Salt Pump vs. Evo

Which do you think is better? Mainly I mean the quality of the climbing, but other factors too. I'll be moving to the Portland area in the spring, and I'm trying to decide where to become a member. Thanks!

I'm a big fan of Salt Pump. Mostly good setting, good facilities, very good climbers, and an amazing community. Evo felt a little corporate for my taste.

In most respects I like SP better. Better setting, friendlier staff, they don't play the dubstep soundtrack from bouldering videos. Evo's overhung wall is bigger if you like pumpy routes. Both have autobelays. I went back to Evo because SP couldn't fix their treadmill after I complained (politely) for over a month. I need basic gym equipment. Either gym is really quite good, we're spoiled for a small city.

How does the setting compare? Who has better terrain for bouldering and for lead?

I think the setting is generally more interesting at SP. If you like endurance/overhang then Evo might appeal to you. I don't boulder so can't comment.

Why not just try a couple of day passes or a short term membership at each and see what you like best? Neither sucks.

Also going to be moving to the Portland area this year. Curious about the perceived difficulty in each gym, or to put it another way, does each have a good mix of all grades (leans more moderate, more difficult, etc.). I will definitely take a day pass to each when the move happens, but am just curious in the meantime.

For what it's worth the route setting at evo in Concord seems to be geared towards giving you injuries. I've never seen setting that can feel so horribly wrong at times.

Aaron G wrote:Also going to be moving to the Portland area this year. Curious about the perceived difficulty in each gym, or to put it another way, does each have a good mix of all grades (leans more moderate, more difficult, etc.). I will definitely take a day pass to each when the move happens, but am just curious in the meantime.

For lead routes I'd say they both have a bunch of 5.10's, some harder routes but relatively few easier. Pretty typical for most gyms I've been to. I think the grades are pretty fair in terms of modern sport climbing. They're not necessarily consistent w/ the surrounding sandbagged outdoor climbing in the Northeast, but they're not hero grades like at some gyms.

I personally like almost everything about SP better but I couldn't get over not having basic gym equipment. For a lot of people that probably doesn't matter. On the other hand I can see how a modern sport or gym climber would enjoy Evo's more extreme lead wall. The poster above described Evo as "corporate" but I think it's just a typical modern gym where people are more into sport climbing, plastic comps etc.. (nothing wrong with that). They both have yoga and pizza parties so it's not night and day where one is for hardcore climbers and the other for soccer moms to bring their kids, but SP is owned (in part) by Freddie Wilkinson. There's a big photo hanging of two alpinists in a snow cave and a Piolet D'or plaque over the coffee stand. They play less rap and dubstep. It's just a different vibe.

Really, they're both big and new and for a small city Portland is pretty fortunate to have either one. I'd say go to whichever is most convenient, though if you live on the peninsula they're more or less equidistant.

Edit: if you're a true dirtbag, SP doesn't have a shower.

Thanks! That's actually really helpful. The modern/corporate or whatever you want call it doesn't bother me, but SP looks great on the website, and sounds like a pretty inviting place to climb!

Inviting is accurate. Aesthetically it's a nicer gym. There's more natural light. It's on a little lake and they have a deck out back. The staff is the nicest I've encountered anywhere. You might run into Freddie and ask him what he's planning to climb this year - gives you something to daydream about when you go back to your boring job the next day.

All that said it was like a beautiful high-maintenance girlfriend to me. I wanted to love it but they need to work on the basics. I go home to old reliable Evo and she fixes me a sammich. The treadmill works (and there are two!). They don't run out of lead ropes. Little things.

I'd explore both.

Most of what I meant by "corporate" was just that staff seems nicer at SP. They're both somewhere in the middle, but to me SP feels a little more like a community gym, and Evo felt a little closer to Brooklyn Boulders. I agree with everything jdejace has said, and the gym equipment at SP does leave a lot to be desired. They're both good spots.

Willis K wrote:staff seems nicer at SP.

I never noticed (or cared much about) staff attitude at other gyms, but here in town going to both the difference is pretty striking. It's not that the Evo staff is particularly offensive, it's just that at SP they're so nice and it actually seems totally genuine.

This is interesting.

I'm hearing that the setting is slightly better at Salt Pump. What about rotation of routes? Does either gym let routes stay up for months and let things get stale?

How about crowding on weeknights and weekends?

Eli wrote:For what it's worth the route setting at evo in Concord seems to be geared towards giving you injuries. I've never seen setting that can feel so horribly wrong at times.

the setting at EVO in concord is definitely not the best. lots of fingery, cluttered climbs and weird shoulder-opening moves in the one hanging dihedral near the small arch. a couple of good climbs from time to time but also lots of total duds.

Thanks thread hijackers who climb at EVO Concord ;) Do the two gyms have the same crew of setters? Can anyone comment on the setting at EVO Portland?

Nothing objectionable as described above at Portland. Up to 5.11 I found SP a bit more thought-provoking, but to some extent I suspect that is due to the steeper lead wall at Evo; it's hard not to make a moderate climb on that thing a jug haul. There are a couple of climbs there right now I really enjoy though.

You're a much stronger climber than me so you might find that you love the harder climbs at Evo compared to SP, who knows. I can't comment on the 5.12's.

The setters at Evo Portland are different than Concord. Though I've climbed at Concord a handful of times and never had any of the experiences listed above.

The rotation at Evo Portland is in the 12-14 week range. And a little faster for boulders. With the exception of a comp style event, there is a reset every Tuesday and Thursday. 5-10 roped routes on Thursday, 6-12 boulders on Tuesday. The treadwall and systems board are usually done twice a year.

I do not know the rotation at the Salt Pump.

I work at Evo, I climb at both gyms (though less frequently at the S.Pump.)

Both gyms are great. You can't really make a bad decision. I will leave it at that. If you want more info just ask, I will try really hard to keep any personal bias out of the responses. If you need beta on Maine/New England climbing, hit me up when you're in town, I have climbed all over.

The only thing from what I read above that I found curious-- the last handful of times I've been at Salt Pump, I remember thinking how much I liked that the music was what I listen to at "my" gym. :)

Welcome to the Portlad area soonish, Portland is great!

Thanks everyone, great info. Steven, thanks for the setting details, very helpful. I did not realize you guys had a treadwall - definitely something I've been meaning to try.

No problem. Both gyms have a treadwall, but they are different models.

The treadwalls have their nuances but are a really great way to log mileage. I kind of like them a lot more than auto belays because you can stay on the wall without lowering, and without having to do any down climbing.

They can be a little hard to get used to though especially if you're taller.

I'm primarily a boulderer, and I prefer the terrain and setting at Evo. Nothing specific, but there's always a good variety of styles and the grading is pretty consistent (caveats about grades of indoor problems apply). The treadwall is much nicer (put more holds on it, Steve!), better facilities for kids (I have youngins), better locker rooms.

I don't think it's really true that the staff at one place are friendlier than the other, just different.

SP is definitely brighter. I like the wall texture at Evo better. Evo is cheaper.

So, pluses and minuses, you know?