Set the group limit using the most restrictive approved part of the plan, including permits, equipment, transport, support and rescue arrangements. Check the actual participant mix. The number of seats or spare tents alone does not set safe capacity.
Your limit may come from the permit, guide competence, equipment, transport, rescue plan, support needs, or a narrow part of the route. Use the smallest approved limit.
Do not copy a universal guide-to-participant ratio from a different activity. The right arrangement depends on age, skill, environment, local requirements, insurer conditions, and the qualified plan.
Think about simultaneous needs. If one participant must stop with a leader, can the rest of the group remain safely supervised? If a guide is injured, what happens next?
Keep group composition in view. Twelve people with mixed needs may require a different plan from twelve experienced participants. A full booking list is not proof that one group is suitable.
Avoid overbooking transport or equipment as a sales tactic. A seat on a bus does not create a place in a technical activity.
Build a roster that connects each participant to the relevant activity group, gear, transport, care information, and contact plan. Changes should update all affected records.
Your task: Test your maximum group against the loss of one planned resource and decide whether the activity can still operate.
