Fredrik Steinwall has been appointed as chief executive at Recco, the Swedish specialist in avalanche and crevasse rescue systems. The former trainer of Sweden’s national alpine skiing team, Steinwall has been with the company for about one year but he will take charge from the start of August. He will take over from Johann Sauer, who is leaving Recco after seven years. Steinwall is stepping up at a time when the company is striving to develop its offering all year ‘round. It has started rolling out this strategy in Europe and will continue in the coming year in North America. In this context, the Swedish company has developed a detector to be used for helicopter searches, to detect people wearing Recco reflectors. It uses the same technology as avalanche rescue systems but with a much wider range, supporting fast searches over large areas of wilderness. This technology has become active in Zermatt and the Valais region in Switzerland, as well as the Dolomites and the Aosta Valley. Another area in which Recco is investing significant resources is the use of drones in search and rescue. Recco is involved in two research and development projects in partnership with universities in Bologna and Linköping, both aiming to develop Recco rescue detectors to be used on or from drones. Among the latest products equipped with Recco detectors is the Haglöfs Grym Evo Jacket, as well as a helmet for enduro racing from Poc and a backpack from Tatonka.

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