Kitesurfing Expert Shows Commitment to Making Kitesurfing Safe and Accessible with 10,000-Book Giveaway

Kitesurfing expert Shawn Tieskotter recently released his book How to Kitesurf on Amazon.com - and he's giving away 10,000 digital copies in order to further his favorite sport. The book is intended not just to teach people to kitesurf but also to teach them how to be safe while doing it. How to Kitesurf will be distributed on BN.com and in the iBook format in the future.

"I consider it my responsibility to the kitesurfing community," said Tieskotter upon the book's release. "Kitesurfing is actually a very safe sport, yet there are still too many injuries every year. Most of these injuries would be completely avoidable if new kitesurfers were just a little better educated."

Aside from teaching kitesurfers how to avoid preventable injuries, Tieskotter's book also teaches enthusiasts how to deal with conditions beyond their control. These incidents include "Poltergusts" (a frighteningly strong or chaotic gust of wind) and Kitemares (any nightmare of a situation, such as losing control during a strong whipping wind, as may happen while kitesurfing).

Kitesurfing - often considered an "extreme sport" - has been growing massively in popularity in the 21st century. In fact, the sport was a serious contender to replace windsurfing in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. Despite having such influential advocates as billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Records, Virgin Mobile, and Virgin Airways), kiting could not quite edge out the favorite of the Royal Yachting Association.

While kiteboarding has been around since the 1800s, it only began to boom about seven years ago and is now considered the fastest-growing sport around the globe. In 2010, surfer Rob Douglas beat the windsurfing speed record by reaching a speed of 55.65 knots (64 mph) while kitesurfing. That record has since been beaten, but it took an extremely high-tech trimaran to do it.

"I consider it my responsibility to give away this book," said Tieskotter. "If I can prevent even one injury, it will have been worth it." He asserts that 99% of kitesurfing injuries can be easily averted by simply knowing what kinds of accidents are possible and being alert to them.

It's not just the individual surfer injuries, he says. Sometimes those who aren't participating are injured by those who are. And in addition to injuries, this often leads to kitesurfing spots being shut down and the sport given a bad reputation.

Kitesurfing sites aren't just around water, either. Enthusiasts have begun to kitesurf on sand dunes and even soccer fields, but the most popular way to kitesurf outside of water has been on the snow.

While Shawn says that his book is no substitute for in-person training, he hopes to use the book to raise awareness of the importance of safety in kitesurfing, especially among those new to the sport. That's why he is giving away his book to the first 10,000 people who download it during its 5-day premier starting on March 1, 2013 on Amazon.com. Readers can download the book at http://www.amazon.com/KITESURF-FAST-LEARN-KITEBOARD-ebook/dp/B00BKT6LGC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1361891819&sr=8-3&keywords=how+to+kitesurf.

To post a comment, you must register and login.