The mountain vegetation is largely composed of heath around the summit plateau with evergreen forest along the wetter eastern slopes and grassland to the western side.

Annual rainfall totals are high (around 2,200 millimetres or 87 inches) but long spells of dry weather occur during the winter period of May to August.

This ascent brings the hiker to an altitude of about 2,200 metres or 7,220 feet and the remainder is mostly walking across the gentler gradients of the summit plateau.

The hazards here are produced by bewilderingly fast weather changes that can switch from sunny skies to thick fog, and under these conditions several fatalities have occurred due to hikers losing their way and falling down ravines.

However, caution is advised, especially on unmarked routes, as the weather may change very rapidly: descent of cloud can result in visibility of less than 50 metres or 160 feet.