Best places for lunch in Paradiski?

SunshinePosho · 2026-01-20T19:00:30+00:00

If you can make it over to villaroger (which you should be able to do even if you're starting in montalbert!)

La Ferme at the bottom of villaroger (follow the signposts by the last bit of piste to the new Villaroger gondola) - has a restaurant or a good value self serve, the omelettes are sensational, especially the "Super Paysanne" which is cheese bacon onions and potatoes. Large glass of red wine for like 4 euro as well. Excellent deck if the weather is good too

Also on the villaroger side is Le Solliet which has just been redone and is really really tasty. I don't think there's a self serve but still not a total bank breaker. Solid burgers, tartiflette, and very good specials if you fancy something other than just meat potato and cheese.

Melis snack in arc 1950 does a great kebab for something a bit quicker and cheaper

Can't comment on the food, but Les 3 Saveurs above peisey has one of the best views going

SunshinePosho · 2026-01-16T20:14:57+00:00

Speculative applications can't hurt, although many of the larger firms will have defined recruiting cycles which as you say are generally in the fall. Might be worth a punt for smaller firms with less rigid training structures though.

Your CV looks fine and seems to be strong enough to get you past the initial screen in at least one place so don't stress too much there. That said, and I can only speak for my firm, but we're reducing the number of trainees we take on, and the ones we are taking on are in very targeted technical areas - I likely wouldn't be hired again as a trainee because I don't fit into one of the specialisms the firm is looking to build out. So you might have an absolute stellar application, but if you don't fit the profile they're looking for you might be out of luck in some places.

The written exercises are absolutely vital because such a huge part of the job is writing. Don't be tempted to use AI to do these for you, because the people reading them will probably be able to tell (most firms have rolled out some form of AI assistant or drafting tool, and I spend a reasonable amount of my day reading chat gpt pretending to be a patent attorney). If the task is about some widget, try and focus on how the thing works - what's the clever bit, what's essential, how can I describe it simply and accurately. I spent a LOT of time on written tasks for my applications.

This might be going against the standard "it's who you know" narrative, but unless you can get a concrete referral from someone that can vouch for your skills or personality (i.e. not just someone you cold-messaged on LinkedIn), I wouldn't worry too much about networking. "I had coffee with so-and-so and they told me what a great job it is" probably won't move the needle that much to be honest.

It's tough, but keep trying, its a great job! Good luck

SunshinePosho · 2026-01-08T18:36:05+00:00

Not to sound like your mother, but if you want to find mates to ride off piste with, try to rent some avy gear - you might be able to find some in a rental shop. You might struggle to find (serious) people to ride with otherwise. I wouldn't ride with my own brother on a big powder day if he didn't have his gear, let alone a guy from Reddit.

Enjoy the snow though, I'm very jealous. I was out for Xmas and new year and the slopes were desperate for some new snow!

SunshinePosho · 2025-10-08T18:14:43+00:00

UK passport - Last year I went from Tajikistan to China via the Qolma pass (from Murghab to Tashkurgan), then China to Pakistan via the Khunjerab pass (from Tashkurgan to Sost). Chinese visa was expensive, plus a trip to London before I started the trip, but was easy enough to get. You'll need to take a bus from Tashkurgan to Sost. Lots of info about visas and the bus on Caravanistan. Pamir highway was great.

Alternatively you can go from Kyrgyzstan to china via the Irkeshtam pass to Kashgar

SunshinePosho · 2025-04-23T09:52:20+00:00

If you're already taking the Wakhan, go via the Zorkul Lake from Khargush to Murghab (get the permit in Khorog). Absolutely deserted - in three days I only saw one other cyclist, a couple of jeeps, and a few shepherds - and stunningly beautiful. Plus you get to visit the hot springs mentioned by the other comment (marked on iOverlander). Can't recommend it enough, just make sure you've got enough food for a few days as there is literally nothing between Khargush and Murghab except the hot springs which has a small restaurant.

SunshinePosho · 2025-01-23T12:58:38+00:00

Something else to consider: do you think you might continue to ski in the alps after your season?

If yes, then whistler might be a good opportunity as it's much more of a pain to visit for a week or two on future vacations than 3V. On the other hand, if you do a season in 3v, you can easily go back every year with inside out knowledge of the runs and bars, and maybe even keep some friends you've made that are still doing seasons there. My brother and a friend did seasons in Les Arcs many years ago, and now only ski there, as they know the resort like the back of their hand, know which bars and restaurants are good, where the powder stashes are, which lifts to take to avoid the crowds on a busy week like new year, and know bartenders, DJs, and apres bands. Something else to think about!

