RC News #31: We Have No Home

Madison Richardson -

Zach and I just finished a month's stay in Montreal. Here are the highlights:

  • Went apartment hunting with Zach's mom
  • Participated in a competition simulation at Rose Bloc
  • Climbed with other members of the National Team and local talent
  • Drove to Vermont for a competition (took first and second place)
  • Broke our side view mirror in a parking garage
  • Met countless gym owners and route setters
  • Shortened and skipped countless sessions because Montreal boulders worked us too hard
  • Collaborated with another YouTuber native to Montreal

It was an excellent month of training, and we got a great feel for Montreal. The roads, people, and atmosphere are exactly what we're looking for.

Although we finally found an apartment in Montreal to call home, our move-in date is in April. It's less than ideal (in fact, I'll be in China at that time), but we're not complaining. It's a dream come true.

We are going to officially be Quebec residents in just two short months!

We would stay in Montreal until then, training and living out of an Airbnb, but we're comp climbers, and it's nearing comp season.

We checked out of our Montreal Airbnb a few days ago and drove home to Toronto. We stayed there for two days, then flew to Victoria to meet my coach, Libor Hroza, for a training camp.

That's where we are now.

In a week or so, we'll take a ferry to Vancouver for the High Performance Competition. It's an invite-only competition where the top 10 finishers from Nationals, as well as some extra-quota athletes, compete in a World Cup Qualifier simulation for points and experience.

A few hours after my round, we'll high-tail it to the airport in Richmond, where we'll fly home to Toronto to compete in a local cash comp at Gravity Niagara the next day.

After that, we'll drive up to Montreal for one final Airbnb stay before we move into our apartment for good, and the accommodation-hopping will finally end.

As much as Zach and I love the travel that comes with competitive climbing, there comes a point where it's all too much.

When we moved to Germany a year ago, we knew it was only temporary. We had an apartment but knew we couldn't invest in a good couch or buy a nicer TV. We had to live like it was one long Airbnb.

When we gave up our apartment four months ago and moved home, we committed to a temporary solution again. I didn't unbox half of the things I brought home. For the first couple of months, I just grabbed and restocked clothes right out of my suitcase!

When we move into our apartment in April, it will be the end of our restlessness. It will conclude over a year of temporary housing and Airbnb bouncing. We can find routines and keep them.

So, while we're over the nomad life, we are going to soak up these last few weeks before we move into our Montreal home.