Partnership strengthens safety standards during the 2026 Merrell Skyrunner® World Series races.
The Merrell Skyrunner® World Series today announces RECCO as its Official Safety Partner for the 2026 season, reinforcing the Series’ long-standing commitment to athlete safety in extreme and remote mountain environments.
RECCO® advanced rescue technology makes outdoor enthusiasts searchable to rescuers in case of an avalanche accident or when lost in the outdoors. The technology builds on a two-part radar system. Rescuers carry RECCO® detectors that send out search signals which are echoed by RECCO® reflectors, carried by the user. RECCO® detectors are used worldwide at more than 900 ski resorts and mountain rescue organizations in 32 countries.
The Merrell Skyrunner® World Series represents the highest level of skyrunning worldwide—where altitude, technical terrain, and exposure define every race. The 2026 circuit spans 19 races across 12 countries and four continents, challenging the world’s best skyrunners in some of the most demanding landscapes on Earth.
This partnership with RECCO strengthens safety protocols across the Series and promotes a culture of preparedness and responsibility within the global skyrunning community. As part of the collaboration, RECCO reflectors will be included in the elite mandatory equipment list for six races during the 2026 season:
- May 3 – Skyrace des Matheysins, Saint-Honoré, France
- May 23 – Skyraces des Gorges du Tarn, Lozère, France
- August 1–2 – Beast of Big Creek, Hoodsport, WA, USA
- August 21 – Matterhorn ULTRAKS Extreme, Zermatt, Switzerland
- August 22–23 – KIMA, Val Masino, Italy
- September 4 – MAGA SkyMarathon, Serina, Italy
“These races take athletes deep into remote and technical terrain where preparation and searchability matter,” says Fredrik Steinwall, CEO of RECCO. “By integrating RECCO reflectors into mandatory equipment and supporting safety education initiatives, we aim to help organizers, rescue teams, and athletes better manage risk in mountain environments.”
Beyond mandatory equipment, the partnership includes on-site and online safety education initiatives throughout the season, targeting athletes, race organizers, media, and the wider trail and mountain running community. Together, RECCO and the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series aim to promote informed decision-making, responsibility, and awareness in high-alpine racing.
“We’re proud to partner with RECCO, a brand that shares our commitment to athlete safety and innovation in the mountains. Their proven rescue technology is a valuable addition to skyrunning, supporting both elite athletes and race organizers in demanding alpine environments, says Etienne Rodriguez, Managing Director. “As we look ahead to the 2026 Merrell Skyrunner® World Series circuit, this collaboration strengthens our ongoing efforts to support skyrunning at the highest level while promoting greater awareness of safety in alpine environments.”
The RECCO system is a two part system consisting of a search detector and a reflector. The detector is used by professional rescue teams globally, while the reflector is integrated into apparel, shoes, backpacks, helmets and other equipment, which makes the wearer searchable in case of an emergency. The reflector can also be bought and applied as a stand-alone product to attach to a backpack, helmet or be worn as a belt.
Today, handheld detectors are a standard tool for avalanche rescue globally. The past decade, the system has evolved from a winter system to a year round search system with the addition of a helicopter mounted detector, based on the same technology. This makes it possible to locate missing trail runners, hikers, mountain bikers and mountaineers across all seasons. The RECCO SAR helicopter detector can quickly search large areas, covering a square kilometer in six minutes. Along with helping reduce search times for missing people, the helicopter-based detector can reduce the time and risk exposure for rescue workers during missions.
The RECCO SAR helicopter detector network continues to grow with more and more placements being added. Currently, there are 45 RECCO SAR Helicopter Detectors globally, with 14 located in North America, 28 units deployed across Europe, one in Nepal and two in New Zealand.
