tips and tricks
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 quirky good wit quickly became part of…
Read more...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 which seamlessly transitions back into…
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…
Read more...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. The Basics Make up your…
Read more...Journeying into the Great Outdoors
By Zack Sawyer 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 also aware…
Read more...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. The Lead Wall reset is…
Read more...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 of basic stretches you can…
Read more...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 it, locating the route you…
Read more...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 waste of energy. So, how…
Read more...Avalanche Awareness Course Registration Now Open
We are pleased to share that registration is now open for a new two part Avalanche Awareness course taught by Blake Keogh. Part 1 will take place on Thursday March 2 from 6:30-8:30 at Salt Pump and cover how to reach advisory reports issued by NOAA and the Mt. Washington Avalanche Center, and other important back country…
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