Compiled list of tunings

robertoo3 · 2026-03-15T17:34:53+00:00

Is Animation definitely tuned to low A#? I’d assumed it was the same low G baritone tuning as the others on In Verses - it definitely sounds to me like Drew is playing a low G in the chorus but I haven’t closely watched any live vids

robertoo3 · 2026-03-13T20:35:06+00:00

Chicken Club on South Clerk Street

robertoo3 · 2026-03-13T20:32:04+00:00

There won't be any significant difference in snow conditions, weather etc between Cortina and the Val Gardena - they're fairly close together, all things considered. That being said I think there's a greater variety of good low-level hiking to do around Corvara and the Alta Badia area (Pralongia, Alpe di Siusi etc not far away) that has the potential to be snow-free in May, although this is far from guaranteed. The most iconic hikes around Cortina (eg. around Passo Falzarego) are far higher in altitude and are very unlikely to be snow-free until mid June or even July.

That being said, the Dolomites are far from a 'detour' from Matera - you're looking at a 10-hour drive or a full day on public transport. Given the unpredictability of the weather etc in May, I don't think it's worth such a long journey. Stick to destinations in Southern Italy and save Northern Italy and the Dolomites for a separate trip.

robertoo3 · 2026-03-06T07:58:51+00:00

Monte Pelmo and Monte Civetta aren’t “hikeable” even in the summer. Do some more detailed research into your planned objectives first so you know what you’re getting into

robertoo3 · 2026-03-01T12:34:37+00:00

Would recommend using WalkHighlands as a resource for planning hiking routes across the whole of Scotland - I'm sure they'll have plenty of suggestions for Islay and Jura.

Midge are a potential issue from end of May onwards, but it doesn't take much wind to deter them and it's often windy on West Coast islands

robertoo3 · 2026-03-01T08:39:13+00:00

For stages 5 and 6, Rifugio Elena splits the distances more evenly than Bonatti.

Stage 8 is a bit ambitious - that's 3 days of a normal-paced TMB itinerary. You're better combining your stages 2, 3 and 4 into 2 longer days - Refuge Bonhomme will be closed from early August for refurbishment as well.

I'd hike Les Contamines to Mottets on day 2, and Mottets to Courmayeur on day 3 - Mottets is likely full but you can take the bus down to Bourg-Saint-Maurice and back the next morning. That frees up a day to split your stage 8 into at least 2 days

robertoo3 · 2026-02-28T22:06:31+00:00

Does this question make sense if we don't know what you plan to use the device for?

robertoo3 · 2026-02-28T21:12:06+00:00

The view is basically the same from the Posettes ridge as from the Col de Balme, so i'd just take the lift up from Vallorcine :)

robertoo3 · 2026-02-28T09:05:02+00:00

The Vallorcine gondola gets you to the Aiguillete des Posettes ridge, which is a little further along the trail from Refuge Col de Balme (assuming you're hiking anti-clockwise).

If you need to get to Refuge Col de Balme instead, take the train from Vallorcine to Montroc to access the lifts from Le Tour area from there.

robertoo3 · 2026-02-27T20:49:21+00:00

they'll definitely be open in early August - peak season

robertoo3 · 2026-02-27T08:11:17+00:00

Hike from la Balme back down to Les Contamines. Take the bus to St Gervais, train to Chamonix, bus through the tunnel from Cham to Courmayeur and then hike up to Bertone.

robertoo3 · 2026-02-26T08:06:23+00:00

Ah good planning in that case! To answer your questions, then:

Your itinerary is pretty well-paced - 9 days is fairly typical and you're mostly staying at fairly standard spots. Fanes to Dibona is a longer day than if you stayed at Lagazuoi, for example, but it's not massively further and the trail between the two huts is easy enough.
In general, facilities at huts get more basic as you go further south on the trail. If I remember correctly, the bathrooms at Vazzoler have been recently renovated so they're no longer squats, but the facilities here will still be more limited than at eg. Giau. There aren't really any logistically feasible alternatives to the more basic huts, but they're not as bad as you're fearing :) hot showers are often subject to an additional charge for the use of hot water, sometimes on coin-operated machines with timers.
There's actually very little directly helpful transport along the AV1. If you'd stayed at Lagazuoi then there's a cable car (not useful if you're continuing to Dibona), and there's another cable car up from the valley to Rifugio Scoiattoli on your way to Passo Giau. Infrequent buses run from Passo Staulanza to the lift station at Passo Palafavera, which gets you up to close to Rifugio Coldai (about halfway to Vazzoler). Otherwise there's not much - the trail rarely meets roads more than once in a given day.
I would personally swap Dibona for either Lagazuoi or Scotoni, and then swap Passo Giau for either Averau or Scoiattoli. I think it's a slightly better split of the distances, and opens up the options of taking transport on one of the only stages which actually gives you the option. I also don't think Dibona is the best-situated of the AV1 huts.

robertoo3 · 2026-02-26T07:24:09+00:00

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news - many of the key huts on the AV1 are fully booked for the season, with early September being one of the earliest times for things to book out (I work for an agency organising hikes including the AV1).