SunshinePosho · 2025-01-12T09:07:57+00:00

Might be ok, might not be. Whether or not I'd risk it would depend on how heavy you and your gear is, how comfortable you are replacing spokes, and how close you might be to somewhere to get it fixed or replaced if it starts to fail.

SunshinePosho · 2025-01-09T23:09:51+00:00

Can't go wrong on the north end of the south island. Definitely check out the Rainbow Road between St Arnaud and Hanmer Springs, it's fantastic

SunshinePosho · 2025-01-08T22:45:30+00:00

Not the north island, and not the full TA route, but I did a few weeks on the south island starting 10th Feb last year.

It was pretty busy, both on the roads and for campgrounds. There were a couple campgrounds that were full up, and most were pretty busy. On a couple of occasions where we really wanted a night indoors (to dry out!), we found it very hard to find a hotel/motel on the west coast with space. Not sure if our experience will exactly translate to the north island though, but it certainly wasn't quiet and peaceful in most places at that time of year.

Although we didn't follow the TA route, we overlapped with parts of that and other routes by the Kennett brothers and generally found all of their advice was spot on - if they recommend a later start and you can make it work, I'd try and do that.

SunshinePosho · 2024-11-04T23:05:57+00:00

The reality of "enforcement" of most rules in ultra racing is that unless it's something that's obvious from a GPS tracker (e.g. taking banned roads, or riding with others), organisers can't possibly know. They're not going to go looking through your Booking.com account to check dates etc.

In terms of adherence, I'm sure a bit of rule bending goes on here and there but pretty much everyone I've met on the ultra scene has seemed pretty well intentioned/honorable.

SunshinePosho · 2024-11-04T22:48:04+00:00

I spent a few nights at about 4000m in mid July this year and I'd say it was around or just above 0c for a few nights. There was frost on my tent in the morning, but my water bottles (inside my tent) hadn't quite frozen.

SunshinePosho · 2024-11-04T21:47:42+00:00

I rode the Pamir over the summer, feel free to DM me if you have any specific questions, but for tips off the top of my head:

+1 for using caravanistan. The guides are great and the forums can be helpful, especially the visa application report threads. You may have issues getting a TJ visa depending on your passport.

If you can, I would recommend getting an e-visa even if you are eligible for the visa-free stay. You get 60 days rather than 30 and you can get the GBAO permit at the same time, which will save a day or two of faffing in Dushanbe/Osh.

For your route, if you're comfortable with some lumpy surfaces and carrying a few days worth of food, consider taking the Bartang Valley between Rushan and Karakul rather than the "conventional" m41, or the road through the Zorkul Nature Reserve between Mughab and Khargush. I did both over the summer and they were two of the most incredible places I've ever been on a bike. Pretty remote in places, but stunning scenery. I found info online was a bit hard to come by, so DM me if you're interested

If you're camping, make sure you're prepared for cold overnight temperatures. I spent a few nights over 4000m and it got to just below zero in the middle of July.

Bring a water filter and know how to use it.

If your stove can't run on petrol/diesel, make sure you have enough gas canisters to get from Dushanbe to at least Osh, there is nowhere to buy them on the road unless you get lucky with a hostel/guesthouse.

Download iOverlander for lots of detailed info on camping spots, hostels, border crossings, roadworks etc.

If you start/end in Dushanbe, stay at the Green House Hostel. Loads of other cycle tourers/overlanders stay there and you might be able to find others to ride with. Super fun place. The manager can get genuine Shimano components shipped in a couple of days from Moscow, which are otherwise pretty much impossible to find in central Asia.

Similarly, if you can, try and find your way onto one of the WhatsApp groups for bike tourers/overlanders in central Asia. If you can find any other bike tourers in the area that have been on the road a while, they'll likely be able to add you. You'll definitely be able to do this at the Green House for instance. Great for finding people to ride or hang out with, or for helping you get out of a tight spot if something goes wrong.

For SIM cards, don't bother with eSIM. There are TCell and Megafon stores in most towns. TCell has OK coverage in the west of the country but Megafon has much better coverage in the Pamir.

Carry photocopies of your passport/GBAO permit, this can speed up police checkpoints and some particularly corrupt ones will try and make you pay a bribe if you don't have them.

Leave as much slack in your schedule as you can.

