Raid the North Extreme has earned a reputation for true wilderness navigational challenges. Every race includes significant sections of off-trail trekking with few checkpoints and many route options. No parts of our racecourses are marked or flagged and there are few rules or restrictions regarding where and how you can travel. Our focus is to leave as much decision-making in the hands of the teams to offer a true wilderness expedition experience. In 2002, teams were challenged with a 50 kilometre trekking section through raw Yukon wilderness. There were only 2 checkpoints within this trek and not a single trail, road or even sign of human presence. There was no set or obvious route and many different approaches were taken. The fastest team completed this journey in 28 hours while others took more than 60 hours.

The remote, untracked wilderness and complexity of the glacier-scoured terrain will make routefinding and navigation the single biggest challenge of Raid the North Extreme 2003. In addition to off-trail trekking, teams will canoe through remote wilderness dotted with hundreds of lakes, and countless rivers, swamps and portages. Many different routes will be possible and planning will be a critical and challenging task. Teams will receive their maps an extra day in advance to allow enough time to strategize.

To increase safety and to keep the event accessible for teams with less wilderness experience, all teams will carry a GPS unit in a sealed container. For the most difficult sections of the course, teams will be allowed to use their GPS unit once a pre-determined amount of time has passed. There will be no penalty for using the GPS unit in this case, although the team will not be ranked ahead of any team completing the course without using their GPS unit. All GPS containers will be checked at the end of each section and teams that have used their GPS and completed the section in less than the pre-determined time will immediately serve a time penalty. It is our hope that this new approach will encourage every team to attempt the course with just map and compass but those that struggle with the navigation will not have to end their race with a rescue.