RECCO: Your Clothes Could Save You

A RECCO chip is affixed to the right shoulder of Brian's North Face jacket.

When it comes to avalanche danger, not many people know that their clothing could save their lives. That’s not to say there are magical, avalanche-proof jackets or sweaters out there. But there are boots, helmets, jackets, pants and belts made with RECCO avalanche reflectors that enhance the possibility of being found faster in a slide.

RECCO technology was developed in Sweden in the 1980s but has yet to establish a firm niche in North American mountain regions, although the systems have been incorporated in many popular brands of outerwear: The North Face, Marmot, Cloudveil and Quicksilver, not to mention Atomic and various other boot builders.

RECCO detectors are also used by ski area snow safety teams throughout Colorado, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain, Telluride, Aspen, Crested Butte and many others.

RECCO works on harmonic radar. The reflectors affixed to boots, helmets and apparel function in a similar fashion to an avalanche transmitter. Rescuers find them with a RECCO detector, but the process doesn’t interfere with beacon transmissions. RECCO can be used simultaneously with any other kind of avalanche rescue equipment.

“All we have to do is go out and search the area like you would with a beacon,” said Copper Mountain snow safety route leader Steve Kintigh, who is the RECCO liaison for Copper. “But beacons operate on an arc of magnetic energy and RECCO is a straight-line radar. It’s another tool to help find someone in an avalanche.”

While anyone playing in the backcountry should always have the standard avalanche safety equipment – shovel, probe, slope meter and beacons they know how to use, looking into wearing something with a RECCO reflector is an extra step should the worst unravel. And given the two individuals that lost their lives to avalanches in the East Vail Chutes in January and the fact that January, February and March are traditionally the highest-yielding months for slides in Colorado, backcountry enthusiasts need all the help they can get.

“Anybody that spends time in avalanche territory could benefit from RECCO,” Kintigh said. “It’s just another piece of equipment you can use, with no maintenance at all. If you’re in avalanche terrain, every little bit helps, for sure.”

For more information about RECCO, check out www.recco.com. Learn more about avalanche dangers and safety.