There is no altitudinal treeline limit; subalpine grasslands and shrublands occur in flat valley bottoms on the plateau as a result of cold-air drainage.

There are two routes up the mountain; one via Noojee and Icy Creek which is very winding, and the unsealed South Face Road via Erica.

The mountain summit receives more annual precipitation than most places in mainland Australia, with frequent and heavy snow between May and October but can occur at any time of the year (as well as a persistent snowpack).

Frequent, heavy cloud cover and strong winds mean that minimum temperatures rarely drop below −5 °C (23 °F), whereas maximum temperatures are frequently at or below 0 °C (32 °F); the mountain is often shrouded in low cloud or mist in winter, thereby reducing diurnal range.

The alpine resort village has modern facilities and caters for both day-trippers and long-term visitors, with accommodation, ski hire, food outlets, medical and information centres all within walking distance of the car parks.

The alpine grasses are blanketed with wildflowers and walks at a higher elevation pass through snow gum forest.

The final climb of 6.2 km (3.9 mi) rises 718 m (2,356 ft) at an average grade of 11.5%, maxing out at 20.3%.

There is a purpose-built downhill track located on the south western side of the mountain, facing towards the sea.

The track is around 3+1⁄2 min in duration, comprising a good mix of cambered dirt, rocks, fire road and technical sections.