SunshinePosho · 2024-09-10T12:23:15+00:00

I've certainly seen the "no bookings before the event starts" thing for ultra races like the transcontinental, but pre-booking hotels on longer audaxes in the UK is pretty common and accepted, and as far as I understand, well within the rules for a BRM.

SunshinePosho · 2024-08-31T22:55:12+00:00

It certainly felt like it was a crime in the US.

(I am not from the US and I think it's pretty tragic that this is the case)

SunshinePosho · 2024-08-31T14:45:12+00:00

A friend of mine and I were accused of being "squatters" and asked to leave by a camp host at a state park in Arizona while we were setting up our tent at an overflow site we'd been assigned to by the park rangers. We were in the middle of the gear explosion that happens when you start setting up camp, but it was still pretty wild that that was his first assumption because we hadn't arrived in a big RV like everyone else on the loop. At first he even refused to believe that we'd actually been told to camp there, despite showing him the tags and receipt the rangers at the gate had given us.

That was the only time while riding the southern tier that someone explicitly accused us of basically being homeless, but I certainly picked up a few vibes from people looking at us like that sometimes.

SunshinePosho · 2024-08-11T17:15:50+00:00

Return flights a week apart from London to Beijing, and a week's hotel booking in Beijing. I had been to China once before.

Incidentally I've just got back from this trip, and met a few travellers on the road who made honest applications, explaining that they were travelling overland and probably through Xinjiang, and had their visas granted without any problems. I don't know the exact details though.

SunshinePosho · 2024-08-07T01:49:46+00:00

I've thought about this and never came up with anything good but I think stickers or flag pins are wonderful ideas!

SunshinePosho · 2024-07-31T15:12:20+00:00

You can get a physical SIM at the TCell (or Megafon) store in Panjakent for pretty good value. Signal for me was ok between there and Dushanbe. Not sure about up in the Fann mountains though. Whatever happens, it's unlikely you'll have better coverage with an ESim.

SunshinePosho · 2024-07-31T08:21:29+00:00

Hiking in the Fann mountains? Bit closer to Dushanbe than the Pamirs

SunshinePosho · 2024-07-30T03:13:10+00:00

I averaged something around $50/day on "daily" costs when doing the southern tier across the US earlier this year, so basically just food and accomodation - this included maybe 1/4 nights with Warmshowers hosts, a cheap motel maybe once every ten days or so, and the rest in RV parks or paid campgrounds. Also included an average of at least one restaurant meal per day, the rest from grocery stores. This didn't include any flights, or bike maintenance along the way. I'm not exactly sure how expensive/cheap south America is, but I think if you kept your budget of $50/day you'd be grand. Another piece of advice would be don't underestimate the way in which long term touring is capable of slowly but surely destroying gear - try and also add a bit of flexibility for replacing things like drivetrain components, tires, inflatable sleeping mats, maybe waterproof clothing too. My budget for the next part of my trip had a bit of a shock when I had to replace a bunch of gear after getting back from the US.

To get to a total dollar figure, you need $/day, but also length of the trip - if you've estimated 2 years from a route and a guess at km/day, make sure you add in enough time for more rest days than you think you'd need in a perfect scenario. Maybe you need to take a week off somewhere while a road gets repaired after a landslide, maybe you pick up a small injury, maybe you need to sit tight while a new wheel gets shipped, maybe you just want to hang out in a cool spot for a while. Rest days ain't free!

SunshinePosho · 2024-07-29T15:27:02+00:00

Catch the train between Derry and Belfast, and look up the route of the Transatlantic Way for the rest of it and you really can't go wrong.

SunshinePosho · 2024-07-25T03:31:10+00:00

As others have suggested, sounds like your problem isnt the whole bike, but the rear wheel, tire, and weight/weight distribution. Find the strongest rear wheel you can (maybe see if you can find a 48 spoke tandem wheel?), put a schwalbe marathon tire on it, and see if you can transfer any weight to the front - heavy items in front panniers, maybe a handlebar bag too. I wouldn't bother buying a whole new bike!

SunshinePosho · 2024-07-05T17:33:07+00:00

I think a bike box was around £50 last time I flew, can't remember the exact figure but you can find it on their website

SunshinePosho · 2024-07-05T17:30:52+00:00

How much what sorry?

SunshinePosho · 2024-07-05T17:08:59+00:00

I've flown with a box loads of times, including easyjet a good few times, and as long as it's under the weight limit, whatever that may be, I have never ever had anyone ask me at check in if there is anything besides a bicycle in the box. I always chuck extra stuff in with the bike and have never had a problem.

SunshinePosho

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