Hiking Route and Trip Plan
Turn a walk you have in your head into a page somebody else can hand over if you do not come back, and make yourself think about escape routes before you are standing on the hill.
OP-05 2 pages
Outdoor pursuits · OP-29
Avalanche Transceiver Group Check Log
A free printable avalanche transceiver check log: each member's battery reading, send and search checks, shovel, probe and airbag, before leaving the trailhead.
Download Free · no sign-up
One page. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Check that every transceiver in the group is on and working before anyone sets off. Battery readings, the day's forecast and the plan sit on the same sheet.
Who it is for
Ski tourers, splitboarders, snowshoers, guides and club leaders heading into avalanche terrain.
How to use it
- Write the date, the route, the leader and the forecast as published that morning.
- Have everyone switch on and read out the battery level, and write it down.
- Leader in search: each member walks past in send and is ticked.
- Each member searches for the leader, then all units go back to send.
- Check shovel, probe and airbag, then sign off with the time the group set off.
What is on the sheet
One page, top to bottom:
Printed under the title: The trailhead check for one group on one day: every member's transceiver on, its battery read, checked in send and in search, with shovel, probe and airbag, before anyone leaves the car park.
Write-on lines: Date · Area and route · Leader · Turnaround time · Forecast danger as published · Forecast source, time read · Who knows our plan · Emergency number
Also printed: Leader's check · In the pack
Table, 8 rows: Name · Transceiver · Serviced · Battery · Send · Search · Shovel · Probe · Airbag · Radio, phone
At the trailhead — battery and range figures come from the maker's manual
- Everyone switched on; battery read out and written
- Leader in search: each member passes in send
- Each member in search picks up the leader
- Units back in send and stowed as the maker says
- Shovel, probe and first aid in every pack
- Plan, turnaround time and regroup points agreed
Write-on lines: Range test done? Y / N, and distance used · Faults found and what was done
Signature strip: Leader · Checks done at (time) · Group set off at
Questions
What battery level is too low to set out?
That is in your transceiver maker's manual and can differ between models. Write the reading as the unit shows it, and follow the manual for when to change the batteries.
Does this sheet tell us whether it is safe to go?
No. It records that the equipment check was done. Whether to go, and where, is a decision for the group using the published avalanche forecast, the conditions you find and your own training.
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