensate for the weaknesses in unhealthy ways, resulting in many injuries from this break in the kinetic…
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 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…
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…
Coaching Adult Team: A Final Gladness, Part I
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…
The Load Strand Direct (LSD) – The New Kid on the Block
A relatively recent innovation, the LSD lower is primed to go mainstream. It takes the novel approach of redirecting the load rather than the brake strand. This defeats the device’s assisted braking mechanism, providing a convenient lower! Great if you need to lower a climber mid-route or use a system…
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…
The Book Wall Part II: The Book Wall Returns
From The Ministry of Routesetting It’s getting into winter now, which means it’s time to forget about those cold, snow-covered rocks, and start training for the Spring! To help you with this, we’ve reinstalled The Book Wall on the 50º board. This will stay up for at least two months.…
Journeying into the Great Outdoors
Climbing long existed on the outskirts of society and sport. Climbing gyms, especially today’s modern and inclusive ones, have dramatically changed this. At Salt Pump, we feel privileged for the daily opportunity to introduce people to the sport and enrich the lives of new and old climbers alike. We are…
Setters’ Favorite New Lead Wall Routes
By Tino Fiumara We just finished the new Lead Wall reset, resulting in 37 routes from 5.9 to 5.13b, with the majority of climbing in the 5.10 and 5.11 range. We’ve introduced colored volumes for Yellow and Blue – meaning that a Yellow volume is only for Yellow routes, etc.…
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…
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…
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…