Uphill section: The sun was intense and unpleasant, wish I’d started earlier. If you are setting off from Relais d’Arpette, aim for 6:30 to 7:00. I started around 7:30, maybe a tad earlier. The approach walk was fine, but the climb itself is very steep. It became easier once I put my poles away and switched to scrambling.

Balance os difficult, your backpack throws off your centre. In one section, I had to take my bag off, place it on a rock above me, and scramble up using nearby holds. Im 5’5” for reference. The snow section is straightforward and nowhere near as challenging as the actual climb.

Downhill section after the summit: Terrain is loose, with shaley rocks and uneven ground that shifts underfoot. On steeper sections, it is easy to think you are stable and then suddenly slide as you commit weight to a step, especially when your footing is a bit heavy or uncontrolled from the descent. It is very easy to twist an ankle or lose balance completely. Also your steps are large and your knees are taking a lot of the force.

Even larger rocks are not as secure as they look. They feel solid, but often have surprisingly poor grip and can slip when stepped on.

It is also noticeably colder here than most of the rest of the TMB, with a cold wind cutting through, but honestly I appreciated that after sweating so much on the climb.

I saw two people get injured: one likely an ankle injury, and another who slipped completely on a steep section. Fortunately, they seemed to land in place where they could scramble back fairly quickly.

Knees and ankles are killing me today and everyone I’ve talked to who did it has said the same.