RECCO Partners With AIARE To Support Women’s Mentorship Program

RECCO, manufacturer of rescue technology that makes backcountry travelers more searchable, has partnered with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) to support the institute’s Women’s Mentorship Program. The partnership will enhance AIARE instructor and student awareness of RECCO technology and how to incorporate the technology into safety planning for backcountry travel. 

AIARE’s Women’s Mentorship Program, now in its third season, is a three-pronged community-focused program that aims to support women in avalanche education with opportunities and resources in order to grow and sustain careers. Women currently make up just 20% of AIARE instructors, and the organization’s mentorship program aims to increase representation and mentorship in a heavily male-dominated industry. 

As supporting partner of the Women’s Mentorship Program, RECCO instructors will participate in a webinar for AIARE instructors, educating them on the RECCO system, which is made up of a Detector and a Rescue Reflector. Reflectors will also be sold in the AIARE online store. 

"In order to stay as safe as possible in the backcountry, we want to educate our students about all tools that make them searchable in an emergency situation, both to their companions and professional rescue teams," said AIARE Executive Director Vickie Hormuth. "Our partnership with RECCO helps to further our mission of saving lives through avalanche education.”

RECCO is well-known worldwide as an advanced technology that can help locate people in the case of avalanche burials. With the introduction of the brand’s helicopter-mounted detector in 2015, the RECCO system has grown into a tool to assist in four-season rescue operations to locate a range of outdoor users such as hikers, bikers, and runners. 

“We’re excited to not only be able to support AIARE’s impressive ongoing avalanche education efforts, but specifically to support a program that helps get more women educators out in the field,” said Julia Granhed, head of marketing for RECCO. 

The RECCO system is used worldwide at more than 900 ski resorts and mountain rescue organizations in 32 countries, including by top resorts and rescue organizations in the United States and Canada. Its reflectors are embedded into products from more than 150 outdoor gear brands such as Helly Hansen, POC, Patagonia, Black Diamond, and Arc’teryx.