Jim and I led an intro to backcountry skiing course up Zoa Peak last Saturday (Jan 18). The snowpack in the Coquihalla is still very low, but the weather was great for views (warm, sunny, and clear). Unfortunately this also means that the snow is pretty poor for skiing with a nice thick sun crust around and lots of ice and frozen snow bombs in the trees. A few friends were up on Zupjok the same day and found exactly the same thing.