Will Taggart

Will Taggart

Jackson, Wyoming

My crew is made up of a few of the most experienced skiers, snowboarders, mountaineers, snowkiters, and paragliders. We travel deep into the back country knowing we have friends with solid mountain sense. Together we explore amazing kite spots in areas that most people would never think to put up a kite. Our local day spots consist of Bondurant, Togwotee, Ririe and Tetonia. They have helped us develop our skills so we can maximize the big terrain.

Jackson, Wyoming is my home base and has some of the best winter conditions in the country. The terrain is vast and mountains are steep. We get conditions of all sorts, blizzard, whiteout, crust, icy, rocky, trees... but we also find conditions so good you wouldn't believe it. We watch the weather religiously. For the epic day, you want to find the perfect wind speed blowing over fresh snow without wind damage or warming. We listen to the avalanche reports and carry beacons and shovels whenever we’re off the beaten path. We are very careful with inspecting our kites, and when we go big you can be assured that it is very calculated. The gliding aspect of the sport has really drawn us to a variety of terrains high into the mountains. Once deep in the mountains, we’re finding ways to mesh big mountain riding, wakestyle and freestyle into our terrain. This is where we are cutting edge. Pascal Boulgakow and Chasta are much of our inspiration. Their kite skills, photography and terrain lead them to produce some of the best footage, photos and find the best terrain in the world doing things that have never been done before.

I'm a fan of all the Ozone kites. I like the Frenzy for snowkiting long distances and exploring. The efficiency of the foil while on the move is great. The 2012 Frenzy has a feel that is far advanced over the pre 2010 kites. The Ozone C4 is what I use for wakestyle riding and riding unhooked. The pop is very predictable and the C shape helps it float nicely after your trick letting you ride for a long time with slack in the lines. It rides downwind beautifully and just feels so smooth and easy while you carve against it. The Edge is key for me in mountain riding because it goes upwind better than any kite I know. Also, when flying through the air, gliding along, you will land much further because of it's glide efficiency. Its range and stability are amazing. When you need to navigate through wind shadows and have the terrain fighting you, the Edge will give you the best advantage possible. The safety works beautiful and I can be ready to flag when stormy conditions overpower, or when I just want to stop and nobody's around.

Here's links to some of our mountain exploits...

March 2013: Flyoming... Adventure Snowkiting in our Back Yard from Will Taggart.