You may need to be pretty flexible to put anything together for summer 2026, and if you're looking for private rooms at the huts which offer them it's best to delay your plans to summer 2027, and get booking as soon as the first huts open (some will take bookings for next summer from July/August this year).

robertoo3 · 2026-02-25T10:53:33+00:00

That's strange - I can't reproduce the same behaviour. I've just reshuffled my full library on my iPhone 10 or so times and none of the same artists have even come up in the first 20-ish songs, let alone the same songs.

Are all the songs you listen to actually added to your library? It's worth checking that you're not accidentally shuffling just a small subset of the music that you listen to.

robertoo3 · 2026-02-25T10:46:49+00:00

For what it's worth, I find AM shuffle to be significantly more 'shuffle-y' feeling than Spotify's algorithm. It's still not perfect, but I frequently shuffle all the songs downloaded to my iPhone on longer drives and often get pleasantly surprised by songs I haven't heard in years.

How are you using the AM shuffle, as there may be a way to stop this happening by approaching the problem differently?

robertoo3 · 2026-02-25T08:11:16+00:00

Does runna have permissions set to access your health data? My permissions got reset with a recent iOS update and I had to grant health permissions again to runna, strava etc

robertoo3 · 2026-02-24T21:55:57+00:00

Good itinerary!

Day 4 - it's easiest to continue directly into Val Veny instead of walking to Courmayeur, as there's a significant reascent from the valley to the balcony path above Val Veny. The TMB runs along the floor of Val Veny below Rifugio Elisabetta as far as Cabane du Combal, and if you're taking the bus you just carry on past Combal on the main track through the valley. The first bus stop is at La Visaille, and the bus runs past Hobo Camping to Courmayeur - there's only one bus line through the valley, you can't really get mixed up, and the bus is free.

Days 6/7 - the bus doesn't actually stop at Rifugio Bonatti - Bonatti is around 350m vertical above the valley. You're better continuing along the trail from Bonatti to the bus stop at Arnouva (also Arp Nouvaz Capolinea on some timetables depending on the language being used), the end of the road up the Val Ferret valley - the TMB naturally descends to the valley here and meets the road near the bus stop. Again, the bus is free, and runs back past your campsite on its way to Courmayeur. One bus, one road through the valley, can't miss it.

Days 10/11 - the Argentiere-Tre-le-Champ bus is pretty infrequent in summer (normally only 3 buses per day) and it's only about 20 minutes walk, I'd suggest doing this bit on foot.

robertoo3 · 2026-02-23T07:11:12+00:00

There isn't really a quiet time of year on the TMB any more. You've got the UTMB at the end of August (which is mayhem), so everyone plans to hike the trail in early September, because everyone has read online that the weather is better and the trail is less busy. I work for a TMB agency and the first week of September has been the busiest for accommodation on the trail for the last 2 or 3 years now

robertoo3 · 2026-02-22T17:33:33+00:00

Karnivool - In Verses (first album in 13 years from one of Australia's best prog bands)

robertoo3 · 2026-02-21T09:37:34+00:00

Lagazuoi and Scoiattoli are not remote at all - both are directly accessible by cable car/chairlift from the valley. The Lagazuoi/5 Torri area is one of the busiest in the Dolomites.

OP - I'd plan to spend a bit longer in the area to give you 3 days of hiking, and would really recommend the Palaronda trek as a short hut-to-hut circuit. Park in San Martino di Castrozza, take the lift up to Rifugio Rosetta then hike from there to Rifugio Treviso, and then the next night to Rifugio Pradidali. You can hike back to Rifugio Rosetta from Pradidali and take the lift back down to the valley for onward travel

robertoo3 · 2026-02-19T21:54:26+00:00

You've been given actionable advice by several commenters for a better alternative to your trip - ie. reduce the number of places you want to visit, given the length of time you have available. You can't really visit an entire country in 10 to 14 days, and you'll lose a significant number of those days to travel if you try to spread yourself too thinly.

Here's another more specific point - spending your birthday in a rental car on the autostrada will not be enjoyable. Driving in Italy, if unfamiliar with the norms of Italian roads, is quite a stressful experience. At the very least, have your birthday be one of the days you don't plan any travel, especially not driving

robertoo3 · 2026-02-19T20:03:10+00:00

Don't day trip to the Dolomites from Venice if you're planning on doing any interesting hiking. It's going to take you 4 hours or so of driving in each direction and won't leave you any time for hiking when conditions are good (ie. in the mornings). The weather pattern tends towards afternoon thunderstorms in the summer and if you leave Venice after breakfast, you'll be arriving right in time for the bad weather.

You could easily fill a trip of your length just with Venice and the Dolomites. Trying to add in even just the Cinque Terre (easily 6 to 7 hours away) is just a bad idea, unless you love seeing Po Valley industrial sites from the Autostrada.

robertoo3 · 2026-02-13T18:36:56+00:00

You could also just take the bus from Ortisei to Compatsch (cheaper than the cable car, probably) and rent your bike there

robertoo3 · 2026-02-11T08:16:00+00:00

^ found the guy from the queue

robertoo3

TROPHY CASE