formal training can be helpful for sure. But you could go a long way with meeting the right person(s) willing to give some tutelage.
There is the Mazama program BCEP, which I learned to 'climb' from. Based out of Portland so that would be quite the trek for you. Consider looking into the
https://chemeketans.org in Salem?
I too was in your shoes over a decade ago, plenty of backpacking know-how and willing to learn but when potential life and death was involved I felt it prudent to take a class, as I knew nobody who was involved in the sport. At the end of the day 90% of what I learned in BCEP was useless/retread of backpacking/general outdoors principles, but the 10% that remained was essential. Actually I only ever did one climb with Mazamas, the capstone to the course, climbing Mt. Hood with my contingent (11 of us or so). But I met one person in that class and we climbed a lot, and from there I managed to meet others. And reached out to others like yourself when I needed partners and had the time to help get someone up to speed on things. I don't know if other clubs intro courses are as laborious/tedious as Mazamas was, so I can't speak to anything else.
The book Freedom of the Hills by Mountaineers Press is basically the guidebook that any climbing class will refer you to. It covers the gamut from knots, to terrain evaluation, emergency procedures, crampon nuances, rope travel, etc..
It does not however evaluate or give feedback. But if you were able to cover a lot of the things in that book, on your own, someone with a bit of time and patience could probably help you get the rest of the way there on a moderate snow climb or two.
For basic snow stuff, like going up a hill, with crampons and an ice axe, in winter.. isn't radically different than backpacking. More extreme, yes, more consequences for mistakes, yes, but it's more of an extension of backpacking than fundamentally different, in my opinion. Which isn't to downplay it at all but, if you can find someone.. ...also going to a class will introduce you to people at a similar level with which to go climb with, so there's that value too.
