It may have felt like Spring here in Orange, but winter still gripped Mount Canobolas over last weekend!

You only had to travel a kilometre from the outskirts of town along the Pinnacle Road on Saturday to see snow stubbornly clinging to the shady southern sides of hedges, buildings and hills.

A good cover of snow, inches thick, blanketed the road climbing to the summit of Mount Canobolas, which was still closed more than a week after the district’s heavy snowfall.

Parked cars crowded the base of the mountain and the Mountain Tea House appeared to be doing a roaring trade with eager snow-spotters before they trudged up the icy mountain road.

The Spring-like temperatures meant some visitors were ill-equipped for the snow; Orange City Life spotted an alarming number of people making the ascent in shorts and thongs!

“Yeah, bad decision!” one couple were heard to say after a comment was made about their minimal footwear.

Others, who’d put a bit more planning into their visit, were making the most of the snow and sunshine with sleds, toboggans and boogie boards.

After an unseasonable top of 18°C on Sunday (7 degrees above average) our little taste of Spring ended abruptly on Monday, with the return of icy rain and cold windy conditions.