Ice Climbing - Brad Burns

Brad Burns's expert gear recommendations on Rendezvu

Products in this list

CASSIN X-DREAM - Ice axe by Camp — I've used these tools for 5+ years now, and put them to the test on everything from moderate ice, hard mixed, larger alpine routes, and pure dry routes. They have a stellar swing, and the weight feels perfectly balanced in my hands. I prefer to use the "Alpine" version of the tool with the bottom pommel for plunging. I normally run the tools with "Ice" picks with head weights for hard ice, or "Mixed" picks without headweights for mixed terrain or alpine ice.
Express Ice Screw by Black Diamond — The standard for ice screws. These bad-boys will make up the majority of your screw kit. I normally bring 8-12 screws with me, depending on the size and difficulty of the pitch. This normally means bringing: 1-2x 10cm Ice Screw (red), 5x 13cm screws (yellow), 3x 16cm ice screws (blue), 1x 22cm ice screw (purple) for v-threads.
MULTIHOOK by Petzl — The best V-Thread tool I have used. It has a sharp hook on the end to really bite into the end of cord or a rope, and comes with a knife on it to cut cord as well. Its burly enough to clear screws of ice-cores and has its own carabiner loop built in.
Petzl Meteor Climbing Helmet Red S/M by Petzl — A stellar, stylish, well fitting, and comfortable helmet.
Black Diamond ATC-Guide Belay Device Black by Black Diamond — The standard for ATC devices. Works great for rappelling, and works to belay from the ground or from an anchor from above.
Showa 282-02 Temres by Showa — The best ice climbing gloves that money can buy. I'm not joking. Originally used for ice fishing/crabbing in cold sea-water, these are uber waterproof and surprisingly warm. They allow for good tactile sensation too, which is a rarity for ice gloves.
Lumina 100 Down Jkt M by La Sportiva — A nice extra layer, super light, super warm. Packs down to a tiny size, making it great to throw in the pack for a cold belay, or to wear under a shell during the climb.
Arc'teryx Men's Beta AR Jacket by Arc'teryx — Super water proof, super stylish. Trusted in bad conditions. It has some nice armpit-vents too, which makes it great for sweaty approaches.
Camalot™ Ultralight by Black Diamond — A small rack of ultralight cams from .4-2 covers the protection for most mixed routes. Great cams that are durable and super light.
Black Diamond Waterproof Overmitts by Black Diamond — Great to throw over the gloves during a long belay for extra warmth.

Ice Climbing - Brad Burns

Brad Burns's expert gear recommendations on Rendezvu

Products in this list

CASSIN X-DREAM - Ice axe by Camp — I've used these tools for 5+ years now, and put them to the test on everything from moderate ice, hard mixed, larger alpine routes, and pure dry routes. They have a stellar swing, and the weight feels perfectly balanced in my hands. I prefer to use the "Alpine" version of the tool with the bottom pommel for plunging. I normally run the tools with "Ice" picks with head weights for hard ice, or "Mixed" picks without headweights for mixed terrain or alpine ice.
Express Ice Screw by Black Diamond — The standard for ice screws. These bad-boys will make up the majority of your screw kit. I normally bring 8-12 screws with me, depending on the size and difficulty of the pitch. This normally means bringing: 1-2x 10cm Ice Screw (red), 5x 13cm screws (yellow), 3x 16cm ice screws (blue), 1x 22cm ice screw (purple) for v-threads.
MULTIHOOK by Petzl — The best V-Thread tool I have used. It has a sharp hook on the end to really bite into the end of cord or a rope, and comes with a knife on it to cut cord as well. Its burly enough to clear screws of ice-cores and has its own carabiner loop built in.
Petzl Meteor Climbing Helmet Red S/M by Petzl — A stellar, stylish, well fitting, and comfortable helmet.
Black Diamond ATC-Guide Belay Device Black by Black Diamond — The standard for ATC devices. Works great for rappelling, and works to belay from the ground or from an anchor from above.
Showa 282-02 Temres by Showa — The best ice climbing gloves that money can buy. I'm not joking. Originally used for ice fishing/crabbing in cold sea-water, these are uber waterproof and surprisingly warm. They allow for good tactile sensation too, which is a rarity for ice gloves.
Lumina 100 Down Jkt M by La Sportiva — A nice extra layer, super light, super warm. Packs down to a tiny size, making it great to throw in the pack for a cold belay, or to wear under a shell during the climb.
Arc'teryx Men's Beta AR Jacket by Arc'teryx — Super water proof, super stylish. Trusted in bad conditions. It has some nice armpit-vents too, which makes it great for sweaty approaches.
Camalot™ Ultralight by Black Diamond — A small rack of ultralight cams from .4-2 covers the protection for most mixed routes. Great cams that are durable and super light.
Black Diamond Waterproof Overmitts by Black Diamond — Great to throw over the gloves during a long belay for extra warmth.

Stinger Crampons by Black Diamond — A great, technical crampon. In recent years i've moved to climbing more in monopoints thanks to the precision, which is especially nice on steep, featured ice. Although a dual-point crampon like the cyborg or lynx is better for miles of moderate ice, I find these crampons to work well for just about anything. These crampons really shine on mixed/alpine terrain where a precise foot placement on rock is key.

La Sportiva G-Tech by La Sportiva — An incredible boot. It climbs better than any boot that I have ever owned. It is light, walks well, and can even climb moderate rock terrain pretty well without crampons on. This boot is a bit lighter in terms of insulation than other boots, but I have never struggled with cold feet unless climbing in ridiculously cold weather (when ice climbing isn't even fun, like <10F). The best feature of the boot is the BOA system. I used to climb in the Nepal Evo, which is also a stellar boot, but I found myself re-lacing my shoes 2-3 times a day when I was out climbing. With these boots, they don't loosen over time. Additionally, when I get to a belay, I pop the boa open to allow for better circulation in my feet, then, when I climb, I tighten them down taught for a great fit for climbing. I will never buy an ice boot without BOA ever again. Seriously. The boot fits crampons like a dream.

Sender Harness by Mammut — This is a stellar harness. It comes equipped with 4 main gear loops as well as 4 ice clipper slots, meaning that this harness is ready for everything from sport cragging, to multipitch ice. It is very comfortable, has a nice, light feel when sending hard, and fits the waist and legs well. Additionally, you look pretty cool sending your project in the flashy orange color.