If you leave the marked pistes, it is assumed that you know what you're doing - and you do it at your own risk.

• Make sure you are allowed to leave the marked runs. In certain areas, especially in North America, back-country skiing is restricted in order to protect important wilderness nature reserves. If you ignore signs, you risk a heavy fine and/or the confiscation of your lift pass.
• Never ski off piste alone. Unless you are really familiar with the route, take an experienced guide. Simply following a set of tracks is no guarantee of safety: conditions change rapidly in the mountains, and the author of the tracks may have been a much stronger skier than yourself - or lost.
• Before setting out, make sure that you are familiar with the resort and the conditions. Routes alter with the seasons and the weather: an enjoyable gully in February might be a roaring torrent in April.
• Make sure that you are aware of the level of avalanche danger and check the weather forecast: being caught off piste in fog or in a blizzard is extremely dangerous.
• If you are venturing into terrain where there may be avalanche danger, make sure you are properly equipped. Each member of the group should carry a working transceiver and you should have at least two collapsible shovels between you. If you are in any doubt about how to use this equipment, you should be skiing with a guide.
• Before you set out, always let someone know where you are going, and agree with them what to do if you don't return by a specified time.
• Plan your path to avoid walking uphill as much as possible.
• Learn to read the terrain: gentle dips in the snow could hide streams or even crevasses; suspicious bumps could be rocks or tree stumps.
• Make sure your insurance policy covers off-piste skiing. In some countries you will be charged the cost of recovery if you need to be helicoptered out, which doesn't come cheap.