As a follow up for anyone who might reference this thread later.
We went up on Sunday to Alpental. WE drove to the end of the parking area and walked down the trail towards Snow lake. This is a great place to go to test alpine gear (although check the avalance reports as this is an area prone to them).
My buddy and I walked around in the trees on steep stuff. the heavy snow made it not the best place to try out crampons, but the tree wells were nice and crunchy.