Salt Pump's Founder's and staff have put up first ascents around the world, but it was the boulders and mountains of New England—Maine in particular—that inspired the design of Salt Pump Climbing. Perched on the edge of a remote, mirror-like pond, the facility is awash in natural light streaming through its generous floor-to-ceiling windows. The result is a distinctly coastal climbing gym surrounded by the state's breathtaking natural beauty, but protected from its inclement weather and lobsterstorms.

With all of that care and attention to detail, it's not surprising that Salt Pump offers something for climbers of all ages and experience levels. First-timers can open on an introductory class that covers basic climbing knots, belay technique, and the route-reading skills it takes to conquer any vertical path. Those with more experience can sign up for the three-part lead climbing class that tackles the facility's highest, 45-foot walls, or get back to strength-building basics in the gym's many yoga programs. It's all a part of building a community of climbers—a community that comes together every week at Miyamoto's dojo night, a sort of freestyle climbing-fitness session that's free for members.