Greely Trees: a haven in high conditions

Route: Greely Trees from treeline (2020m) to boulder field at 1450m; keeping left of fall line to avoid the gully into Highway Bowl. Avoided more open and steep slopes in treeline and above on Upper Playground due to Av conditions. Skiing conditions: Great throughout; mostly skiing shin deep with pockets of waist deep powder. Plenty of pillows; and the woods were dense enough to keep us from any exposure to the strong winds on the wider mountain. Snowpack and avalanche: Plenty of sloughing coming off the the Mackenzie north shoulder - overhead risk on the initial skin. Below treeline great; treeline and above felt touchy but we didn't see or trigger any slabs (not too surprising given we were so conservative on terrain choices). Weather: Dumping all day and windy up top; but pretty protected below treeline. Summary: Great, lower consequence skiing when the forecast is High. Just remember those skins to gain the initial ridge and then to get back to Ripper chair. If you turn around at the boulder field, ascend lookers left (SE), not right or you're in for some gnarly bushwacking.