Travelling safely in the mountains requires:

The proper equipment.

Information about the present avalanche hazard.

An understanding of how the hazard may be changing.

The experience to find safe routes, minimize risks, know when to turn back, and how to deal with emergencies.

You should have enough information to begin to assess where to travel and what to do. How exposed is the route to avalanches? Will the hazard change soon? Are there alternate lines or escape routes? What are the consequences of an avalanche? Are there terrain traps, cliffs, or other features that could compound the avalanche hazard? How strong and experienced is your party?

Terrain is a major consideration in route planning. How terrain is utilized can greatly increase the safety of a party.

Ridges are usually a very safe place to travel. Care must be taken not to step out on cornices or the lee side of the ridge.
Windward Slopes. If winds have scoured the slope, leaving a very shallow or patchy snowpack it is likely to be safe travelling.

Be careful of cross loading in gullies or depressions on the slope.

Broad Valleys: Travel at the bottom of large valleys in usually safe. In periods of high hazard, an avalanche can run down into the valley, especially if there is an old slide path already established.

Lee Slopes: These should be avoided unless you are confident that the slope is stable. Cornices If you are standing under a cornice you are standing on a lee slope. Cornices can collapse and trigger the slope below to avalanche. On a ridge it is easy to walk out on to a cornice and initiate the collapse.

Gullies: This is a natural funnel for avalanches. Avoid gullies unless you are confident that it is safe.

The safest routes are those that are not exposed to any avalanche hazard. When planning a trip and when touring, chose the safest reasonable lines available.

Before entering an avalanche area consider the following:

How dangerous is this area?

Are there alternate routes?

How important is this trip?

What are the consequences of an avalanche?

If you decide to continue, travel one at a time across the avalanche slope. Remove pole and ski straps before entering the slope, and travel as quickly as safely possible from safe spot to safe spot. Someone in the group should be watching each person cross.

Should an avalanche occur only one person is exposed, and the rest of the party can begin a rescue.

One at a time. If your group comes to a slope that you are nervous about, only one person at a time should go onto the slope. Whether crossing or going up or down, do so one at a time while all others act as spotters from a safe location. This way, should an avalanche occur, there will be only one victim and lots of rescuers.

Avoid the center. The greatest danger on any steep slope comes when you are in the middle of it. Should an avalanche break, you have no escape route. So avoid the center of open slopes. Cross it at the very top or bottom. Go up it or down along the edges. These positions give you a much better chance to escape.

Stay on shallow slopes. You can always travel avalanche-free on slopes up to 25 degrees, and more than 95% of the time you are safe on slopes up to 30 degrees. To measure angles exactly, you should buy an inexpensive slope meter (about $18 in mountain recreation shops.) One caution, however; be extra cautious wherever steeper slopes lie above shallow ones. Though avalanches won't start on shallow slopes, it is possible that you could trigger an avalanche far above you, placing you in harm's way.

Should you travel alone? While nothing may be so companionable as one's self, there is no greater way to increase your avalanche risk than to travel alone. You have no one to save you from partial or shallow burials.

If you are caught in an avalanche

Use "swimming" motions, thrusting upward to try to stay near the surface of the snow.

If you are in over your head (not near the surface), try to maintain an air pocket in front of your face using your hands and arms, Also, take a deep breath to expand your chest and hold it; otherwise, you may not be able to breathe after the snow sets.

Above all, do not panic. Keeping your breathing steady will help preserve your air space and extend your survival chances. If you remain calm, your body will be better able to conserve energy.