Quick report
We found good conditions in the shelter of the trees with 2-3 inches of low density powder overnight. Fortunately, we did not encounter the rime crust present through much of the zone, and that meant the top 10 cm was soft sitting on the dense slab beneath. The weather was cold and breeze light. I did not see any evidence of significant wind loading, even in spots where it can commonly be found.
We dug two pits and both had 10-20 cm of slightly weaker snow near the bottom under a dense slab, Fortunately, in both pits, the weak layer demonstrated decent cohesion and overall rounded edges. (it should be noted that the early-season Oct and Nov snow were not present in this area). We did not get collapse or propagation in either pit on the ECT test.
Finally, though we looked for it in both pits and with several hand pits, we did not find any surface hoar under the new snow in this area.