Why the snow wasn't melting on Gable

 I was the last snow of the winter on Great Gable today (well, at least I hope so)

 The flakes landing on the path melted within seconds. Rock might be "stone cold" but it must have been higher than 0 Celsius and thus conducted into the snow to melt it. Rock is "stone cold" because it is quite a good conductor of heat so it takes heat out of your hand, leaving it feeling cold to the touch. Here, the conduction ability means thermal energy flows well into the snow.

 On the grass, the snow lingered. I'm guessing that's because as it lands, most of the flake is still suspended in air and the air is a much better insulator than the rock.