Just "armchairing" their preparedness, I'd say they were about 75% there-a bag would really have helped-even if it was just one between them-they were a couple, so they wouldn't have been shy about climbing in one together. That and a stove. On VFTT, the NE site, most of them carry a full pack in winter even on day hikes since the area gets really nasty from what I read.

One of them-the woman- lost a snowshoe. I'd never thought about it, but a leash on steep ground would be a good idea, like the old ski leashes people used before brakes became common.