Jonny Kydd's journey to climbing The World Is Yours (f8C) was anything but straightforward.

It began with a visit to Biblins Cave in 2014, where Jonny looked deep into the cave and wondered whether it would be possible to climb from the back of the cave all the way to the lip.

Two years later, in 2016, Jonny started trying to link sections of it together, and made the first ascent of the longstanding project Godzilla Sit (f8B).

A year later, he made the first ascent of an even harder sit-start, WADzilla (f8B), the boulder that would become the first part of The World is Yours.

Then, in 2018, after five summers spent in the cave, he managed to climb a boulder to the lip of the cave, making the second ascent of Spaceship (f8B+).

Finally, just over three weeks ago, after more than one hundred and ten sessions - and almost a decade since he first wondered whether the line might be possible - he linked it all together to make the second ascent of James Squire's 8C boulder, The World is Yours.

We got in touch with Jonny to ask him how it felt to have invested so much time into a project, what the highlights were, and what tips he might have for those of us who want to go out and put in the hours on a hard project.

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Congratulations on climbing The World is Yours, 8C! When did you first come across the boulder, and how did it become such a significant project for you? Am I right in thinking that you were trying the boulder back when it was still unclimbed?

Thanks! I was first brought along to Biblins in 2014 by a friend from the wall who had been trying Godzilla (f8A), which is a bit of an odd climb that starts from a standing position and finishes in the middle of the roof.

At that point in time, Godzilla was the only climb that existed in the main roof of the crag, and during that visit I remembered looking at the roof thinking it would be amazing if it was possible for someone to climb from the back of the cave to the lip. I guess that feeling of turning something from impossible to possible is what got me hooked. From 2016 I was putting in the effort each summer (you can only climb in the summer due to bat bans) to climb different sections of the roof.

I had kind of given up on being able to climb past the Godzilla finish until James managed to figure out a way of getting to the lip. That year, I joined him for a few sessions when I was working the stand (Spaceship) and James was going from the low start (The World is Yours). I managed to get the second ascent of Spaceship a week before James made the first ascent of The World is Yours so there was a very small overlap when we were both going for it!

What does 110+ sessions feel like? Dedicating that much time to a single boulder is something that demands the kind of persistence that many of us really struggle with! How do you manage motivation after spending so long on a boulder?

I don't think I can really put it into words! It was only when I was looking back through the footage that it really hit how much I had tried it from the start! My motivation was definitely helped in the early days (first ~20 sessions) by focusing on doing different climbs in the roof, but all of these included the Godzilla section which helped dial those moves and figure out different beta options.

I feel as though I have high innate levels of motivation, and I didn't really have any doubts about putting in the effort or time to get it done. This was also helped by the fact that I really enjoy the style of the climbing, and - with it being a very physical boulder - it felt as though each session was like having a training session at the wall or on a fingerboard, but way more fun! 

Can you talk us through your approach to projecting the boulder? I'm interested to hear how you went about training/preparing for it, since you yourself are a coach with Lattice!

There are so many things going on when projecting a climb for multiple seasons, but without going too far into the specifics, I found that from a training perspective it was a lot about identifying what variables I may need to improve after an unsuccessful season, and then trying to focus on those in the following off-season to give myself a better chance the next year.

This was ultimately a bit of trial and error, and some seasons were more successful than others, but if you end up doing the same things each year, the likelihood is that you are going to end up with the same results.

Then from a tactical perspective I really started paying way more attention to all the smallest details and looking to leave no rock unturned. When I first started projecting at Biblins I thought my tactical skills were good, but now I think that they are one of my biggest strengths, and really help to minimise a controllable factor becoming a hindrance to my sessions. 

How did the fact that you're only able to climb at Biblins Cave between May and September affect your process on the boulder? Did it help to be forced away from the boulder for long periods?

I think it was both a help and a hindrance to be honest. The fact that you can only climb there in the hottest months of the year really didn't help, especially when I was reliably getting close in bad conditions at the end of a couple of the seasons!

However, only having a specific window really helped focus my attention and for some of the seasons it was the only crag I visited. Also having this goal that I couldn't try in the winter meant that I had lots of carefree sessions in the winter where I wasn't worried too much about performance. It also helped with structuring my training as I would train really hard in the winters and dial it back in the summers, and I think this helped keep the training psyche really high throughout the process.

How many laps on WADzilla and Spaceship do you think you did in total?!

So by the time I sent I had done ninety-seven laps on WADzilla (f8B). I didn't do that many full repeats of Spaceship (f8B+), but often pulled on skipping the first two easiest moves and did a combined sixteen laps of that and the full line.

I have since been back to do some filming on it and got my WADzilla laps into triple figures, which is pretty cool! 

Putting the successful attempt aside - are there any standout memories from your time on the boulder?

There are quite a few! I feel like I have experienced a lot with this boulder, including 1am finishes; arriving to find camp fires under the climb; holds breaking; hornets chilling on the holds and then dive bombing the pads; trying to dry out the line after the crag had condensed on the final day of the season; arriving to find support written in twigs; and seeing the look on peoples faces when when I arrive at the crag carrying 4 pads, a ladder, a fan, and a couple of flood lights!

However, the one that really stands out was in 2019 when I first really got close to doing it, as that was when I really realised that it was on.

Are you taking a well-deserved rest from hard bouldering, or has this got you excited for even more?

Na, it's time to start project shopping for the next multi season battle ;)

Joking aside, to me there is nothing more enjoyable in climbing than feeling strong on hard moves. So until that changes I'll be drawn to hard physical boulders, and as long as I am psyched on the line I'll keep trying it.

Finally, what are your top tips for those of us who are now inspired to go out and dedicate ourselves to a long-term project?

Make sure you consider all variables about the climb. You're going to be in a for a miserable time if you pick a climb that you don't really enjoy, or if it's at a crag that you aren't too fond of, or if it's half way around the world and logistically really tricky to get time on it.

The one thing you can be sure of with these long term projects is that you are going to be spending a lot of time trying it, and for that reason it's best to make sure you enjoy trying it, rather than just sending it.