Most backcountry travelers prefer to travel in informal groups without a designated leader. In such groups, decision-making may suffer. The people that migrate to the front of the group may be less skilled at assessing snow stability or at selecting routes in avalanche terrain than people further back. The group should get together for important decisions about stability and the route. Also, involving less experienced people in route selection and stability assessment contributes to the experience of every person in the group, which will pay off in subsequent trips.
Fair weather can affect decisions.
Blue sky draws recreationists towards open slopes and high passes. However, unstable snow can remain for days or sometimes weeks after the last storm. Decisions should be based on avalanche bulletins, field observations and facts, and not on the good feeling of being out with friends on a blue sky day. Many backcountry travelers are goal-oriented. We should be prepared to turn around and come back when the snowpack is more stable.