Searching for people buried beneath snow has become a lot easier for the Fiordland Land Search and Rescue team.
Using radar technology called the Recco Rescue System, the team was able to easily locate the bodies of twoFrench Canadian tourists swept away by an avalanche on the Kepler Track last month.
LandSAR Fiordland chairman Russell Dickson said it was the first time they had used it.
Using the detector which is about the size of a school book, the search teams were able to sweep the snow and wait for an indication that someone was below.
"It can be set off by cellphones, cameras, anything with a card," Dickson said.
A reflector that sets off the detector can be sewn into clothing to help search teams locate missing people faster, he said.
It can detect the reflector more than three metres beneath the snow.
Fiordland LandSAR hired the equipment off Downer, who run an avalanche control programme along dangerous areas of Milford Road, Dickson said.
The team will continue to use the equipment where necessary in the future, but are unable to purchase their own currently.
"Because we're voluntary, we don't get assistance for it."
Recco introduced its first commercial detector in 1983 in Sweden.
Weighing 16kgs, the team behind it were able to eventually get the detector down to less than 1kg.
The introduction of mobile technology in the 1990s resulted in smaller and cheaper components, which meant improvement for the detectors.
Last weekend the Fiordland Land Search and Rescue team took part in training in Te Anau.
Volunteers from Stewart Island, Alexandra and Timaru joined the Fiordland crew for the two-day exercise.
"We were trying to find clues in the bush that a lost person might lose. We had to get our hands dirty," he said.
Regular training is required in order for volunteers to be properly qualified for searching.
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