The trail to Mason Lake is fine (and snow-free).
About 2/3rd of a mile past Mason Lake is where it gets tricky. The trail becomes progressively more buried under snow, until it completely disappears. I used both GPS and left some trail markers and ended up scrambling up the S/SE slope of Defiance to re-join the trail later on.
As you ascend further towards the section of trail that runs straight across the side of the mountain, you'll need more route-finding. The trail is followable in places, but gets lost in others. I left another dozen trail markers on that section.
The trail that runs straight across the side of the mountain is 50% under snow and 50% clear and is easily navigated.
The spur is also 50% under snow and 50% clear. This makes it quite tricky. It's normally a very difficult 0.22 miles (with 400' of elevation gain). The snow makes it even more difficult.
The summit is mostly under snow... and it was snowing at the time I was up there.
I was trail running (so, minimal gear), but I had microspikes, which I'd consider a requisite. GPS is also a requisite. Leave some time to route-find .. this added quite a bit to my time up there even though I'm very familiar with this trail.
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