Preparation is everything
A successful expedition starts weeks before departure. Route planning is the phase where you identify risks, estimate times, and make decisions while you are still at your desk — not in the middle of the wilderness.
Planning stages
Divide a multi-day expedition into daily stages. In MilMap you create a separate route per day. Set the equipment line per stage (light for cycling, heavy for military marches) so that walking times are realistic. Add overnight locations as named waypoints with extra notes.
Elevation and condition
The elevation information in MilMap is essential for expeditions in mountain areas. Check the total elevation change per day — a limit of 800–1,000 metres of ascent per day is already demanding for trained mountaineers. Ensure that no single stage has more ascent than is achievable.
Marking emergency routes
Plan at least one emergency route per stage to the nearest settlement, road, or helicopter landing zone. Mark these as a separate route with a clear name (e.g. "E2 — Emergency route to Chamonix"). This allows you to switch quickly when the situation requires it.
Making use of weather windows
Build flexible times into your stages to allow for bad weather conditions. Use MilMap's weather integration to identify the best time windows per day. Mountain weather is unpredictable — always build in a buffer.
Importing from external sources
Use routes from Komoot, AllTrails, or other planners as a starting point. Import them via GPX into MilMap and add your own waypoints, time estimates, and emergency routes. This combines the community knowledge of route apps with the operational tools of MilMap.