Summary: Plan Where to Go

The final step in creating a plan before you go outside is to work with your group to Plan Where to Go. This is a three step sequence that starts with Discuss Route Options that considers the day's groups, weather, and avalanche concerns. With a baseline of ideas, you work with your group to identify areas of uncertainty, asses the overall danger, and then use that information to Set Limits on the group's exposure to avalanche terrain. With this terrain mindset in mind, your group will Detail a Terrain Plan, looking at the specifics of your plan to acknowledge consequences and create an alternate plan.

Teamwork, your group's agreed upon social contract for consensus, is the foundation of this process which means reaching group consensus on where and how you plan to travel in the backcountry and what terrain and features your group agrees to avoid before you even enter the field