CKC, in a week, I am pretty sure you and your group can make it just fine with only hiking poles. This year is just as lean as last year for snow levels, and last year about this time, people started using the trail, with a little caution required in the section with the cables.
Watch for trip reports in the next week, and that should give you the best info.
If you are camping at Trail Camp, get up early and start hiking as soon as the sun hits the snow. That should soften it for good footing, and also give you enough time to get back down the switchbacks before the shadow of the crest blocks the sun and the snow ices up again (2-3 PM).
